80 Transactions. — Zoology. 



Carpophaga chathamiensis, Kotlischild. (The Chatham 

 Island Pigeon.) 



The recent exhibition at a meeting of the Zoological Society 

 of London of a series of specimens of the Wood-pigeon from the 

 Chatham Islands, characterized as a new species, under the 

 above name, shows liow important it is to collect and examine 

 even the apparently most common species. We have always 

 known that the Wood-pigeon existed at the Chathams, but till 

 these specimens were received in England no one ever 

 suspected that it was a different species from that inhabiting 

 New Zealand. Mr. Henry Travers made a lai'ge collection of 

 birds there, but he appears to have avoided this bird as being 

 too common, and so the new species was missed by him 

 altogether. The Maoris, who are only practical ornithologists, 

 do not seem to have detected any difference between this 

 bird and the Kereru of their old home. As far back as 

 1855, when visiting those islands on Government business, I 

 saw some wild W^ood-pigeons consorting with tame Blue Eock 

 Pigeons introduced by the settlers ; but on the wing they were 

 quite undistinguishable from our New Zealand bird, and I did 

 not attempt to shoot any. 



The new species is said to be one-fifth larger than Carpo- 

 pharja novce- Zealand ice, and is "purple and pearl-grey where 

 the latter is green and bronze-red." I am expecting to receive 

 a specimen shortly from England, and shall then take an 

 opportunity of exhibiting it to the Society. 



Thinornis novse-zealandise, Gmelin. (The Stone Plover.) 



I learn by letter that in a collection of birds made by Mr. 

 Palmer at the Chatham Islands, and taken to England this 

 year, there was a perfect albino specimen of this very hand- 

 some Plover. 



Charadrius bicinctus, Jard. and Selby. (The Banded 



Dottrel.) 



I have described in " The Birds of New Zealand " (vol. ii., 

 p. 2) the young state of this beautiful Dottrel. I have now to 

 exhibit a series of seven specimens, showing the different states 

 of plumage in the progress of the bird towards maturity : 

 No. 1 is in the first plumage, with an indistinct zone of 

 mottled grey encircling the foreneck ; No. 2 has a broader 

 and darker zone ; Nos. 3 and 4 have it still darker, the centre 

 of each feather being blackish-browu or black, one of them 

 presenting a faint indication of the second band ; No. 5 

 exhibits this pectoral band, the chestnut being mixed with 

 white, and consequently indistinct ; Nos, 6 and 7 (adult 

 S and 5 ) present the double bands of black and chestnut 

 respectively in full perfection. 



