NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY OF GLASGOW. 233 



also occurs in New Caledonia. Further, that it has increased in 

 numbers in many of the settled districts, owing no doubt to the 

 greater abundance of food afforded by the farms and plantations 

 of the colonists. 



In size, the eggs vary from l|-§ inches to 2f^ inches in length, 

 by \\^ inches to l^J inches in breadth. 



Haematopus longirostris (Vieill.) — Pied Oystercatcher. Native 

 name, "Torea." 



" Two eggs. Nest on bare shingle of Otaio river-bed ; hard to 

 find. Bird very like English Oystercatcher (H. ostralegus, Lin.). 

 A small black variety breeds, I fancy, on sea beech." 



The small black variety alluded to in the above note of Mr 

 Cook's is doubtless H. unicolor, Wagler, and is described by Mr 

 Buller as '' glossy brownish-black, with faint metallic reflections 

 on the back and wings." 



A specimen of H. longirostris, forwarded by Mr Cook along 

 with the above eggs, closely resembles our British species, but is 

 considerably smaller. 



For account of habits, etc., see " Birds of New Zealand," p. 223, 

 et seo[. 



Two of the above eggs retained in our collection measure, 

 respectively, 2|^ inches by 1|-J inches, and 2-^ inches by 1 fl- 

 inches. 



Himantojjus leucocejjhalus (Gould.). 



" Six eggs sent. Nest on shingle of Otaio river-bed ; easy to 

 find. Birds bold and noisy. Nest of drift-weeds fairly built. A 

 black variety, I believe to be the immature of this. Will be 

 sure next year. Four eggs in nests; three eggs on 14th 

 October, 1872." 



In Mr Cook's notes, H. Nov-Zaelandiae (G-ould) — another species 

 of Stilt — is stated as the parent of these eggs; but, as he has 

 talked of a Uack variety {i.e., blacker, I presume, than the species 

 of which he obtained the eggs), I have little hesitation in assigning 

 these eggs to the other species, viz., H. leucocephahis, because, of 

 these two species, R. Nov-Zaelandiae is the darker. The " black 

 variety " is in truth, I believe, H. Nov-Zaelandiae, and H. leucoce- 

 jphalus is the species of which he has sent the eggs ; and in this 

 belief I am borne out by Mr J. E. Harting, to whom I forwarded 



