from the beach ; and on the south side of the sound, about opposite the upper end of Cooper's Island. It will be remembered that the first specimen of Notornis, secured by Mr. Mantell, was captured at Duck Cove, Resolution Island, a distance of some seven miles from Cooper's Island ; and the second at Secretary Island, in Thompson Sound, about thirty miles further up the coast. After a lapse of over thirty years a third specimen was captured in 1880, near Lake Te Anau; and the following year it was heard in the Upper Matukituki Valley, behind Mount Aspiring, by myself and others of an exploring party ; and now, again, in the beginning of the present year, at Dusky Sound, by myself and others. When passing through Wellington some four months ago Docherty informed the Hon. Mr. Mantell that he had recently seen a Notornis at Dusky Sound. He said he came upon it in the bush close to the beach, and that it flew some distance on to the water, and then made back to the shore. I think I have said enough to show that the Notornis still exists in the lonely sounds and mountain-recesses of Western Otago, in places far removed from the ordinary haunts of men. That it is gradually becoming extinct is no doubt quite true, but, whatever the cause, it can hardly be said to be on account of the inroads of man. Its extinction is, possibly, partly due to scarcity of food, and partly to a process of natural decay which is no doubt in a measure induced by the effects of the first. So recluse and retiring in its habits, it is probable that few if any further additions will be made to the three specimens of this bird already secured, unless special efforts be made in this direction; and, though this may entail a considerable expenditure of time and energy, the object is one deserving the support of every true naturalis.

Art. XXV.—Notes on some New Zealand Birds. By T. W. Kirk, F.R.M.S. [Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 13th February, 1889.] 1. Rhipidura Fuliginosa (Black Fantail, Tiwakawaka). This bird is generally believed to be confined to the South Island. There are, however, several well-authenticated records of its capture in the North. A specimen was quite recently shot at Levin, a new township on the Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company's land, and presented to the Colonial Museum by Mr. Charles Gillespie.