of Keas will be found lying on or around the dead body.
One Kea-hunter says:—“Another camp where the Keas used to kill was very high up, in a rough place which was almost inaccessible at night. I shot what Keas I could find about in the day time, but never the right one, for the killing still continued. I half skinned a sheep they had killed in the camp, and put strychnine in it. When I came back in a few days I found five dead Keas. That ended the killing of the sheep in that camp.”
From North Otago, where the Keas are still plentiful, comes the following account:—“We then baited three of the sheep carcases with strychnine, and sent a man out to camp on the spur. He picked up eight poisoned Keas, two of which were actually on top of the carcase, as well as shooting twenty more of the birds.”
The poisoning has this advantage, that, if it does not always poison the Keas that kill the sheep, it at least kills those who gather round to share the spoil.
But this method, though very effective, has its disadvantages, for the poisoned carcase may remain for months and be a continual menace to all sheep-dogs passing that way. Shepherds are continually travelling up and down the country accompanied by numerous sheep-dogs, which owing to their splendid training are invaluable in the rough country. It is almost impossible to keep them always in sight; and, as they seem to be ever hungry, unless great care is taken they get at the poisoned carcase. In this way a shepherd, in attempting to rid his station of Keas, may lose more by the death of his dog than he has through the ravages of the birds all the winter. Therefore poisoning has to be done with great care; and, rather than leave the carcase to rot, it is often finally burnt and the remains are buried.
Even since suspicion fell on the Kea he has been legally branded as an outlaw. No game laws protect him. He knows not the peace of a close season. Regarded as having his beak against every man, every man’s hand has been against him.
Unfortunately, no full record has been kept of the numbers killed, but the following statistics will give some idea of the
