Benham. — On the Skin of Notornis. 147 



before darkness set in. When near the spot whence had pro- 

 ceeded the pecuhar bird-call in the morning the dog that was 

 with him made a dart into the bush, and shortly after emerged 

 with a bird in its mouth. The bird was not quite dead, and 

 it was at once taken to the camp, where it expired a short 

 time after its capture. Its fortunate captor thought it was a 

 Notornis, and it was taken with all speed to the foot of the 

 lake. Involving as it did a twenty-five-mile pull, it was early 

 morning before the foot of the lake was reached ; but fortu- 

 nately there was time to pack the bird securely and despatch 

 it by the mail coach for Lumsden, en route to Invercargill." 



To this account I will add that the bird was taken to Dr. 

 Young, of Invercargill, who at once communicated with me 

 as to its preservation, and promptly sent the bird to Dunedin, 

 where it arrived on the 11th August. Since that date it has 

 been in the Otago University Museum, and hearty thanks are 

 due to Dr. Young and the Messrs. Eoss for allowing it to 

 remain on exhibition here. 



An examination of the bird showed it to be a young female, 

 in a thoroughly healthy, clean condition. Owing to the cold 

 weather, it was perfectly fresh on arrival. The dog — evidently 

 a thoroughly trained retriever — had not done any perceptible 

 injury to the skin, but on examining the skeleton it was found 

 that the coracoids had been crushed. The only injury to the 

 feathers was od the neck, round which a string seems to have 

 been tied just behind the head, no doubt for conveyance to 

 Invercargill. 



On its arrival I carefully compared this fourth skin with 

 the detailed account given by Duller of the third skin, which 

 is now in the Dresden Museum, and of which the Otago 

 Museum possesses two oil-paintings. I may say that the 

 plate representing Notornis in the new edition of "The Birds" 

 is not so accurate a representation of the colouring of the bird 

 as the plate in the old edition, although from a lithographer's 

 point of view the former is a much better picture; the 

 colours, however, are too dull, and there are a few inaccuracies 

 of drawing to which I shall have to direct attention. 



The colouration and measurements of the present specimen 

 agree very closely with the account given by Sir Walter 

 Duller, but the bird is rather smaller in all its dimensions ; 

 and, as this specimen is a young female, the eggs of which do 

 not exceed ^ in. in diameter, we have every reason to believe 

 that Buller's suggestion that the Dresden specimen was a 

 female is correct. One of the skins in the British Museum is 

 brighter in colouration and larger in size, and he presumes it 

 to be that of the male bird, whilst the second British Museum 

 specimen is also probably a female. 



Before proceeding to the description it may be as well to 



