22 



free to confess that the great difference in size between the 

 two extremes of the series examined by me renders it 

 ])ussible that two races or sub-species exist in New 

 Zealand. This subject, however, must be left to the field 

 naturalists in New Zealand to determine. Dr. Buller {Tr. 

 N. Z. Inst, vi., p. 113) and Mr. Totts {I. c. f. 142) are mis- 

 taken in supposing that Falco australis, H. and J., is the 

 large forni, the "Quail Hawk." It is undoubtedly the small 

 ibi'm, their " Sjiarrow Hawk," and as such the latter will 

 stand as Hmya australis. [Cf. Sharpe, Cat. Birds I., p. 



.> — o n 



2. Falco subxiger. 



Falco subniger, Gray; Buller, B. N. Zeal., p. 16. 



The evidence of this rare Falcon's capture in New 

 Zealand is by no means satisfactory, and I regard the 

 occurrence of this species as far more improbable than that 

 of the Sea Eagle. All that is known about it is that M. 

 Jules Verreaux assured J.Ir. Gurney that a New Zealand 

 s])ecimen had passed through his hands. At the same time 

 F. suhiifjer is a sufficiently striking Ijird, and jM. Verreaux' 

 knowledge was so excellent that there ought to be no 

 nnstaking the species, but I am at present aware of no 

 actual specimen of F. suhniger from New Zealand in any 

 European collection. The following sentence in Dr. 

 Buller's work, however, deserves consideration : " I may 

 state that the account sent to me by Dr. Haast, of a Hawk 

 ol)served by him in the Southern Alps, although unfortu- 

 nately not secured, seems to accord with that given by 

 Captain Sturt of the Australian Fidco sulnijcr." 



3. Circus gouldi. 



Circus assimilis. Gray, anted, f. 2. 



Circus gouldi, Bp.; Finscli, J. f. 0. 1872, p. 93; Buller, 

 B. N. Zeal, p. 11, pi. 2. 



Circus approximans, Fcale; Finseli, J. f. 0. 187-4. p. 176. 



The name of C. assimilis proposed by Jardine and Selby 

 is really applicable to the large spotted Harrier of Austra- 

 lia, G. jardinii of Gould; and the New Zealand bird must 

 therefore be called C. rjouldi. In his introduction to his 

 great work Dr. Buller is inclined to sej)arate C. wolfi of 

 New Caledonia, as a good species and distinct from the 

 jR-esent bird. Without having seen the birds themselves, 

 there is nothing in the remarks of ]\Ir. Gurney or Dr. Buller 

 which would convince me that these two Harriers are 

 specifically distinct, and I incline to the view taken by 

 Drs. Finsch and Hartlaub {Farii. Centralpohjn. p. 7) that C. 

 yoiddi is the ]\Iarsh Harrier of Australia and Oceania, 

 where it represents the ordinary Marsh Harrier {C. ceru- 

 yinosus) of the Pahcarctic and Indian regions. 



Although Dr. Finsch is most proljably correct in styling 

 this species by Peale's name of appro.cimans, I wish to 

 examine specimens from the Fiji Islands, as it is not even yet 

 certain that the new Caledonian bird, C. wolji, is absolutely 

 the same. 



4, Haliaetus leucogaster. 



Icthyaetus leucogaster, Buller, B. N. Zeal, p). 16. 



Dr. Buller writes as follows concerning this bird {I. c.) : — 

 " Mr. Gould has presented me with a beautiful specimen of 

 the wliite-bellied Sea Eagle, which was said to have been 

 procured in New Zealand. This species has been observed 

 along the whole southern coast of Australia, from Moreton 

 Bay on the east to Swan Eiver on the ^\■est, including 

 Tasmania and all the small islands in Bass's Straits ; and 

 as it is a powerful Hier, there is no physical reason why it 

 should not occur sometimes as a straggler on the New 

 Zealand coast. Mr. Goidd has satisfied himself that this 

 specimen was obtained there, although unable to ascertain 

 tlie precise locality. In corroboration of its presumed 

 occurrence, I may mention that an oflicer of the 14th 

 Regiment, who was a good sportsman and a tolerable 

 naturalist, assiu-ed me that lie had actually seen and fired 

 upon a "Sea Eagle" on the rocks near the entrance to 

 Wellington Harbour." 



I may add that there would be nothing improbable in 

 the occurrence of this Eagle on the shores of New Zealand, 

 and it is a bird to be looked for. Besides the localities 

 mentioned by Dr. Buller, it is found aU over the Malayan 

 Archipelago to the Philippines, and occurs in suitable 

 localities throughout the ]\Iala3'an Peninsula, Burmali, and 

 India. It has even been said to inhabit South Africa, 

 though at present on dealers' authority, which must be 

 received with a certain amount of suspicion, as the speci- 

 mens I have seen from tlie Cape were marked H. hlayrus, 

 the latter title being founded on the Blayre of Levaillant, 

 who said he had found it in the above-named locality. The 

 account of the latter has, however, always been discredited, 

 apparently with reason, though at the same time it must be 

 remembered that tlie late ilr. Cassin did not hesitate to 

 refer one of l)u Chaillu's Gaboon specimens to the present 

 bird. 



5. LOPHOICTINIA ISURA. 



Milvus isurus, Buller, B. N. Zeal., p. 16. 



The history of this species in New Zealand, as at jH'esent 

 l:nown, is comprised in'the following remarks of ]\Ir. Gurney 

 [Ibis, 1870,7?. 536): — "The Norwich Museum possesses a 

 specimen which I obtained from Mr. A. D. Bartlett, who 

 as.5ured me, at the time, that he bad received it from New 

 Zealand, and had satisfied himself that it had been killed 

 in that country." 



Sub-order, Striges. 

 6. Spiloglaux nov.e zeal.vxdi.e. 



Athene novre zealandite, Gm.; Gray, anted, 2>- 2 ; Finseh, 

 J. f. 0. 1872, i^ 94, et 1874, p. 177. 



Spiloglaux nov;e zealandia?, Buller, D. N. Zeal., p. 17, 

 pi. 3. 



Figured by Dr. BuUer (/. c). 



