Mellaxd. — On Notornis mantelli. 295 



Art. XXXIII. — Notes on a Paper entitled " The Tahahe in 

 Western Otarjo," bij Mr. James Park, F.G.S. 



By E. Melland. 



[Read before flic Otcujo Institute, 12tli August, 1889.] 



Ix the ciuTent volume (xxi.) of the "Transactions and Pro- 

 ceedmgs of the New Zealand Institute " there is an article 

 on the Notornis mantelli, entitled " The Takalie in Western 

 Otago," which I think ought not to be passed over without 

 some sort of protest ; and in case no one better fitted for the 

 task should consider it worthy of any notice I have resolved 

 to say a few words about it. 



The writer of the article is Mr. James Park, F.G.S. , and 

 his object is to show that the takahe " not only exists, but is 

 probably as numerous now as when the colony was first settled 

 by Europeans." 



In his introductory remarks about the known specimens of 

 this bird Mr. Park is not as accurate as could be wished. 

 With regard to the one generally known as the Dresden speci- 

 men he says, "The third specimen was captured by a party 

 of rabbiters, about the beginning of 1880, on the Mararoa 

 Flat ; " whereas it was caught by a solitary rabbiter towards 

 the end of 1879 on a piece of ground locally known as " The 

 Wilderness," some distance from the Mararoa Flat. The 

 place is accurately described by Professor Parker in his article 

 on the Dunedin specimen in vol. xviii. of the " Transactions." 

 But Mr. Park has apparently never seen this article, nor heard 

 of the existence of this skeleton, for he goes on to say, " Since 

 the above date " — i.e., 1880 — " no fresh example of the Notornis 

 has been secured." 



He then begins the narrative of his own experiences with, 

 " My first acquaintance with this bird dates back to 1881." 

 This " acquaintance " consisted in Mr. Park and two com- 

 panions, who were camped ^niong the mountains in the 

 Wanaka district, hearing, soon after dark, " at short intervals, 

 a loud booming note." As they " were all pretty familiar 

 with the calls of the different birds usually met with in the 

 high lands of Otago," they arrived at the conclusion, " after 

 some deliberation," that this was the Notornis — " a determina- 

 tion," he goes on to say, " subsequently borne out by facts 

 which came under my own observation." 



What these convincing facts were we shall see later on. 

 We are then told how they tried to catch sight of the bird by 

 the light of the camp-fire, but were unsuccessful. The next 

 day Mr. Park "found that the clear space below the matted 



