Length, 1 foot 5| inches; hill from gape, 11 lines; 

 wings 10| inches ; tarsi 2\ inches. 



Length of female, 1 foot 7^ inches ; bill from gape, 

 15 lines; wings llf inches ; tarsi 2| inches. 



Forster's specimens were taken in Queen Charlotte's 

 Sound and Dusky Bay : according to him, the young is 

 called Kari-area. The native names of Kahu and Kauaua 

 are also referred to this bird. 



Great confusion has hitherto existed in regard to this 

 species, owing to Latham having given a figure (with 

 doubt) of the Milvago leucurus, or Falco australis of Gme- 

 lin, which has caused that bird to be considered the Falco 

 Novaj Zealandia;, but this is not the case. Latham took 

 his description from the three figures of Forster referred to 

 above. The sexes vary much in size, and the adult spe- 

 cimens of each sex lose the transverse interrupted bands 

 on the back and wings ; and become of an uniform dark 

 chocolate black. The Expedition brought several speci- 

 mens of this bird, both from New Zealand and Auckland 

 Island, which enable me to identify the description and 

 drawings. Mr. Percy Earl obtained specimens at Otago, 

 South Island. 



Subfamily 2. CircincB. 



Circus assimilis. 



Circus assimilis, Jard. and Selbifs III. Orn. pi. 51. 

 GohUVs B. of Aitstr. pi. 



Black brown, feathers of the head and back of neck 

 broadly mai-gined on the sides, and the tips of those of the 

 back, rufous white ; greater wing-coverts silvery grey bar- 

 red with black ; quills black, with the outer webs silvery 

 grey barred with black ; tail-coverts white, marked on each 

 feather near the tip with a bar of rufous ; tail silvery grey 

 with six bars of brown black ; under surface rufous white, 

 marked down the middle of each feather with brown, es- 

 pecially on the breast. 



Female. Brown, with pale edges ; feathers of the head 

 and back of neck margined with rufous ; quills and ter- 

 tials blackish brown, with the outer webs silvery brown ; 

 tail-coverts white with an irregular mark of rufous on each 

 feather ; tail silvery grey tinged with rufous, with six iiTe- 

 gular bands of dark brown, margined above and below with 

 rufous white, the silvery gvey becoming rufous on the out- 

 er feathers; under surface rufous brown, margined on the 

 sides of each feather with rufous white ; under side of tail 

 buflf. 



Young. Dark auburn brown, with pale edges ; back of 

 neck varied with white, slightly tinged with rufous ; upper 

 tail-coverts rufous : under surface paler than the upper ; 

 quills black. 



Length, 1 foot 9 inches ; bill from gape, 1 inch 2 lines ; 

 wings, 1 foot 4 inches ; tarsi, 3 inches 5 hnes. 



Length of female, 1 foot 11 inches; bill from gape, 1 

 inch 7 lines; wings, 1 foot 4f inches; tarsi, 3 inches 9 lines. 

 The Expedition's collection contains three specimens of 

 this bird, all marked as obtained in New Zealand. 



The descriptions of the male and of the young were ta- 

 ken from specimens brought by Mr. Percy Earl. They 

 were shot at Waikouaiti and Otago, and were considered 

 rare birds; they are now deposited in the British Museum. 



Family, Steigid.e. 



Subfamily 1. Surninm. 



Athene Nov^ Seelandi^e. 



Strix fulva, Forst. Descr. Anini. p. 71, ef Icon. ined. 39. 



New Zealand Owl, Lath. Gen. Si/n. Siippl. 48. 



S. nova; Seelandise, Gmel. Syst. Nat. 296 : Latli. Ind. 

 Orn. i. 65. 



Noctua Zealandica, Quay et Gaim. Voy. de VAstrol. 

 Zool. i. 168. Ois. t. 2,/. 1. 



Brown, feathers of nape spotted with fulvous ; wing- 

 coverts, interscapulars spotted with white or pale fulvous ; 

 quills brown, spotted on the outer webs with white and 

 banded on the inner with greyish brown ; tail brown, 

 banded and tipped with the greyish brown; under tail-co- 

 verts pale fulvous ; forehead and eyebrows streaked with 

 fulvous ; round the bill white ; throat and breast dark 

 brown streaked with fulvous ; side feathers banded with 

 white. 



Length, 11 inches; bill from gape, 10 lines; wings, 8 

 inches ; tarsi, 1 inch 5 lines. 



Forster gives Queen Charlotte's Sound as the habitat of 

 this species, and the name of Herooroo. Quoy and Gai- 

 mard's specimen was taken in Tasman's Bay, and they re- 

 cord the native name as Eou Hon. Kou Kou, Kao Kao, 

 and Ruru Ruru have been published as the names of these 

 birds by other authors. 



Specimens of this bird were procured by the Expedition 

 during their stay at New Zealand. 



Athene albifacies. 

 Plate 1. 



Dark brown, each feather margined on the sides at the 

 tip with fulvous ; quills and tertials brown, spotted on the 

 outer webs with white and marked on the inner with obso- 

 lete bands ; tail dark brown, with five bands and the tip 

 of each leather rufous white ; forehead and cheeks white, 

 with the shaft of each feather black ; tarsi covered with 

 white feathers slightly tinged with rufous ; toes covered 

 with scattered white hairs. 



Length, 1 foot 3|- inches ; bill from gape, 1 inch 4 lines; 

 wings, 11 inches ; tarsi, 2 inches 5 lines. 



The specimen formed part of Mr. Peixy Earl's collec- 

 tion; and is now deposited in the British Museum. It 

 was obtained at Waikouaiti, South Island ; where it was 

 known to the natives by the name of Wekau. It is sup- 

 posed, by Mr. P. Earl, not to exist in the North Lsland. 



Family, Alcedinid^. 



Subfamily 1. Halcyonlncc. 



Halcyon vagans. 



Plate 1*. 



Alcedo cyanea, Forst. Descr. Anim. p. 76, et Icon, 

 ined. 59. 



Sacred Kingfisher, Lath. Gen. Syn. ii. 612. 



A. sacra, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. 453 : Lath. Ind. Orn. 251. 



Halcyon sanctus? Vigors et Hor.sf. Linn. Trans, xv. 206. 



A. vagans. Less. Voy. de la Coq. Zool. i. 694 : Id. Man. 

 d'Orn. ii. 89. 



