Art. XII.—Notes on Birds.

Transactions and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New Zealand, Volume 25, 1892, Page 107

Art. XII.—Notes on Birds. By R. I. Kingsley. [Read before the Nelson Philosophical Society, 28th March, 1892.] The splendid specimen of the genus Anas which. I exhibit, and have purchased for the Nelson Museum, was shot by a Mr. Harvey in Happy Valley, near Nelson, and sent by him to Mr. Hale, poulterer and gamedealer, where it excited some degree of curiosity as to its species. My attention was drawn to it, and I expressed an opinion that it was a hybrid; but several old colonists affirmed that it was a distinct species, and had been seen at rare intervals before. I purchased the bird and had it mounted, and afterwards sent it to Sir Walter Buller for his opinion, who very kindly examined it, and sent me the following written notes upon it:— “This duck is undoubtedly a hybrid. The head is that of the grey duck (Anas superciliosa), although the markings are somewhat indeterminate. The general plumage of the body is a pale slaty-grey, the feathers of the upper parts, however, having pale-brown margins. The wing-feathers and scapulars are of lighter colour, being of a uniform French-grey with dark shaft-lines, but without the dark margins. The median wing-coverts are dull velvety-black, changing to grey, and broadly tipped with white. There is a narrow speculum down the centre, one of the coverts having an exterior border of metallic-green. The smaller wing-coverts display a conspicuous band of white, forming an upper alar bar. The upper tail-coverts are margined with dusky-brown, and the tail-feathers—but very narrowly—with a clearer brown. The whole of the lower fore-neck and the crop have a chestnut-brown hue, each feather, however, being warmly edged with light-grey, which character is more pronounced on the sides of the body and flanks, where the feathers have their webs freckled, and vermi-culated with grey. The under tail-coverts are darker, and have dull chestnut-brown margins. The bill is blackish-brown, the upper mandible with a black nail and the lower largely marked on its central portions with yellow. “This bird is either a cross between the grey duck (Anas superciliosa) and the blue mountain-duck (Hymenolœmus malacorhynchus), or between our domestic duck and the former. The slaty ground-colour and the reddish tinge on the breast and under tail-coverts would favour the former view; but the large size of the bird and the character of the bill and legs would support the latter supposition, which is probably the correct one.”

Whatever may be the true solution, the bird is an interesting specimen, and a valuable addition to our Museum. Apteryx Haastii. The specimen of Apteryx haastii, or large grey kiwi, was sent to me through the post by Mr. Charles Douglas, from near Okura, in Westland, who desired me to determine to what species it belonged. Mr. Douglas states he found it in a hole under a log, together with a kiwi of the common kind (Apteryx oweni), and since, as he states, “he has always before observed that individuals of the two species indulge in a fierce conflict whenever they meet,” he concluded this specimen must either be a hybrid or a new species. The bird was badly preserved, but I sent it on to Sir Walter Buller for inspection, and he identifies it as an immature specimen of Apteryx haastii—a rare species, and of which there is not (to his knowledge) any example in the public museums of Europe. It was first obtained in the high ranges near Okarito, Westland, and when I was there some eleven years ago I frequently heard it spoken of under the name of “roa,” but never personally saw one. It would be well to endeavour to obtain a good specimen for our Museum.