On Bh'ds lately added to the Canterbury Museum, N. Z. 35 



V. — Notes and Descriptions of some Birds lately added to the 

 Museum, Canterbury, New Zealand. By Thos. H. Potts. 



The number of species contained in our list of birds is slowly 

 but steadily increasing as our scattered population gradually 

 spreads itself over wider areas of country ; thus new forms now 

 and then fall under observation. Among the more interesting 

 of recent acquisitions is a new species of Apteryx, which the 

 writer proposes to name A. haastii, in compliment to Dr. Haast. 

 In the course of the year large numbers of skins and skeletons 

 of the too famous ApterygidcB, killed on the west coast, are re- 

 ceived at the Canterbury Museum for the purpose of exchanges ; 

 so that one can imagine it within the bounds of probability that 

 Apteryges will, at no distant date, be found more abundant 

 in foreign collections of natural history and " the cabinets of 

 the curious ^^ than in their native wilds of the Westland ranges. 

 Amongst scores of examples of our two Middle-Island birds, 

 A. oweni, Gould, and A. australis, Shaw, was one skin of this 

 new species. 



The specimen which first came to hand was procured on one 

 of the first levels from the snowy range, west coast, Middle 

 Island. A Maori of Bruce Bay informed the collector that they 

 (the natives) called this species of Apteryx Roroa, that it was 

 not to be confused with Rowi, and that, by means of kicking, 

 it could fight a dog. Specimen the second was received some 

 months later, in another heavy consignment. The exact locality 

 was not given ; but there is but little room to doubt that it was 

 obtained from the Okarito country. When one looks at these 

 specimens, grouped with others, representing A. oweni and 

 A. australis, one ponders on the probability of hybridization *. 

 Here are the lunate marks of Owen's Kiwi, with the superior 

 size and much of the tone of colour which distinguishes A. aus- 

 tralis. The wing-spur of our new species is more feebly deve- 

 loped than in either of the other species mentioned. 



Apteryx haasti, Potts. "Roroa;" Haast's Kiwi. 

 Specimen No. 1 (supposed to be an adult female). — Face, 



* See Transactions of New-Zealand Institute, vol. ii. p. 64, vol. iii. p. 80 

 (^Rhipidurd). 



1) 2 



