66 EALLIDj;. 



Nestling. Covered with down of a dark mouse-brown colour. 

 The plumage which ensues is mainly that of the adult bird, but its 

 texture is rather softer, and the bars on the sides of the body are 

 less pronounced. 



I have been much indebted to the Hon. Walter Kothschild for 

 the loan of the series of skins of Oci/dromus in his collection. Most 

 of them were formerly in the collection of Sir Walter Buller, but 

 few of the skins in the Buller collection have indications of exact 

 localities, and the bulk of those of 0. australis are merely labelled 

 " South Island," which of course does not convey much information 

 as to the exact localities where they were obtained. This is the 

 more to be regretted, as it has prevented my being able to express 

 an opinion as to the value of the different races of 0. australis. 

 Two forms can be distinguished, one of which is sandy buff in 

 general appearance, while the other inclines to cinnamon. Un 

 looking over a large series, there seems to be a complete intergrada- 

 tion between those two forms, which may therefore be only climatic 

 varieties, and the differences in plumage may depend on locality. 

 Sir AV alter Buller, in fact, mentions that the alpine birds are paler 

 than those from the lower country ; but there seem to me to be other 

 forms which, if carefully studied, would probably be found to have 

 a distinctive character and geographical distribution, so that the 

 question of the South Island Weka Rails can by no means be con- 

 sidered settled. 



Hah. South Island, New Zealand. 



a. Ad. st. New Zealand. Percy Earl, Esq. [P.]. 



b, c. Ad. sk. New Zealand. Salvin-Godman Coll. 



(I. Ad. sk. New Zealand. Edward Hargitt, Esq. [P.]. 



e-A-. Ad. et jiiv. New Zealand. Colonial Museum, Wellmg- 



sk. ton. 



/, m, n. Ad. sk. New Zealand. Sir G. Grey [P.]. 



v,p. c? 2ad.sk. Port Cooper (i^,S<m«ire). Capt. Stokes [P.]. 



q. Skeleton. New Zealand. Purchased. 



2. Ocydromus earli. 



Ocydromus earli, Gray, Ibi-t, 1862. p. 328 ; Buller, Tr. N. Zeal. Inst. 



1. p. 56 (1868) ; Fiiisch. J. f. O. 1870, p. 353 ; Gray. Hand -I. B. iii. 



p. 56, no. 10365 (1871) ; Finsch, J. f. O. 1872, p.' 170 ; Buller, B. 



N. Zeal. p. 165, pi. xix. fig 1 ^873) ; Hidton, Tr. N. Zeal. Inst. 



vi. p. 112 (1873) ; Finsch, J.f. 0. 1874, p. 199; id. Tr. N. Zeal. 



Inst. vii. p. 231 (1874) ; Hharpe, Vo'/. ' Erebus ' 8; ' Terror.'' App. 



Birds, p. 28 (1875); Buller, Tr. N. Zeal. hist. x. p. 215 (1877) ; 



Hamilton, op. cif. x\'m. p. 1.2 (1885: Hawkes Bav); Bailer, B. 



N. Zeal. 2nd ed. ii. p. 115 (18S8j ; Skarpe, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club, 



no. V. p. xxix (Jan. 1893). 

 Ocvdromus australis (nee Sparrm.), Finsch, Tr. N. Zeal. Inst. vii. 



p. 231 (1874). 

 Ocydromus greyi, Buller, B. N. Zeal. 2nd ed. ii. p. 105, pi. 34. tig. 1 



(1888). 



Adult male. General colour above reddish brown, streaked with 

 black ; wing-coverts like the back, but the outer ones a little more 

 uniform and not as distinctly centred with black ; the quills 



