CoLENSo. — On a New Species of Hemideina. 145 



circlet aronud one leg, and thus tied securely, but loosely, with 

 a strong short cord to a slender polished cylindrical hard-wood 

 spear, up and down which, for the space of 2 or 3 feet, the poor 

 bird ran and danced and flapped his wings, always without 

 water, and frequently in the hot burning sun, without any shade. 

 These birds, however, were of great use to their owners for 

 decoying other parrots for food, which through their means 

 were often at set seasons slaughtered in large numbers. 



Now, from all those interesting facts and observations rela- 

 tive to the habits and economy of the Huia, we may, I think, 

 gather: — 1. That these birds are quiet and social. 2. That 

 they keep together in sexual pairs, and are therefore likely to be 

 monogamous. 3. That the cock and hen are greatly attached to 

 each other. 4. That they naturally and mutually help in their 

 search after their own proper food. 5. That they can and do, 

 without difficulty, make a thorough change in their diet or food, 

 from animal to vegetable substances. And so, I think, we may 

 reasonably conclude that the unfortunate female bird, to whom 

 belonged this unnaturally distorted and almost useless upper 

 mandible of her bill, was helped throughout a long life by her 

 kind and attentive mate. 



Art. XIV. — A Description of a large and new Species of 

 Orthopteroiis bisect, of the Genus Hemideina, Walker. 



By W. CoLENSo, F.E.S., F.L.S., etc. 

 [Bead before the Hatvke's Bay Philosophical Institute, 9th August, 1886.] 



Fam. LOCUSTID^. 

 Genus Hemideina. 

 Hemideiyia longipjes, sp. nov. 

 Male. — Body smooth, legs and palpi hairy ; general colour 

 dark rM-brown clouded with black. Head, rather small elliptic- 

 globular, slightly wider than prothorax ; eyes large, sub-lunate, 

 gibbous, broadest above, horny integument filled with minute 

 quadrangular facets ; clypeus ochraceous, transversely rugulose 

 above; labrum large, longitudinally ridged in the centre, 

 minutely pitted and creased, yellowish spotted with dark-brown, 

 with a few small vibrissse ; maxillary palpi very long, about 

 1 inch, slender, finely pubescent, three last joints nearly 

 equal, last the longest, tip slightly clavate, hollow (? or ex- 

 treme point wanting), pale coloured; labial palpi rather short, 

 stoutish, second and third joints of equal length, colour 

 pubescence and hollow tips as in maxillary palpi ; antennae, 

 etc. . . . Thorax shining : prothorax 5 lines wide, shghtly 



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