Art. XXIII.—Remarks on some curious Specimens of New Zealand Birds.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 12, 1879, Page 248

Art. XXIII.—Remarks on some curious Specimens of New Zealand Birds. By T. W. Kirk, Assistant in the Colonial Museum. [Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 11th October, 1879.] It will be remembered that, in 1876, Dr. Buller read before this Society descriptions of several varieties of the Common, Wood-Pigeon (Carpophaga novœ-zealandiœ). I have now the pleasure of bringing under your notice two additional examples of albinism in this species. No. 1 is a beautiful albino, the whole plumage being pure white, with the exception of the lesser wing-coverts, which are a delicate yellowish-brown colour, but much more decided than in the specimen mentioned by Dr. Buller. The claws are yellow instead of black, which is the normal colour. This specimen was shot at Springhill Station, Upper Whareama, by Mr. A. Cameron, and by him presented to the Museum; he says it has frequently been seen about the station during the last four years. No. 2 is a partial albino. The head, neck, back, and fore-part of the breast are light brown, stained in places with coppery-purple; lesser wing-coverts, coppery-purple; quills and their coverts, light brown; quills tipped and margined with white. Tail-feathers brown, tipped with white; under-surface steel grey, changing to brown towards the extremities; under-parts from breast downwards, white, slightly tinged with brown; eyes and feet the usual carmine pink; claws yellowish-pink, tipped with black. This specimen was procured at Pahautanui, and presented to the Museum by Mr. Wise, a very old resident in the district. The next specimen I have to draw your attention to is a curious and interesting variety of the Kotuku, or White Heron (Ardea syrmatophora). On the right wing, near the “bend,” is a patch of dark feathers; thence a band of black and brown passes right over the back and joins a much larger patch of the same colour on the left wing, and then extends obliquely across the breast, becoming fainter as it again approaches the left side. Inner webs of primaries, lining of wings and flank-feathers, more or less marked with brown, passing in places into black. A black patch about an inch in length will also be noticed on the outer web of one of the “secondary plume feathers.” I have never before heard of a specimen of this species possessing a single coloured feather, and indeed I am informed that “White as a Kotuku” has passed into a proverb amongst the natives. I was therefore surprised, when, on proceeding to examine the six specimens contained in the “type collection,” in the Colonial Museum, I found that no less than three of them had the wings, especially the under-surfaces, more or less spotted or dashed with brown and black.

The accompanying sketch represents a curious deformity (if I may use the term) in the bill of a female Huia (Heteralocha acutirostris), now in the Museum collection. It is evidently the result of an accident, and from its appearance I should say that a shot had just passed below the nostril, splitting the bill in the manner shown. The left side of the upper mandible has also been broken off, but this was evidently a subsequent misfortune, as the broken edge is still somewhat sharp; while the top of the bill and “spike” are smooth and polished. This unfortunate bird was presented to the Museum several years ago, by Mr. J. D. Enys, who shot it at Akitea.