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Mantell's Kiwi.
(Apteryx mantelli.)
This Kiwi, a quaint flightless bird of the N. Island of New Zealand, is related on the one hand to the ostrich, emu and cassowary, and on the other to the extinct moa. The most remarkable feature of the bill of the Kiwi is the fact that the nostrils, which are situated near the base in the waders, are placed at the tip of the upper mandible. This seems an undesirable. This seems an undesirable arrangement for a bird which lives by probing in soft ground for grubs, maggots and wire-worms, but no doubt it has compensations in the strong senses of touch and smell which help the bird detect its prey.