Birds of Neio Zealand. ■ 37 



CeRTHIPARUS NOVvE-ZEALANDI^. 



Dr. Buller says that the egg of this bird is not known ; but 

 I described it in 1871 in my ' Catalogue of the Birds of New 

 Zealand ' from specimens that had been in the Otago Museum 

 for several years. 



GeRYGONE ILAVIVENTRIS. 



In the figure given of this bird the breast is white, whereas 

 it should be grey, while in the description of G. albqfrontata 

 the breast is described as grey when it should have been white. 



I was in error in saying that this bird never uses spiders' 

 nests in the construction of its nest. Dr. Powell informs me 

 that the green spider^s nest made use of is that of Epeira 

 verrucosa. It is remarkable that G. albofrontata in the Chat- 

 ham Islands uses the very same species of spider's nest as G. 

 flaviventris , and neither ever employs the orauge-coloured uest 

 of Epeira antipodiana. 



Xenicus longipes. 



I cannot accept Dr. BuUer's identification of this bird with 

 X. stokesii without further proof. Dr. Buller obtained speci- 

 mens of X. stokesii which he wrongly determined as X. lon- 

 gipes ; in fact all the specimens of X. longipes in his collec- 

 tion were X. stokesii ; these he compared with X. stokesii 

 in the British Museum, and naturally found them identical. 

 But until it is explained how it is that the figure and descrip- 

 tion of X. longipes in the ' Voyage of the Erebus and Terror ' 

 differ so much from specimens of X. stokesii, I must continue 

 to regard them as tv/o species. 



Dr. Buller also states that this bird is strictly arboreal in 

 its habits, never being seen on the ground. This is quite in- 

 correct of X. stokesii, which is constantly on the ground, and 

 never ascends into high trees. 



MiRO traversi. 



I am not aware that I ever suggested to Dr. Buller that he 

 should call this bird after Mr. H. Travers. The facts of the 

 case are these : — When Mr. Traverses collection of Chatham- 

 Island birds arrived at the museum. Dr. Hector handed it 

 over to me, AAatli instructions to make a list of them, describe 



