BY E. P. RAMSAY, F.L.S. 87 



and which still exists on the Island is the '' Wood Hen " 



Ocydromics stjlvestris and of which I have recently seen specimens, 

 but this species also is fast becoming extinct, being easily 

 captured or killed. One pigeon only is now found — Chalcohaps 

 chrysochlora. Although numerous large birds of this family were 

 formerly said to exist there. 



There seem to be no indigenous four footed Mammals. I 

 have heard of a Mus, but as yet none have come to hand ; and 

 two small Bats of the genus Scotophillus are all I have seen of the 

 order Cheiroptera. 



Among some Geological specimens received from Mr, Berry, 

 who has, I believe, recently returned from the Island ; I found 

 a portion of the pelvis of a Turtle, the fossil was much water- 

 worn and encrusted with carbonate of lime, upon my making 

 this known, further search was made by other parties and I 

 believe other bones found, which I regret I did not see before 

 they left the colony. I believe the bone above referred to WiU 

 prove to belong to a large sea turtle, but from the only fragment 

 I have seen it would be very risky to draw any definite conclusions 

 respecting its genus. One Gecko, Gehyra oceanica, is all I have 

 seen of the Eeptilia. 



I append a list of the Birds of the Island from which it will 

 be seen how closely its avifauna approaches that of New South 

 Wales on the one hand, and in two important particulars, that 

 of the New Zealand Eegion on the other. The genera found in the 

 New Zealand Eegion and not in the Australian, are JVbtorms, 

 Ocydromus, Aphnis, Merula ; all the other genera are represented 

 in New South Wales by the same or allied species ; there being 

 of the whole avifauna only 9 species as far as is at present known, 

 peculiar to the Island, the names of these are printed in larger 

 type. 



