18 Transactions. — Zoology. 



flesh, a Koheperoa in very fat condition. Very late in the 

 season for such a bird ! Mr. Travers suggests that some 

 may remain with us all the year round. It may be so, but 

 the occurrence is a very unusual one. It is clear, however, 

 that there is no lack of winter food for this species. And if it 

 is able to endure our seasonable cold, why should it have 

 inherited its wonderful migratory instinct ? This is one of 

 the problems of natural history which will probably never find 

 a solution. Why should the Godwit make its annual weary 

 pilgrimage from New Zealand to Siberia, when, as we know, 

 the few individuals that remain with us through the winter 

 are always fat and in good condition ? 



Nestor meridionalis, Gmelin. (Var. Kakakura.) 



A specimen in Mr. Whaley's collection obtained at Rotorua 

 differs from all examples I have seen in having the hindneck 

 greenish-orange with black centres to the feathers ; the ciown 

 of the head, cheeks, and throat dusky-brown, the ear-coverts 

 being dull orpiment-orange ; breast dusky-brown, mixed with 

 yellow ; shoulders bright-scarlet, mixed with orpiment-orange, 

 the centres of the feathers brown ; croup and upper tail- 

 coverts brilliant scarlet, with clouded markings of brown ; 

 abdomen, flanks, and under tail-coverts duller scarlet, largely 

 mixed with brown ; upper surface of wings beautifully varied 

 with olive -brown, scarlet, and orpiment-orange; lining of 

 wings golden-yellow towards the bend, pale-scarlet below; 

 quills golden-yellow and scarlet for half their extent, then 

 dusky to the tips ; tail-feathers pale-scarlet for two-thirds of 

 their length, then dark-brown, with naked shaft-lines pro- 

 duced -I- in. beyond the webs. 



On the table this evening there is another very similar 

 specimen exhibited by Mr. Donne, who is making a collection 

 of New Zealand rarities. 



On the occasion of a visit to Stewart Island I obtained 

 from a settler named Jensen a beautiful albino (or, rather, 

 bufi"-grey) example of this species. On inquiring how he got 

 it, he explained that, being out in the woods Kaka-shooting, 

 he wounded a bird, and, without looking closely at it, he held 

 it down with his foot as a decoy. Its screams attracted a 

 flock of them, and, in quick succession, he shot fifteen. Then 

 he took up his wounded bu'd and found that it was something 

 out of the common. The specimen was successfully skinned 

 by Marklund, and I rewarded Jensen liberally for saving it. 



Stringops habroptilus, Gray. (The Kakapo.) 



It is gratifying to learn that the Kakapo is still plentiful in 

 the wooded country on the west coast of the South Island, in 

 spite of the steady spread of stoats and ferrets ; but in formei' 

 times thev were, of course, far more abundant. 



