BuLLER. — On the Ornithology of New Zealand. 29 



Phalacrocorax punctatus, Sparrm. (Spotted Shag.) 



Mr. H. H. Travers states, in one of his published notes, 

 that the female of Phalacrocorax punctatus is never crested ; 

 but this is a mistake. Both sexes are crested during the 

 breeding season, although I think it is probable that the 

 female does not assume the crest till the second year. Mr. 

 W. Smyth has several female birds in full crest, and he 

 assures me that he " sexed " them very carefully. In the 

 female the colours are duller than in the male, the crests 

 appear to be smaller, and the white-necked stripes are not 

 so broad or conspicuous as in the male ; otherwise the sexes 

 are alike. 



Phalacrocorax melanoleucus, Vieill. (The Frilled Shag.) 



In October last I received from my son — who had shot it 

 in the Papaitonga Lake — a small Shag which is undoubtedly 

 referable to the above species. It possesses a conspicuous 

 frontal crest, composed of very narrow feathers of a maximum 

 length of 1 in. There is also an elongation of the feathers of 

 the occiput, standing erect like a short mane, and the white 

 feathers of the face and throat are produced so as to form a 

 sort of irregular frill. The whole of the under-parts with the 

 exception of the under tail-coverts, which, like the upper 

 surface, are black, are of the purest white with a glossy 

 surface ; but on one side of the body there is an indistinct 

 patch of black, showing that this was the earlier plumage. 

 The bill is brownish-black on the ridge, the cutting-edges of 

 both mandibles and the unguis being bright-yellow ; sides of 

 lower mandible and angles of the mouth yellowish-green, 

 changing to dull-yellow on the eyelids ; palate and throat pale 

 bluish-green ; inside of both mandibles bright-yellow. The 

 feet have a rough surface, having the appearance of dull-black 

 velvet. It proved on dissection to be a female, and it gave the 

 following measurements: Approximate length, 24 in.; wing 

 from flexure, 9*25 in. ; tail, 6-5 in. ; bill, along the ridge, 2 in., 

 along the edge of lower mandible, 2-5 in.; tarsus, 1-5 in. ; 

 longest toe and claw, 2-5 in. The bird had been frequenting 

 the lake for two or three years, disappearing at intervals, but 

 it was so extremely shy that it was almost impossible to get a 

 shot at it, except by stratagem. 



This form is extremely rare in the North Island. I re- 

 member, when crossing the Otaki Eiver on horseback, some 

 thirty years ago, seeing one perched on a rock in the shallow 

 water. At a distance of some 40 yards I could plainly dis- 

 tinguish the frontal crest, which the bird erected the moment 

 it became alarmed by my presence. 



