326 Letters, Announcements, ^c. 



flitting about the bushy vegetation of the gullies that fringe or 

 form the outskirts of a forest. Neither my son^ who accom- 

 panied me, nor myself had ever heard a similar note ; with diffi- 

 dence we set it down as a new species ; for the next few days, 

 whilst rambling in that locality, we heard the same note re- 

 peatedly, and saw the birds, but we never observed one of 

 them on the outside of the bush. The diagnosis of a male bird, 

 killed Dec. .20, four miles W. of Lake Mapourilla, is here 

 given. (This bird was in full song.) Upper surface dark oliva- 

 ceous ; wings smoky black, except first two feathers, outer webs 

 fi'inged with yellow; cheek dark grey, darkest in a line from 

 the gape through the eye ; chin grey ; neck and breast pale 

 grey ; abdomen white ; under wing-coverts white ; upper wing- 

 coverts brown, margined with yellow; upper tail-coverts slaty 

 black, tipped with yellow ; tail brown, with a broad baud of 

 black, two centre feathers black, tipped with brown, four feathers 

 on each side tipped with white on inner webs, pale brown on 

 outer web, two outer feathers broadly barred with white, tipped 

 with brown. Bill, black ; both mandibles horn-colour at the 

 point ; legs and feet black ; inside of feet yellowish flesh ; irides 

 bright blood-red. Bill, from gape, 6 lines; wing from flexure 

 2 inches; tail 2 inches 2 lines; tarsus 9 lines; middle toe and 

 claw 5 lines; total length 4 inches 5 lines. 



We hesitate to give this species a new name, having the fear 

 of the cabinet ornithologist before our eyes. 



Thomas H. Potts. 

 Oliinitahi, N.Z., Feb. 6, 1872. 



[Mr. Buller, to whom we submitted Mr. Potts's letter, has 

 kindly forwarded us the following note respecting this species 

 of Gerygone : — " The bird described by Mr. Potts as possibly a 

 new species of Gerygone is, I believe, Gerygone albofrontata (G. 

 R. Gray, Voy. Ereb. & Terr. Birds, p. 5, pi. 4. f. 2). Mr. Gray 

 remarks (p. 6), " This fine species was brought by Dr. Dieffen- 

 bach from New Zealand ;" but the single specimen in the 

 British Museum on which the description is founded is labelled 

 as having come from the Chatham Islands. The figure of the 

 species in the ' Voyage of Ereb. & Ttrr.' is apt to give a very 

 false idea of this bird. — Ed.] 



