2 Transactions. — Zoology. 



of the latter being bright and glossy, whereas that in the 

 South Kensington Museum is dull. Jennings has done his 

 work well, the new Takahe presenting the firm, well-set-up, 

 striking look with which we have been made familiar by your 

 illustration. I hope it may be secured for the colony. I have 

 written to Eoss on this point, and if I make any progress will 

 let you know. I am posting you a copy of to-day's Times^ 

 with some notes on the bird and the species by Professor 

 Benham." 



The article referred to — in the issue of the 23rd August — 

 gives an interesting, popular account of Notornis and its 

 discovery, from which I quote the following : — 



" In size the bird is like a goose, but in colouration it re- 

 sembles the Pukeko ; its breast is a beautiful rich dark-blue, 

 becoming duller on the neck, head, abdomen, and legs. These 

 last are clothed with feathers for a greater distance than in 

 the native turkey, but they are relatively shorter and much 

 thicker than in the latter bird. The legs in both birds 

 have the scaly part, technically termed ' tarso-metatarsus,' 

 as well as the toes, coloured salmon-red. The feathers of the 

 back, wings, and tail are olive-green, with an almost metallic 

 lustre in certain lights ; below the short tail the feathers are 

 pure white. When the bird is seen from in front these colours 

 are at their brightest and best ; seen from behind — as when 

 the bird is running away from the hunter — the brightness is 

 lost : the blue becomes dull and nearly black, the green be- 

 comes greenish-grey, so that if it were not for the white tail 

 the bird, when retreating, would be very inconspicuous in 

 the feeble light of the bush. This white tail-piece occurs in 

 the Pukeko, as well as in some mammals, such as the rabbit 

 and deer, but its meaning is not always obvious ; although 

 the general inconspicuousness to foes is diminished, yet its 

 recognition by friends appears to be attained thereby. The 

 eyes are red-brown. But perhaps one of the most notice- 

 able features of the bird is its beak — a great equilateral 

 triangle of hard pink horn, with one angle directed forwards. 

 At the upper side of the base of the beak is a bright-red band 

 of soft tissue like an attempt at a 'comb,' such as we get in 

 cocks, only transversely placed. The whole is a handsome 

 bird of heavy gait, absolutely unable to use its wings for their 

 natural purpose of flying. Indeed, one of the interests, zoo- 

 logically, is that, like several of our native birds, it is flight- 

 less, while its congeners in other countries are endued with 

 powers of flight. The Takahe is closely allied to the Pukeko- 

 \Porphyrio), and not far removed from the Brown Woodhen 

 (Ocydrovms), all these belonging to the family of Eails, which 

 usually frequent more or less marshy ground, and in other 

 countries are able to flv as well as other birds. On the other 



