56 Reviezvs. [,,^-7.,^, 



furlyi (Ogilvie-Grant), after the Earl of Ranfurly, and P. oiislowi 

 (Forbes), after Lord Onslow, Governors of the colony. While 

 on the subject of dedications it may be mentioned that Sir 

 Walter Buller received another in Miro bullcri (Alpine Robin) 

 at the "eleventh hour" from Dr. Sharpe — " History of the Bird- 

 Collection in the British Museum (1905)." The Buller Robin, 

 as distinguished from the other nearly related species of Robins, 

 has " almost the entire under surface pale lemon-yellow," and is 

 found in the South Island. 



Much has been written in the pages of TJic Emu lately regard- 

 ing Cuckoos and their habits. Here is a quaint note under the 

 heading of " The Long-tailed Cxxckoo {Urodyn an its tailensis)" : 

 — " Mr. Swayne writes : — ' In August last year (1905) I was at 

 the island of Niu, in the Ellice Group, and while walking with 

 the local trader we passed a clump of buka trees, in which, as is 

 common throughout the Ellice Group, there were numbers of the 

 Noddies {Anons stolidus) nesting. I noticed that in one tree the 

 birds were much disturbed, and apparently frightened. . . . 

 We remained some time watching, and saw our friend the 

 Cuckoo drive a Noddy out of its nest and take possession of it, 

 while the old birds and apparent proprietors tried in vain to 

 dislodge the intruder. ... I do not doubt that the Cuckoo 

 was about to lay. ... It would be interesting to know 

 whether the young Cuckoo is raised on a fish diet.' " Sir Walter 

 adds : — " I should think it far more likely that the predatory 

 Cuckoo was feasting itself on the Noddy's eggs, as their 

 custom is." 



Sir Walter Buller, who is a sound authority on Penguins, is of 

 opinion that Eudyptula minor (Little Penguin) and E. widina 

 (Fairy Penguin) should be kept separated. The latter, he states, 

 " is a smaller bird than the well-known E. minor, described by 

 Gmelin in 1788, and owing to the brighter colouration a skin 

 could be picked out of a hundred specimens of the other without 

 any difficulty." Australian naturalists will receive Sir Walter's 

 verdict with satisfaction. 



The editors have been favoured with the following critical 

 remarks by Mr. D. Le Souef, C.M.Z.S., who, with the late Mr. 

 H. P. C. Ashworth, visited Albatross Rock during November, 

 1894: — "Sir W. L. Buller quotes from the Hon. W. Rothschild 

 when writing on the Diomedea cauta, in which Mr. Rothschild 

 states that he will need a lot of evidence before he can admit 

 that the so-called Thalassogeroti cmitus is a female of T. salvini. 

 I quite agree with him, and do not for a moment consider that 

 the two birds named are identical, judging by the illustration of 

 the head of T. salvini in Buller's work. Perhaps it would be a 

 help if I gave a description of one of the birds I procured at 

 Albatross Island, in Bass Strait, when they were nesting, and 

 which we consider is T. cautus of Gould : — Crown, breast, and 



