BuLLER. — Oil Neiu Zealand Ornithology. 357 



sulphur-coloured crests, which formed so striking a feature in 

 the other, are only partially developed. 



Apart from its black plumage, this species may be dis- 

 tingaished by its powerful bill, its very small hind-toe, and 

 its long and rigid tail-feathers. 



The true home of the Black Penguin has yet to be dis- 

 covered. It no doubt lies to the south of the Macquaries, 

 which seems curious, seeing that as we approach nearer to the 

 South Pole the universal tendency in the birds is to assume 

 whiter plumage. It cau only be a straggler at the Macquarie 

 Islands, because ever since the discovery of the type, in 1875, 

 Captain Fairchild has made diligent search for it there during 

 the periodical visits of the " Hinemoa " without ever seeing 

 one. 



The Black Penguin is the only uniform-coloured form in 

 the whole group of these very interesting birds, and its pre- 

 sent rarity adds very much to the value of the specimen. 



The distribution of the various species of Crested Penguin 

 is very curious. On the Snares Eudyptes pachyrhynchus is 

 the only species to be found ; on the Auckland Islands 

 Eudyptes antipodmn, which occurs also on Campbell Island ; 

 on the Bounty Islands Eudyptes sclateri ; and on i\.ntipodes 

 Island both the last-named species and Eudyptes chrysocome. 

 The habitat originally assigned to Eudyptes sclateri (the Auck- 

 land Islands), on the authority of a live one sent to tlie Zoo- 

 logical Society, was evidently a mistake. Going still further 

 south, we find on the Macquarie Islands the magnificent 

 King Penguin {Aptenodytes longirostris), the Eoyal Penguin 

 (Eudyptes chrysolophus), the Eockhopper (Pygoscelis tcenia- 

 tus), and the Black Penguin {Eudyptes atratus), of which, as 

 already remarked, only two examples have been recorded. 



On the New Zealand coasts both Eudyptes pachyrhynchus 

 and E. sclateri are occasionally met with. 



Apteryx oweni, Gould. (Grey Kiwi.) 



One of my correspondents, writing from the Karamea 

 Saddle on the "6th April, says, " I expected to find Kiwis very 

 plentiful here, but I have not yet obtained one, although I 

 have been camped in these woods three months. The forest 

 is nearly all of red -birch, and, owing to the dampness of the 

 woods, the ground is spongey and mossy, with an abundance 

 of worms, which constitute the favourite food of this bird. 

 The District Surveyor, who has an excellent retriever, has 

 caught only two during the last four months. Woodhens, too, 

 are very scarce. I have collected a few of the brown-legged 

 species. I have preserved them, and will send them to you on 

 my return to Nelson. On 1st x\pril I came across a family of 

 the red-legged species — male, female, and two young. I cap- 



