That evening, when we were sitting around our campfire, Heta Te Miha related to us the following legend about a female huia. ‘Long, long ago, some time after the great canoe migration to Aotearoa (New Zealand), there was a high-ranking chief who was in the habit of going up in the mountains to set snares for birds. One day when he went to gather in his catch he was surprised to see a strange bird held in one of his snares. Of course, the stranger was the huia. 'The chief was full of admiration for the beautiful bird he had captured and he plucked two feathers from its tail and wore them in his hair. Perhaps this was the first occasion the huia feathers were worn as a head decoration. ‘Before liberating the bird, the chief bestowed upon it a magic spell and mana (power) with the command that the bird was to appear before him when it was wanted. Now it happened that on one occasion when the chief requested the bird to appear, it was nesting time for the huia and its tail feathers were ruffled and in a bad state. The chief was very angry and asked the bird why its tail feathers were in such a bad condition. The bird told him that it was through sitting on its nest'. The chief then said: “I will provide you with a means that will enable you to keep your tail feathers in good order when I next call on you.” He took hold of the huia, which was a female, and bent its beak into a circular shape. He then commanded the huia that every time it sat on its nest, it was to pick up its tail feathers with its circular beak and lift them clear of the nest.’ - T.V. Saunders