218 Transactions. — Zoology. 



probably too far west of its annual course." Sir Walter 

 Buller says tbat tbe main body of tbese migrants leave the 

 North Island about the beginning of April. I do not know 

 how long stragglers have been known to stay here, but I saw 

 a party of half a dozen of these birds wading off our Swamp 

 Road on the third week of last May. 



Both pied and black stilts may be seen occasionally work- 

 ing the sand-spits above the Petane Bridge. 



I have put down the weka as an inhabitant of Scinde 

 Island, but must admit that I have never seen his familiar 

 brown figure on the Napier side of the swamp-channels. I 

 have seen that small kinsman of his, the striped rail, cross the 

 Swamp Road a very short distance from the town. 



The last of the rail family, the swamp- hen or pukeko, 

 occasionally crosses on to the island. 



Coming to the order of Swimmers, the first of them is 

 the grey-duck. If this bird were not "game' we should 

 probably have the pleasure of seeing them flocking the 

 channels with the familiarity of their kinsfolk the gulls and 

 terns. But, as it is, it is only an occasional glimpse that we 

 get of grey forms stealing up the cut or the sheltered chan- 

 nels in the raupo behind the town — shy, wary pairs that have 

 escaped the persecution of " the season." 



The great black-backed gull may be seen almost anywhere 

 round the shores of the island, whether winging along in the 

 trough of the breakers of the open coast or wading solemnly 

 up the swamp-channels. I was much puzzled at first by the 

 brown plumage of the young birds — in fact, I thought it was 

 another species till I watched a tame bird in a friend's garden 

 change from sombre brown to the black monk's robe and spot- 

 less vestments of the mature bird. 



The mackerel gull is that dainty, cheerful little slate- 

 backed sea-bird that congregates in such numbers on the 

 tilted crags of the breakwater's end. 



The terns I have noticed more on the Inner Harbour and 

 the sand-spits and shingle-banks that lie naked with every 

 tide above the Petane Bridge. The big Caspian tern is a 

 bird of much dignity, and somewhat shier than his lesser 

 relative the common tern, or sea-swallow, who is a jeering 

 noisy fellow, a "larrikin" of birds, whose quick harsh note 

 fits his rapid dashing flight, so different from the stately 

 sweep and solemn clangour of the great gulls. 



The gannet, that regal relative of the shag, is only to be 

 seen on the wing here, as a rule. Now and again I have 

 watched one fishing well out to sea off the Marine Parade. 

 I hear that one was picked up in a Napier garden some time 

 ago in an exhausted condition after a gale ; and I saw a 

 bird, full sized but still in his speckled youth, waddling about, 



