Buller. — Notes on New Zealand Birds. 67 



Huia was dead. Shortly after this, one of the survey hands 

 brought him two young Huias, taken from one nest. The old 

 birds remained in the vicinity ; and, after facetiously " making 

 a new species," by snipping off the white tips of the tail- 

 feathers with a pair of scissors, he turned the young birds 

 adrift, whereupon they joined their anxious parents and dis- 

 appeared in the woods. 



The nesting-season of this species must be well over at the 

 end of November, for all the female birds I obtained at that 

 date, although greatly denuded of feathers on their underparts 

 by their protracted labours in the way of incubation, were re- 

 covering their yellow fat in various parts of the body. I 

 think tbe male bird must assist more or less in the work of 

 incubation, for most of those I killed at that period had the 

 underparts bare, but to nothing like the extent presented by 

 the other sex. In the stomachs of eight which I opened at 

 this season I found very few insect remains, but abundance 

 of vegetable matter, among which I was able to distinguish 

 a ripe berry of porokaiwiria and the pulp of others, with 

 numerous seeds of tawhero and kaikomako. In the stomach 

 of one I found a spider, and the remains of a small weta or 

 tree-cricket. 



I am informed by Mr. Drew, of Wanganui, that he lately 

 had a beautiful albino Huia offered to him in the flesh, but 

 unfortunately allowed it to pass him. I have since endea- 

 voured to trace this specimen, but without success. 



Creadion carunculatus, Gray. (The Saddle-back.) 



I recently received a fresh specimen from Stephen's Island 

 (in Cook Strait) which possesses special interest, not only as 

 proving that the species still exists in this part of the colony, 

 but because it is a very young bird (in the true plumage of 

 C. carunculatus) , with very small caruncles and a narrow yellow 

 membrane at the angles of the mouth. The only difference in 

 the plumage is that it is duller than in the adult. Such a 

 specimen as this establishes beyond all doubt the validity of 

 Creadion cinereus as a distinct species. 



Creadion carunculatus is still to be met with on several of 

 the wooded islands in the Hauraki Gulf, but it has entirely 

 disappeared from the mainland. I expected to find it on the 

 Island of Kapiti, but the natives assured me that it had not 

 been seen there for many years. 



Turnagra crassirostris, Gmelin. (The South Island Thrush.) 



Of this species I have also lately received a specimen from 

 Stephen's Island ; so it is to be hoped that these small island 

 sanctuaries will be the means of preserving many of these rare 

 forms. 



