84 Transactions. — Zoology. 



Several pieces of egg-shell of a light green colour were also 

 found, in what appeared to have been a nest, and are shown on 

 plate II. 



The colour of egg-shell is green. This specimen was 

 obtained from sand-drift on the Kawarau River, Otago, and 

 inclines to the presumption that the colour has been bleached 

 out in most of the fragments of egg-shell which are found, 

 any other specimens which I have collected showing no sign 

 of colour. Yet amongst these white shells there is a marked 

 difference in the form of the pit marks or pores of the shell, 

 showing they are different varieties. 



Plate III. contains copies of feathers collected from a small 

 cave near Queenstown, Otago, which are mentioned in vol. viii., 

 page 99, " Trans. N.Z. Institute." 



These feathers show a considerable quantity of light-coloured 

 down. The longest was a little short of six inches. 



They are of at least three classes : First, the longer are 

 narrow and mostly duplicate, a thick light-coloured down ex- 

 tending two-thirds along the shaft ; a dark purple brown at tip, 

 the colour lighter at base and along shaft. The second are 

 shorter, wider, and more robust ; two-thirds, a thick down, 

 colour darker. A third class, two to four inches long, are pro- 

 bably neck feathers, and are of a more translucent and hairy 

 texture, showing no down and few barbs, the shorter inclining in 

 colour to yellowish brown, others to nearly black. 



From the style of these last, the upper part of the neck and 

 the head of this bird were most likely without feathers. 



The green egg-shell shown in this plate was found in drift 

 sand on the Kawarau River. 



Art. XII. — Notes on New Zealand Ornithology : Observations on 

 .Pogonornis cincta (DubusJ ; Stitch-Bird (Tiora). 



By A. Reischek, F.L.S. 



[Read before the Auckland Institute, 1st June, 1885.] 



The first specimens of these birds I saw in the Canterbury 

 Museum (two males, set up). On inquiring, Dr. von Haast 

 informed me they were very rare. The next brought under my 

 notice was a male specimen, in the Auckland Museum; and Mr. 

 Cheeseman told me Professor Hutton, C.M.Z.S., mentioned 

 them as not uncommon on the Little Barrier or Hauturu Island, 

 in the Hauraki Gulf, for which place I started in October, 1880, 

 accompanied by my friend Mr. E. Firth, for the purpose of 



