494 



KIWT 



the Continent, as to the very existence of such a bird ^—though 

 Lesson had himself when in the Bay of Islands in April 1824 

 {Voy. ' Coquille,' ut sup'd) heard of it ; ^ and a few years later Dumont 

 d'Urville had seen its skin, which the naturalists of his expedition 

 procured, worn as a tippet Ly a Maori chief at Tolaga Bay (Houa- 

 houa),^ and in 1830 gave what proves to he on the Avhole very 

 accurate information concerning it {Voy. 'Astrolabe,' ii. p. 107). To 

 put all suspicion at rest, Lord Derby sent his unique specimen for 

 exhibition at a meeting of the Zoological Society, 12th February 

 1833 {Proc. Zool. Soc. 1833, p. 24), and a few months later {torn, 

 cit. p. 80) Yarrell communicated to that body a complete descrij)- 



NoRTHERN Kiwi, Apteryx inantelli. 



tion of it which was afterwards published in full with an excellent 

 portrait {Trans. Zool. Soc. i. p. 71, pi. 10). Hei'ein the systematic 

 place of the species, as akin to the Struthious birds, was placed 

 beyond cavil, and the author called upon all interested in zoology 

 to aid in further research as to this singular form. In consequence 

 ■of this appeal a legless skin was within two years sent to the 

 Society (Pruc. 1835, p. 61) obtained by Mr. "\V. Yate of "Waimate, 

 who said it was the second he had seen, and that he had kept the 



^ Cuvier in tlie second edition of lii.s lltgnc Animal (1829) only referred to 

 it in a footnote (i. p. 498). 



- From what lie says in liis Voyage atitour du Monde (ii. p. 348), not published 

 till 1839, he evidently only knew the bird by Shaw's description. 



^ Cruise in 1822 [Journ. Residence in Neiv Zealand, ji. 313) had spoken of an 

 "Emeu" found in tliat island, which nnist of course liave been an Apteryx. 



