BuLLEK. — 0)i tfie Ornithology of New Zealand. 25 



species. I also received two skins from one of the other 

 islands of the group. They differ from the typical form in 

 the more spotted character of the wings and in the total 

 absence of the chestnut-coloured pectoral band. 



Ocydromus earli, Gray. (Brown Woodhen.) 



Having sent Professor Newton a specimen of the Woodhen 

 from the west coast of the south Island, which I had identified 

 as the true Ocydrovms earli/'- he wrote me as follows: "I 

 have been much struck with the Weka, named on the ticket 

 0. earli. Last summer I made a pretty elaborate examina- 

 tion of the fairly good series of specimens of the genus we 

 have now here (thanks to yourself, Hector, and Von Hiigel), 

 and I feel that we (or, at least, I) have not got to the bottom 

 of the business yet, though I believe that what I have said in 

 the ' Dictionary of Birds ' (p. 1032) is pretty correct so far as 

 it goes. I find it hard to bring myself to think that there 

 were three distinct species in the South Island ; but sooner or 

 later this dark point will be made clear, and it would be well 

 that it should be so. What a fine opportunity there is for 

 some one to write a monograph of Eallidce. In regard to 

 Ocydromus only, my investigation last summer had produced 

 on me the impression that I had been able to see daylight, 

 but this last specimen of yours has almost shattered that 

 hope." 



Ocydromus greyi, Buller. (The North Island Woodhen.) 

 Mr. Eobert A. Wilson, to whom I am indebted for some 

 beautiful specimens of this bird, writes to me: "Unlike the 

 stupid Stilt-plover, the Woodhen, which also lives in the 

 bottoms of creeks, nearly always nests in a single raised flax- 

 bush some distance above the flood-mark. When looking for 

 eggs, if you walk along a creek and examine the bushes stand- 

 ing by themselves, higher than the rest, you will sometimes 

 find nearly every suitable one occupied. On our run about 

 one pair of Woodhens occupy about 300 to 400 yards of 

 creek-bed, and you never find more than one pair in a section. 

 Our creeks are all covered at the bottom with thick flax, and 

 the Maoris have specially trained dogs to catch them in these 

 localities. The man rides along the creek, while the dog trots 

 along unconcernedly in the midst of the flax. When he arrives 

 opposite a Woodhen's home he stops and dashes in, then he as 

 suddenly rushes out and runs ahead of the Woodhen, which 

 has, of course, started up the creek ; then he turns and meets 

 the bird, of which he makes a short business. A dog that did 

 not understand his work would lose much time — first in search- 



* " Birds of New Zealand," 2nd ed., vol. ii., p. 115. 



