TRANSACTIONS 



OF THE 



NEW ZEALAND INSTITUTE, 



1892. 



I. — ZOOLOGY 



Art. I. — On the Classification and Mutual Relations of the 



DinornithidaB, 



By Professor T. Jeffery Parker, F.E.S. 

 [Read before the Otago Institute, 10th May, 1892.] 



A detailed study of the skull of the nioas has led me to adopt 

 views as to the classification and mutual relationships of these 

 birds which do not agree with those expressed by Professsor 

 Hutton in his recent admirable paper. * The full account of 

 my observations will be published elsewhere, but a brief 

 account of the conclusions at which I have arrived may be of 

 interest. 



Hutton is probably right in assigning the broad-beaked 

 skull usually assigned to the species crassus to elephantopus ; 

 in considering parvus as a variety of didiformis ; and probably 

 also in assigning the large, narrow-beaked skull, usually 

 called elephantopus, to crassus. On the other hand, I consider 

 didinus to be merely a small variety of casuarinus. 



Assuming these determinations to be correct, I admit the 

 following genera : — 



1. Dinomis, including the species giganteus, maximus, 



ingens, &c. 



2. Emeus, including the species crassus. 



3. Mesopteryx, including the species casuarina, and pro- 



bably geranoides. 



* « The Moas of New Zealand," Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xxiv. (1891), 

 p. 93. 



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