108 Transactions. — Zoology. 



Rhipidura flabellifera, Gmelin. (Pied Fantail.) 



In October, 1880, during a storm-bound visit to Motutaiko, 

 in the Taupo Lake, I found the nest of this species, with four 

 eggs in it, secured very neatly to a twig of kawakawa (Piper 

 cxcelsum), a tree to which, as I have observed, the Fantail is 

 very partial for nesting purposes. We had made our camp-fire 

 immediately under the nest before discovering it, and, although 

 we remained there several hours, the birds did not appear to 

 be in any way inconvenienced by the volume of smoke that 

 came from the driftwood fire, and enveloped them completely 

 from time to time. Both sexes incubate in turn. There 

 could be no mistake in this observation, because one of the 

 birds had lost its tail, and could be readily distinguished from 

 the other. 



Rhipidura fuliginosa, Sparrm. (Black Fantail.) 



On a recent visit to Papaitonga, I was much pleased to see 

 a fine specimen of this South Island species in a clump of 

 native bush near the homestead. It was associating with the 

 Pied Fantail, which is particularly numerous in that locality. 

 It was appreciably larger in size, and was in beautiful plumage, 

 the white ear-spots being very conspicuous. 



Mr. J. C. McLean, of Gisborne, in the Ibis for January 

 last, gives an interesting account of the interbreeding in that 

 district of a female bird of this species with a male of 

 B. flabellifera. There were two eggs in the nest taken, and 

 Mr. McLean thinks they are richer in colour than the ordi- 

 nary egg of the Pied Fantail, "the spots being of a purplish 

 tint, while in eggs of the pied bird they are brownish." 



Petrochelidon nigricans, Vieill. (Australian Tree-swallow.) 

 Several instances have been recorded of the occurrence in 

 New Zealand of flights of the Australian Tree-swallow. Mr. 

 H. Guthrie-Smith, writing to me from Tutiri Lake, on the 

 20th August, 1893, says, "While up at the Mahia last week, 

 I observed some birds like Martins or Swallows. They have 

 been there for some weeks, I believe. They were flying high 

 above some blossoming gum-trees when they were first pointed 

 out to me. It was a dark afternoon ; but, as far as I could 

 see, their tails were not forked. I should be much obliged if 

 you could tell me to what species they belong. Could they be 

 a flight of Hirundo nigricans ? " 



Mr. James Dall, of Collingwood, also writes to me, under 

 date of the 25th June, 1893, "During this spring, summer, 

 and autumn there have been large numbers of Australian 

 Swallows or Martins visiting New Zealand— apparently all 

 parts, as I see by a late Canterbury Times that a pair have 

 built a nest and are hatching young ones in a mill about 



