Poppelwell. — Partially White Form of Puffinus griseus Gmel. 145 



getting some of the measurements exactly. The normal colour of P. griseus 

 is, of course, a sooty brown, the bill horn-colour, and the legs and feet 

 brown. Mr. Smith informed me that partially white mutton-birds are 

 not uncommon, but are yet sufficiently rare as to make a specimen of 

 special interest even to the birders. I had hoped that this specimen would 

 be sent to the Otago Museum, but I understand it has been disposed of 

 privately. 



As the normal number of feathers in the tail in Puffinus is only twelve, 

 may not the above specimen be a hybrid between Puffinus griseus and 

 some closelv allied genus, such as Priocella. which has fourteen feathers 

 in its tail \ Of course, I may have made a mistake in identification, but 

 the measurements closely accord with P. griseus. We know so little of 

 the habits and life-histories of many of our sea-birds that some such 

 explanation of these abnormal forms seems reasonable. The slight differ- 

 ence in the measurements with those laid down for P. griseus may be thus 

 accounted for. 



On the 14th June, 1916, I had an interview with Mrs. Sidney Ladbrook, 

 of Mataura, who had just then returned from a birding expedition to 

 Evening Island, off South Cape. She informed me that her party had 

 found a pure-white mutton-bird on the island mentioned, but it was turned 

 loose again. It seems that according to Maori superstition it is an evil 

 omen to catch one of these rare specimens, portending death in the family 

 of the captor. Mrs. Ladbrook informed me also that such a specimen is 

 called a " jimmy bird " if it has white or pink eyes, but if the eyes are 

 black it is known as a " queen bird " and the portent is less serious. The 

 specimen which was caught on the trip just then completed was a pinkish 

 white, but had black eyes. My informant says that these aberrant forms 

 are sometimes found about the same spot in successive years. This latter 

 statement receives corroboration from Mr. J. Bragg, of Half-moon Bay 

 (see p. 38, Cockayne's Report on a Botanical Survey of Stewart Island. 

 Parliamentary Paper C.-12, 1909 : Government Printer). 



Postscript. 



Since the above article was written a curious coincidence has occurred 

 which will probably serve to intensify the southern Maori superstition 

 concerning the danger of interfering with a white mutton-bird. The bird 

 referred to by Mrs. Ladbrook was, I understand, caught by her husband. 

 During the birding season of 1917 Mr. and Mrs. Ladbrook went to the 

 same island again, and during a storm two children — a daughter and a 

 niece — whom they had taken with them were washed off the rocks and 

 not seen again. Mrs. Ladbrook informed me that some fear of the result 

 was expressed by the Maoris when the bird was caught. The belief is that 

 the calamity will occur within a year, and in this instance has strangely 

 proved quite accurate. 



