Art. XXII.—On the Ornithology of New Zealand.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 7, 1874, Page 197

Art. XXII.—On the Ornithology of New Zealand. By Walter L. Buller, D.Sc., F.L.S., F.G.S., F.R.G.S. Plates VII. and VIII. [Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 28th October, 1874.] Ornithology, like every other branch of natural science, is progressive, and this is especially the case in a country like New Zealand, where the charm of novelty tends to keep alive a spirit of inquiry and to promote habits of observation. The fact that my recently published work on the Birds of New Zealand is already out of print, while there is a very general call for a new and revised edition, is satisfactory evidence of the increased scientific activity in our midst, and may, I think, be accepted as a fair indication that ornithology is becoming a favourite study in the colony. If we are to succeed in getting a thoroughly true and exhaustive history it can only be by thus awakening general interest in the subject, and by encouraging those who have opportunities for observation to note down and place on record any fact or occurrence that may strike them as new or interesting in the habits or domestic economy of our native birds. In order to work out satisfactorily this or any other branch of zoology we require the co-operation of a number of independent observers in various parts of the country, and the affiliated societies of the New Zealand Institute, as now constituted, present to all such workers a favourable medium for placing their observations on record. Although much has been written about the Birds of New Zealand it is quite a mistake to suppose that the subject is exhausted. In the natural history of even the commonest species, closer observation will continually bring some new fact to light or develope some new feature of interest; and in the case of many of our rarer birds, we at present know really very little of their habits, and absolutely nothing of their nests and eggs or manner of rearing their young. Even with so common a bird as the Woodhen (Ocydromus australis) there is work still left for the field naturalist. The species presents so much variety in size and style of colouring that the inquiry into the existence of local races becomes very interesting. Captain Hutton, who

has written some notes on the subject (Transactions of N. Z. Institute, Vol. VI., page 110), considers the differences sufficient to warrant their separation into species, but his admission that one form may be only a “sub-species” of the other, reopens the whole question, for a bird must belong either to one recognised species or to another, and if these forms run into each other by gradations of size and plumage, however numerous, they must all be considered to belong to one and the same species. The collection of such a series of specimens as would satisfactorily settle this point is as much the work of the field- as the cabinet-naturalist. Nor need the student of ornithology in New Zealand despair of finding fresh species and gratifying the pardonable ambition of attaching to a newly discovered form an imperishable specific name. Many portions of the country are only half explored, especially the mountain fastnesses of the Southern Alps and the rugged wooded country on their western slopes. The southwest coast of the South Island has been scarcely visited, and there are many hundreds of miles of sea shore as yet undisturbed by the fowler's gun. In the extensive marshes also of both islands new birds may be confidently looked for. The natives describe three or four different kinds of Rail which formerly existed in the wet swamps or along their edges, the disappearance of which they attribute to the ravages of introduced dogs and cats. It is not unlikely that a ramnant of these may still exist in the remote and uninhabited parts of the country. Our sea-birds again (especially the great section of Petrels) are very imperfectly known, and we have much to learn respecting their breeding habits and general economy. The South Pacific is the great nursery of this family, and we may rest assured that there are some species not yet described. Many of these birds never approach the land, but during heavy gales some of the smaller species are frequently cast ashore, and are to be picked up either dead or in an exhausted state on our ocean beaches. Novelties may always be looked for among these “waifs from the sea.” We hear from time to time of the grand Notornis mantelli, and no doubt a remnant of the race still survives in the back country to reward the collector's zeal and to enrich our local museums. The diminutive Owl, of which we have lately heard so much, still eludes the grasp of the naturalist; and other birds of which the intelligent settler speaks with confidence, are as yet “unknown to science.” We must be careful, however, as to the amount of confidence to be given to the accounts of ordinary observers, for we all know how apt such people are to get wrong impressions of the objects they see. For example, I once heard a farmer describe a bird which he had seen, and which turned out to be an Apteryx, in the following terms:—“It was a fine large bird with dark plumage, something like a duck, but more like a turkey!”

Observations on the range and habits of our birds is the kind of information that we look for from residents in the country, and are most desirous of encouraging. But for the guidance of those who may be anxious to go a step further and describe for themselves any new form that may be discovered, I beg to offer the following hints and suggestions:— It is comparatively easy to describe a bird for all practical purposes, that is to say, with sufficient definiteness to entitle the description to general respect, and to establish the author's claim to the right of priority in naming the species. The first thing to be done is to take the measurements, and in expressing these the formula of inches and decimal fractions will be found the most convenient. The following are those which are usually considered sufficient:—The extreme length; the full extent of the expanded wings; the wing from the carpal flexure to the end of the longest primary; the tail, from the root to the end of the longest feathers; the culmen, measuring from the base of the mandible to the tip, following the curvature, if any; the lower mandible from the gape to the tip; the tibia, if bare; the tarsus; the middle toe and claw; the hind toe and claw. In taking the extreme length my rule has always been to measure from the tip of the bill, following its curvature, if any, to the end of the tail. The advantage of this plan is that by deducting the measurements of the culmen and the tail, which are given separately, you obtain the exact length of the body. This is only useful, however, for purposes of comparison, because the measurements of a bird stretched at full length do not afford any correct idea of its relative size as a living bird. Next, as to form and colour. In order to make the description intelligible some knowledge is essential of the names usually applied to the various parts of a bird and to the feathers which cover them. The accompanying diagram (Plate VII.), with the references, will I hope be found useful as an explanatory index to the terms commonly used in describing a bird. The bird selected for the outline is our common Harrier (Circus gouldi). The technical terms may be multiplied to almost any extent, but for the sake of simplicity I have indicated those only of which a knowledge is absolutely necessary. The definition of colours in their endless diversity of tone and shade is perhaps the most difficult part of the task, owing to there being no recognised or commonly received standard of nomenclature. Every naturalist has, to some extent, a standard of his own, and we repeatedly find different terms used by different writers to express the same particular idea of colour and shade. There is less danger of inconvenience or confusion from this cause in a large establishment like the British Museum, or the Natural History Museum at the Jardin des Plantes, where all describers have daily access to certain well-known types, and where, in consequence, there is a common

understanding as to what is intended to be expressed by such stock terms as “ashy,” “dusky,” “cinereous,” “rufous,” “fulvous,” “olivaceous,” and the like. But the flexibility of our language enables a describer, by the exercise of a little skill and judgment, and the free use of qualifying adjectives, to express with precision almost every shade of colour by the use of such compound words as “clear brownish-grey,” “delicate purplish-grey,” etc., with the help also of the comparative term, as for example, “darker towards the base,” or “lighter towards the tip.” A good deal of practice, however, in describing colours and their distribution is necessary to make an expert in the art, so that a written description may have the effect of bringing the object described vividly and distinctly before the mental eye. Werner's Nomenclature of Colours, although a work very little known or used, I have found very useful for fixing in my own mind certain general rules, so as to ensure consistency in my descriptions of birds and other natural objects. References to Diagram—Plate VII. I, forehead (frons); 2, crown (vertex); 3, hind-head (occiput); 4, nape (nucha); 5, lore, or loral space; 6, eye (coloured margin, iris); 7, ear-coverts; 8, hind-neck (cervix); 9, side of neck; 10, back (dorsum); 11, rumâ (uropygium); 12, upper tail-coverts; 13, tail-feathers (rectrices); 14, primaries, and 15 secondaries (remiges); 16, larger wing-coverts; 17, lesser wing-coverts (including “median”); 18, carpal flexure, or bend of wing; 19, scapulars; 20, chin (mentum); 21, throat (gula); 22, foreneck (jugulum); 23, breast (pectus); 24, abdomen; 25, vent; 26, under tail-coverts; 27, tibial plumes; 28, cere; 29, ridge of upper mandible (culmen); 30, lower mandible. In continuation of former papers, and as a further contribution to the subject I have been discussing, I beg to lay before the Society the following notes and observations, based chiefly on the examination of recent additions to the collection of birds in the Canterbury Museum:— Sceloglaux albifacies, Gray.—Laughing Owl. Since the publication of my work several specimens of this bird have been received at the Canterbury Museum. Two of these have the sides of the face sufficiently white to justify the specific name selected by Mr. G. R. Gray, and to which exception has been taken by one of your contributors, who proposes to substitute ejulans. (Trans. N. Z. Inst., Vol. III., p. 63.) It cannot be too strongly enforced that a name once imposed is sacred, and must on no account be ignored on the ground of inappropriateness. Classical defects in specific names may of course be corrected, but to disregard the inflexible law of priority, or to make its observation capricious, would lead to endless complications and confusion in our nomenclature. An appropriate and euphonious

Circus Gouldi of New Zealand

name is always to be preferred, but to reject a specific title simply on the score of bad taste is about as unreasonable as to refuse the inherited surname of Redhead to a dark-haired man, or Bluebeard to another wanting this adornment. It may be objected to the very common practice of associating the names of discoverers and others with new species that this fails to convey any correct impression of the objects themselves; nevertheless this is found to be a most effective mode of honouring those who have benefitted science by their exertions or researches without involving any practical inconvenience in systematic nomenclature. As a general rule, however, there can be no doubt that in selecting a specific name it is better to fix upon some characteristic feature by which the species may be readily distinguished from other related forms, or from members of the same group. Spiloglaux novæ-zealandiæ, Gmelin.—Morepork. Judge Munro informs me that some years ago on opening a bird of this species he found in its stomach a specimen of the Weta-punga, or tree-cricket (Hemideina heteracantha), with a body as large as a magnum-bonum plum. A nestling of this Owl obtained in Westland (and apparently a fortnight old) is covered with thick, fluffy down, of a sooty-brown colour, with loose white filaments; inclined to tawny on the under parts, and whiter on the sides of the head and neck; the bill dark brown, with a whitish ridge; legs and feet yellow. Stringops habroptilus, Gray.—Ground Parrot. Of this species there is a beautifully marked variety in Mr James Brogden's fine collection of New Zealand birds. The whole of the plumage is largely suffused with yellow, especially on the under parts, where each feather has a broad irregular central spot of pale yellow, edged with dusky brown; towards the tips the feathers are greenish-yellow. The upper parts are bright green, prettily rayed with black, and varied more or less obscurely with yellow, the feathers of the nape and sides of the neck having spear-head points of bright yellow near the tips. The tail is conspicuously marked at regular intervals with vandyked bars of clear lemon yellow, getting darker towards the tips; these yellow markings are edged with black, and the interspaces are yellowish-brown, more or less freckled and marbled with black. The primaries and secondaries are similarly marked on their outer webs, but the yellow is not quite so clear. Nestor meridionalis, Gmelin.—Kaka. The tail-feathers of a Nestor noticed by Mr. Potts (Trans. N. Z. Inst., Vol. VI., p. 148), and now in the Canterbury Museum, belong evidently to a

highly-coloured variety of the common species, for they correspond in their style of colouring with the tail-feathers of var. d, described at page 43 of my Birds of New Zealand, the type of which is in the Colonial Museum at Wellington. In my Essay on the Ornithology of New Zealand (1865) I recorded a living example of Nestor meridionaliś in the possession of the Upper Wanganui tribes, in which the overgrown mandibles entirely crossed each other. This bird had been in captivity for some twenty years, and having been fed on soft food the bill was deprived of the wear and tear incident to a state of nature, which would account for its abnormal growth. A wild specimen, however, lately obtained by Mr. Lambert, at Akaroa, presents the same feature, and in an exaggerated degree, both mandibles being quite deformed. Platycercus alpinus, Buller.—Orange-fronted Parrakeet. This has proved to be a good species, and there are now living examples in the Zoological Gardens, Regent's Park. It is easily distinguished from Platycercus auriceps, not only by its paler plumage and orange forehead, but also by its appreciably smaller size. The type specimens of the three species in the Canterbury Museum present the following gradations in size:— P. novœ-zealandiœ. P. auriceps. P. alpinus. Extreme length* From tip of upper mandible to end of tail. 12 inches 10·5 inches 9 inches Wing from flexure  5·5 "  4·6 "  4·2 " Tail  6 "  5 "  4·5 " Culmen   .75 "   .6 "   .5 " Tarsus   .75 "   .6 "   .5 " Longer foretoe  1·1 " 1 "  .85 " Longer hindtoe and claw 1 "   .9 "   .75 " The accompanying sketch (Plate VIII.), in which figures are given of the heads, will show at a glance the amount of difference in this respect between the three birds. I have in my possession a cluster of eggs taken from the ovary of an adult P. alpinus. Platycercus auriceps, Kuhl.—Yellow-fronted Parrakeet. The small red-fronted Parrakeet, supposed by Mr. Bills to be a new species, is nothing but a variety of Platycercus auriceps, with the yellow vertex deeply stained, or rather mixed with red. Mr. Bills states that he found three of these among 600 specimens taken, and one of these marked “male” is in the Canterbury Museum. Eudynamis taitensis, Sparrm.—Long-tailed Cuckoo. The egg in the Canterbury Museum ascribed (with doubt) to the above

species corresponds with a specimen given to me by the Rev. R. Taylor many years ago, and declared by the Maoris to belong to this bird. This specimen was afterwards presented by me to the Colonial Museum at Wellington, and a description of it may be found at page 76 of the Birds of New Zealand. Anthornis melanura, Sparrm.—Bell-bird. On the 10th October a partial albino was brought to the Canterbury Museum, and I had an opportunity of examining it in the flesh. Although I have seen probably some thousands of this species, this is the only instance I can remember of any departure from the normal colour, unless it be an occasional very slight tendency to melanism. It is a fine male bird, with the body plumage as in ordinary specimens, but having the whole of the quills and tail-feathers ashy white, the edges of the outer webs slightly tinged with yellow. The shafts of the quills are dark brown, those of the tail-feathers white in their greater portion, becoming brown towards the base. The bastard quills and tertiary coverts are ashy white; the large secondary coverts dark grey tipped with whitish and margined with dull olive; the axillary tufts, lower part of abdomen, flanks and under tail-coverts pale lemon yellow. Irides, bill, and feet as in ordinary specimens. There is a fine living example of this bird (an adult male) in the aviary of the Zoological Society of London. It shares a large cage with several foreign birds at the further end of the Parrot-house, and seems perfectly happy in its new home. It is incessantly on the move, springing upwards from its perch and turning a half somersault in the air, but I never heard it utter a sound. The deafening screams of the macaws and other parrots in its neighbourhood may have something to do with this. It seems strange that a bird which it is almost impossible to cage successfully in its native country should have found its way, by accident as it were, into the “Gardens” on the other side of the world. The curator informed me that he had purchased it for a mere trifle from a seaman at one of the London docks. Further inquiries have only tended to confirm my belief that the present scarcity of this and some other other species in the North Island is due to the ravages of the introduced rat (Mus decumanus), which now swarms throughout the country and will continue probably to increase. F. von Fischer calculates that a single pair of these rats might have, after ten years, a progeny of 48,319,698,843,030,344,720 individuals (Zool. Gard., 1872, p. 125.) Orthonyx ochrocephala, Gray and Mitch.—Yellow-head. Writing of Orthonyx albicilla, in 1871,* Trans. N. Z. Institute, III., p. 74. Mr Potts says that “its habits so closely resemble those of Mohoua ochrocephala, that one sees with regret that ornithologists have lately seen fit to class it with another group.” In his last

paper, * Trans. N. Z. Inst., VI., p. 144. however, he states that “closer observation induces the belief that this species may be separated from O. ochrocephala in order to place it near to Certhiparus novœ-zealandiœ.” It is to be regretted that he does not favour us with some particulars of this closer observation. For my own part, although I have studied the living birds pretty closely, I can see no valid reason for disturbing the accepted generic relations. On referring to the accompanying sketch (Plate VIII.), and comparing figs. 8 and 12 with figs. 9 and 14, it will be seen that O. ochrocephala and O. albicilla come very near to each other in the characters there indicated. Figs. 11 and 15 represent the wing and foot of O. ochrocephala. It will be found on comparison that the wing feathers present the same arrangement in O. albicilla, and that the foot, although more slender, has the same generic character. The sternum is precisely alike in both species. The peculiar feature of a black mouth is common to both; their style of song is the same; the sexes are alike in both, and their habits of nidification are very similar. It is true that there is some difference in the colouration of their eggs, but this is of no generic importance, inasmuch as the form is the same in both. The spiny character of the tail-feathers is less pronounced in Orthonyx albicilla than in O. ochrocephala, but it will be found that this is produced by the wearing away of the webs from the end of the shaft, instead of being congenital as in the typical Orthonyx. † Orthonyx, Temm.—Bill rather short and nearly straight, with the culmen elevated at base, and curved to the tip, which is slightly emarginated; the sides compressed, and the lateral margins slightly curved; the gonys moderate and ascending; the gape furnished with weak bristles; the nostrils basal, and placed in a broad groove, partly closed by a membrane, leaving the opening exposed. Wings short and rounded, with the fourth quill nearly as long as the fifth and sixth, which are equal and longest. Tail long and broad, with the shaft of each feather prolonged beyond the web, and rather strong. Tarsi strong, longer than the middle toe, and covered in front with broad scales. Toes moderate and strong; with the outer toe nearly as long as the middle one, and united at the base; the hind toe long and strong; the claws long, very strong, compressed and acute. Indeed the New Zealand form is so aberrant that it becomes a question whether it ought properly to be referred to that genus. If it should be decided to separate it, we must, I suppose, reinstate Mons. Lesson's somewhat inappropriate appellation of Mohoua to distinguish the genus. On comparing figs. 10 and 13 with those enumerated above, it will be seen that Certhiparus novœ-zealandiœ belongs to a sufficiently distinct genus. Myiomoira macrocephala, Gmelin.—Yellow-breasted Tit. A very pretty albino specimen, received from Otago, has nearly the whole of the body white, with a wash of bright yellow on the head, breast, and abdomen; on the fore part of the breast there is a broad mark of velvety black, and on the upper surface there are a few scattered feathers of the same; some of the wing-feathers are pure white, the rest are black; the two middle

tail-feathers are white, the outer ones black, obliquely crossed with a bar of white; bill and legs as in ordinary specimens. Miro traversi, Buller.—Chatham Island Tit. Several further specimens have been obtained of this very interesting form, which appears to be strictly confined to the Chatham Islands. They differ in no respect from those already described. Sphenœacus rufescens, Buller.—Chatham Island Utick. Referring to the argument as to the distinctness of this species (Trans. N.Z.I., Vol. VI., p. 116), I may mention that before leaving England I sent across to Bremen for examination and comparison with S. punctatus two fine examples (male and female) received from Mr. Henry Travers, and that Dr. Finsch, on returning them, informed me he was now quite convinced of the validity of this species. These specimens came from the Chatham Islands, and are now in the British Museum. Sphenœacus fulvus, Gray. No further specimens of this somewhat doubtful species have been obtained. Creadion carunculatus, Gmelin.—Saddle-back. In the Natural History Museum of the Jardin des Plantes in Paris, I observed an adult specimen of Creadion carunculatus in partial albino plumage. There are two others in the immature plumage, one of these being very strongly tinged all over with ferruginous. In the Canterbury Museum there is an example (adult) with a single white feather on the breast, and another bird, in young plumage, has the caruncles so reduced as to be scarcely visible. Carpophaga novæ-zealandiæ, Gmelin.—Kereru. I think it will be found necessary to remove our Wood-pigeon from the genus Carpophaga to that of Columba. I am forwarding a specimen in spirits to Mr. Garrod, the able Prosector to the Zoological Society, who has kindly undertaken to report on its anatomical and structural affinities. Ocydromus australis, Sparrm.—South Island Weka. There are two very handsome albinos of this species (from Canterbury) living in the Zoological Society's Gardens, Regent's Park. The plumage is entirely ashy white, with obsolete spots and markings of pale grey; the irides, bill and feet very brightly coloured. There is a slight difference in size, but otherwise the two birds are almost precisely alike. I understand that they were captured at the Four Peaks Station, and sent home by the Christchurch Acclimatization Society. I have seen an example of this bird in pied plumage, similar to the partial

albino of Ocydromus earli, mentioned at page 166 of the Birds of New Zealand, that is to say, with straggling pure white feathers all over the body. Ocydromus fuscus, Du Bus.—Kelp-hen. In young birds the primaries are obscurely banded with rufous. These markings disappear after the first or second moult, and the rufous streaks on the upper surface appear to diminish as the bird gets older. Ortygometra affinis, Gray.—Water Crake. The bands on the flanks are more conspicuous in the male, and the ferruginous of the upper parts is brighter; in other respects the sexes are alike. There is no appreciable difference in size. Recurvirostra novæ-hollandiæ, Vieill.—Red-necked Avocet. The sexes are exactly alike. The young of the first year has the black of the upper surface deeply tinged with brown; across the shoulders, when the wings are closed, there is a horse-shoe mark of blackish grey; head and neck pale ashy brown, darker on the throat, and inclining to rufous on the nape and sides of the neck. Thinornis novæ-zealandiæ, Gmelin.—Sand Plover. Dr. Dieffenbach states in his report to the New Zealand Company (Parl. Pap., 1844) that he found this species inhabiting the strand at Port Nicholson in 1840, and he gives an accurate description of it. It is singular that it has not since been met with in the Wellington province. Ardea sacra, Gmelin.—Blue Heron. In the young of the first year the plumage is largely stained with brown, especially on the upper parts; all the wing-coverts are shaded with brown towards the tip, with a narrow terminal edging of a lighter tint. Ardetta maculata, Latham.—Little Bittern. The Canterbury Museum now contains four specimens of this little Bittern, all obtained on the West Coast. Two of these are marked “male,” and the others “female.” One male and one female are in the plumage of my “adult male,” the other male and female are in the plumage of my “young male.” (Birds of N.Z., pp. 235–;236.) If the sexing in these cases is to be relied on it would seem that, in our New Zealand bird, the sexes are alike, the plain tawny wing-coverts being only a sign of immaturity. As already mentioned (l.c., p. 236) my “young male” presented indications of a change of plumage. See remarks in last volume of Transactions N.Z. Inst., pp. 119–121. Tringa canutus, Linn.—Knot. Dr. Finsch expresses his belief that the bird occurring in New Zealand will turn out to be Tringa crassirostris, Temm. and Schleg., the larger eastern representative of T. canutus. I was not able to take a specimen to

England with me, and have had no opportunity of comparing the two species. The following are the measurements of a fine specimen (in full summer plumage) obtained at the Ninety-mile Beach on the 2nd April. Length 9 inches. Wing from flexure 6.4 " Tail 2.25 " Bill, along the ridge 1.15 " Bare tibia ·55 " Tarsus 1.15 " Middle-toe and claw 1.15 " Hallux and claw ·25 " Limosa baueri, Naum.—New Zealand Godwit. I have mentioned in the Birds of New Zealand that the length of the bill in this species is very variable. In an individual lately examined the bill measures 4.6 inches, although the wing is only 9.5, and the tarsus 2.4. Limnocinclus acuminatus, Horsf. This is a recent addition to our fauna, and several specimens of both sexes have been obtained on the shores of Lake Ellesmere. In the fifth volume of Transactions (page 198) it is incorrectly called “Limnocinclus australis, Gray.” The synonymy stands thus:— Limnocinclus acuminatus, Horsf.; Jard. and Selb. I. O., pl. 91, Gould, B. A. VI., pl. 30=L. australis, Jard. and Selb.=L. rufescens, Midd. Spatula variegata, Gould.—Spoon-bill Duck. The nestling of this duck is covered with thick down, with long produced filaments on the upper parts of the body. The downy feathers composing the tail are rather long and have broad spreading plumelets. The upper surface is bright olive-brown; a broad stripe over the eye, another less distinct immediately below the eye, a conspicuous spot on each side of the back behind the wings, and another on each side of the rump fulvous yellow; the whole of the under surface fulvous yellow, shading into brownish-olive on the sides of the body and on the breast. Bill brown, with a yellow nail. Fuligula novæ-zealandiæ, Gmelin.—New Zealand Scaup. There is a smaller form in the Canterbury Museum, several of which were obtained at Lake Ellesmere. It is of a more chestnut hue than ordinary specimens of this duck, but on a careful comparison I can find nothing to distinguish it from the above species. Stercorarius parasiticus, Linn.—Buffon's Skua. Dr. Finsch expresses his belief that the New Zealand specimen of this bird (still unique) which I forwarded to him for examination, is referable to

Lestris longicaudatus. (Trans. N. Z. Institute, Vol. V., p. 209). Mr Sharpe and myself went very carefully into the matter, and examined all the specimens in the British Museum. We came to the conclusion that L. longicaudatus, Degl., L. buffoni, Boie, and Stercorarius cephus, Gray, were all referable to the above species. The full synonymy will be found at page 268 of the Birds of New Zealand. Procellaria parkinsoni, Gray.—Black Petrel. The young is covered with sooty down, which adheres to the plumage for a considerable time, as in other petrels, imparting to the body an appearance of unnatural size. It comes off first from the head, breast, and upper surface; and in this operation the bird itself no doubt assists. Prion banksii, Gould.—Banks' Dove-petrel. A further investigation of the subject has satisfied me of the propriety of retaining this species. Apart from the slight differences of colour, P. banksii has the tail longer and more conical, the wing decidedly longer, and the bill appreciably broader at the base than in P. turtur; besides which the unguis or hooked extremity has a very different form. This will be at once apparent on reference to figs. 3 and 4 (Plate VIII). Prion vittatus is readily distinguished from the other species by the greater expansion of its bill, and the conspicuous pectination along its edges. (Figs. 1 and 2.) The young are covered with slaty-grey down. Puffinus tristis, Forster.—Shearwater. On the last occasion of my coming through the French Pass (Sept. 27), I observed a flock of these birds numbering about 200. They flew in a compact body, fluttering near the water and occasionally resting upon it, keeping so close together as quite to darken the surface. A few terns (Sterna frontalis) were mingling with the flock. The young of this species is covered with thick sooty-grey down, which is not cast off till the feathers beneath are fully developed. The fledgling has certainly the appearance of being larger than the parent bird. This is not due, however, to its excessive fatness, as Mr. Potts supposes * Trans. N. Z. Inst., V., p. 200., but to the circumstance that at the end of the true plumage there are downy filaments, about an inch long, matted closely together, and forming a warm outer covering for the body. A thick tuft of down, about 2 inches in length, represents the tail. Phalacocorax punctatus, Sparrm.—Spotted Shag. The examination of a large series of specimens has satisfied me that the bird figured in the Birds of New Zealand is the young and not the adult female, but the loral membrane should have been coloured orange instead of

blue. The plumage of the adult is exactly the same in both sexes. The vertical and occipital crests are present all through the year, but as the breeding season approaches they become larger and more conspicuous, while the hind-neck and the flanks are profusely ornamented with loose white plumes three quarters of an inch in length. In the very young bird the skin is entirely bare, nothing being visible but the roots of the downy plumelets. When more advanced the body is covered with thick down, dark ash-grey on the upper surface and white on the under parts; the forehead, fore part of crown, and a portion of the face and throat perfectly bare. Phalacrocorax novæ-hollandlæ, Steph.—Black Shag. Among birds of this class it is a rare thing to find any conspicuous departure from the ordinary plumage. The following is the description of a fine albino obtained at Sumner, near Christchurch:—General upper surface dark cream colour; the crown, hindneck, lower part of back and flanks stained and shaded with brown; the scapulars and wing-coverts broadly margined with yellowish brown; sides of the head, throat, foreneck, and all the under parts pure white; the wing-feathers are yellowish white, more or less clouded and freckled with brown; the old tail-feathers are yellowish white, the new ones ashy; and interspersed with the plumage of the upper parts there are numerous new feathers of a brownish-ash colour with darker edges, thus indicating a transition to a darker state of plumage. The bare facial membrane is flesh-coloured, with an obsolete yellow spot in front of the eye; bill black; legs and feet dark brown. The young of this species attains to a considerable size before the downy covering makes its appearance. Phalacrocorax brevirostris, Gould.— White-throated Shag. The nestling is covered with thick down of a jet black colour; forehead and fore part of crown and a broad space round the eyes and across the chin perfectly bare and of a pale blue, changing to purplish flesh colour towards the base of lower mandible. The feathers come first on the back and flanks, the quills and tail-feathers also making an early appearance. In some examples of this bird there is a tendency in the under parts to change to white, and as a rule the extent of white on the throat and foreneck is uncertain and variable. On this account Dr. Finsch seems inclined to unite the species with P. melanoleucus (Trans. N. Z. Inst., V., p. 211). But I have never seen a specimen exhibiting the “frill” or lateral and occipital crests which are characteristic of the last named species. Phalacrocorax carunculatus, Gmelin.—Rough-faced Shag. The sexes, as determined by Mr. Henry Travers, are exactly alike, both as to size and plumage.

Eudyptes antipodum, Homb. and Jacq.—Yellow-crowned Penguin. The specimen mentioned at page 346 of the Birds of New Zealand, as being in the Otago Museum, has found its way by exchange into the collection of the Canterbury Museum. On examining it more closely, and comparing its proportions with those given in my work (from a British Museum example), I observe a remarkable difference in the size, which may possibly prove of specific value. The colours of the plumage are those of E. antipodum, although somewhat duller; but the lengthening of the coronal feathers is scarcely perceptible. Judging from the worn and blunted condition of the claws, the bird is an adult. The comparative measurements are as follows:— Brit. Mus. Spec. Cant. Mus. Spec. Total length 32 inches 26·5 inches Length of flippers  7·5 "  7·25 " Tail  3 "  1·5 " Bill, along the ridge  2·5 "  2 " Bill, along edge of lower mandible  3 "  2·75 " Tarsus  1·5 "  1 " Middle toe and claw  3·5 "  3 " Eudyptula undina, Gould.—Little Penguin. The young is covered with sooty-brown down, inclining to grey on the throat and foreneck, whitish on the breast and abdomen. As the bird gets older the down on the upper parts becomes lighter; and it ultimately comes off in patches, exposing tracts of young feathers, growing very close together and assuming from the first the colours of the adult. Eudyptula minor, Gmelin.—Blue Penguin. In a communication to the Zoological Society some time since, Dr. Finsch described * Eudyptula albosignata, Finsch, P.Z.S., 1874. what he took to be a new species of penguin from New Zealand, resembling Eudyptula minor in plumage, but somewhat larger in all its proportions. The specimen in question was forwarded to him by Dr. Haast, and on inquiry here I find that it differed in no respect from other examples of the true E. minor in the Canterbury Museum. As Dr. Finsch had hitherto refused to recognize more than one species of Eudyptula in New Zealand, I conclude that the bird with which he compared his supposed new species was in reality our smaller form,Eudyptula undina, and not E. minor. Apteryx australis, Shaw.—South Island Kiwi. In the Canterbury Museum there is a partial albino, in which the crown and sides of the head, the throat, the whole of the foreneck and the front of the thighs are yellowish white; whiskers black, and the rest of the plumage as in ordinary specimens.

Apteryx haasti, Potts.—Large Grey Kiwi. Since the publication of my Birds of New Zealand, another specimen has been received at the Canterbury Museum. This bird differs from those previously described in being somewhat darker, and more strongly suffused with chestnut. I am informed that Mr. Bills lately obtained from the West Coast and forwarded to England five specimens of Apteryx haasti, some of which were larger and more handsomely marked than those in the Museum. These were probably females, although the collector was unable to state the sex. References to plate VIII. Figs. 1 and 2. Prion vittatus. 3. Pr. turtur. 4. Pr. banksii. Fig. 5. Platycercus novæ-zealandiæ. 6. Pl. auriceps. 7. Pl. alpinus. Figs. 8, 11, 12, and 15. Orthonyx ochrocephala. Figs. 9 and 14. Orthonyx albicilla. Figs. 10 and 13. Certhiparus novæ-zealandiæ.