( 381 ) 



incredible that, an Apteryx should lay more than one egg at the time, and the fact 

 that two and even three have been found in one hole is not quite conclusive to show- 

 that they were laid by one female. However, the Kiwi female in the Zoological 

 Gardens has several times laid two eggs in one year, but between the first and 

 second a period of four or five weeks elapsed, and it was noticed that the male could 

 not entirely cover the two eggs with its body. These facts do not seem natural, and 

 do not support the theory that several eggs are hatched at one time. The shell 

 being rather thin, and the temperature in the nests naturally high, there is no reason 

 to believe that the time of incubation is an unusually long time ; and the native 

 report mentioned by Gould, that the period of incubation is six weeks, may perhaps 

 be quite correct, but it is a pity that nothing definite is known about it. 

 The eggs of Mantell's Kiwi in my collection measure as follows : — 



mm. I 121 by 77-G mm. 



121 „ 78-5 „ 

 120-O „ 79 „ 

 119-0 „ 80-5 „ 

 119 „ 74-5 „ 

 118*3 ,, 75 ,, 

 109 „ 72 „ (abnormally 

 small. From iSir Walter 

 Bnller). 



The weight of one in my aviary was 18 ounces. The shell is very thin, the 

 grain rather fine and totally different from that of all other Struthious Birds, more 

 resembling that of the eggs of Ra/l/dae or of Ot/'s, than that of the eggs of Stnitino, 

 Rhea, Bromaeus, and Casiiarius. The empty eggshell is very light in weight, 

 being on an average about 1 ounce or little more, while that of the smaller egg of 

 the swan is about 1| oz., and that of the still much smaller egg of Ajjtenodijtes 

 longi lost lis is also about H oz. 



3. Apteryx haasti Potts. 



Haasfs Kiwi. 



1861. Apteryx australis (non Shaw), Haast, Topogi: & Geol. Erpl. p. 139 (NeNon Prov.) ; id. in 

 Ibis, 1862, p. 104 ; 



1872. Aplei-yx haasti, Potts in Trans. N. Zeul. Inst. v. IV. p. 204 ; id. in Ibis, p. 35 (Okarito 

 country) ; 1872, Finsch in J. f. 0. p. 271 (after Potts) ; 1873, Potts in Trans. X. ZtaUwd 

 Inst. V. V. p. 195 ; Finsch t.c. p. 212 ; 1874, Potts in Zoologist, v. 32, p. 4014 : 1874, Finsch 

 in J. f. 0. p. 220 ; 1874, Rowley in P. Zool. Soc. Land. p. 497 ; 1875, Kowley in Orn. .Misc. 

 V. I. p. 3, Pis. I., III. ; 1881, Forbes in P. Zoul. Svc. Lund. p. 781 (trachea) : 1882, Buller, 

 Man. Neio Zeal. B. p. 46, No. 67, PI. XXII. ; 1889, Smith in Trans. New. Zeal. Inst. v. XXI. 

 p. 224 : 1893, Buller in Trans. New Zeal. Inst. v. XXV. p. 87 ; 1893, Kingley, t.c. p. 108 

 (young) ; 1895, Buller in Trans. N. Zeal. Inst. V. XXVII. p. 12G, 18»6, v. XXVIII. p. 358 ; 

 1893, A. Newton, Diet, of B. p. 496 ; 1893, Rothschild in .Inn Mag. Nat. Hist. (G) v. XI. 

 p. 43 (error) ; 1893, Forbes t.c. p. 159 (correction) ; 1893, Rothschild," t.c. p. 299 ; 1893, id. in 

 Bull. H. 0. Club, No. X. pp. LX, LXII. and reprint in Ibis, pp. 573—575 ; 1S94 iu Bull. B. 0. 

 Club, No. XVII. p. XXXVI., and reprint in Ibis, p. 429. 



?1841. Fireman, J. Gould in letterpress to A. oiaeni in v. VI. of Birds Austral. ; 1847, Strange in 

 P. Zool. Soc. Lund. p. 51 (from native reports. Descr. nulla) ; ?1861, .l/ilrry.r major, EUuian 

 in Zoologist p. 7468, lOis, p. 416 (descr. nulla) ; 'iAplergx maxima, Bonap:irte (ex \'erreau\ 

 MS.) in Compt. Rend. v. 43, pp. «4I, 1020 (descr. nulla ! Native reports about a very large 



