388 Transactions.— Miscellaneous. 



The ground-lark of the Antipodes, which was seen hopping 

 about among the tussocks, is similar in its habits to the New 

 Zealand species, but is smaller in size and has a different 

 plumage. Male : Upper surface dark-brown, each feather 

 with a light-brown edge ; the outer half of the two outside 

 tail-feathers a cream-colour ; throat and breast cream-colour 

 with a few brown streaks ; abdomen light pinkish-brown ; 

 eyes dark-brown ; bill and legs brown. Total length, 715in. ; 

 bill, 0-7oin. ; wings, 3-5in. ; primaries, 2-75in. ; tail, 2-65in. ; 

 tarsus, O'Oin. ; middle toe, lin. In the female the upper sur- 

 face, wings, and tail are like the male, but lighter ; throat, 

 breast, and abdomen rusty-yellow, a few oblong brown streaks 

 on the breast ; measurements slightly smaller. Professor 

 Thomas and Mr. Cheeseman agree with me in thinking 

 this to be a distinct species, not yet described. I have 

 therefore named it Anthus steindachneri, after Dr. Franz 

 von Steindachner, Privy Counsellor, and Director of the 

 Imperial Museum at Vienna, in recognition of his kindnesses 

 to me. 



The Antipodes were visited many years ago ; for the second 

 engineer of the " Stella," Mr. Bethune, picked up a piece of 

 totara board with this inscription : "To the memory of W. 

 Foster, chief oflicer of the schooner ' Prince of Denmark,' who 

 was unfortunately drowned in the Boat Harbour, December 17, 

 1825." 



After exchanging some of our live-stock, by taking on 

 board fresh penguins and letting others go that we had taken 

 from the Snares, we steamed to the Bounty Islands, distant 

 110 miles to the north-east. They are a cluster of thirteen 

 rocky islets, covering a space three and a half miles long by 

 one and a half miles broad. They are very much exposed to 

 the surf, and landing is very bad and dangerous. No depot 

 has been placed on them. I did not see any vegetation ; but 

 they are covered with millions of birds — three species of pen- 

 guins, the same as on the Antipodes ; two species of molly- 

 niawks (Diomedca melanojjhrys and D. chlororliynclia) ; and the 

 dove-petrel {Prion turtur). All of these were breeding. The 

 stench from the guano was dreadful, and the noise deafening. 

 There was no space, even of a few feet, free from birds, and I 

 have never before seen such a sight. After a short stay we 

 left for Port Chalmers, 360 miles to the south-west. We 

 experienced our usual rough weather, and just got into port as 

 the wind was freshening to hurricane force. 



To summarise, I may say that on the Snares there are 

 three species of birds not found on the mainland— a bell-bird, 

 a tomtit, and a swamp-lark ; on the Auckland Islands three — 

 a parrakeet, a snipe, and a merganser; on the Antipodes 

 three— two parrakeets and a ground-lark. The distribution of 



