WEE TWEE T— WEKA 



1031 



many more than can here be named. Some of these genera are 

 common to Africa and India, and some are imputed also to Australia, 

 but the last seems to have several genera peculiar to itself, the true 

 affinity of which requires further investigation.^ 



AVEETWEET, a name in North America for the Spotted Sand- 

 piper, Aditis macularia. 



WEKA, the Maori name, accepted in English, of some flightless 

 New-Zealand Rails, the first known of which was found, in March 

 1773, by Cook's people on his second voyage (i. p. 97) to abound 

 on the shore of Dusky Bay, and was called by them " Wood-hen." 

 In 1785 Latham (Gen. Synops. iii. p. 229) published a description 

 of it as the Troglodyte Rail, and it Avas in 1788 scientifically 

 designated Rallus troglodytes by Gmelin.^ In 18.30 Wagler [Nat. Sysf. 

 Amphib. u. s. w. p. 98) made it the type of a separate genus Ocydromus. 



Weka. (From Buller.) 



Sir W. Buller (B. lY. Zeal ed. 1, p. 174; ed. 2, ii. p. 113) declares 

 there can be no doubt as to this species being that which, nearly 

 60 years after, Du Bus (Esq. Orn. pi. 11) figured and described as 

 Gallirallus fuscus,^ a specific term that has generally been preferred, 

 in the belief that the B. troglodytes was identical Avith the B. mistralis, 

 figured and described in 1784 by Sparrman "^ {Mus. Carlson, i. no. 14); 

 but the two birds appear to be distinct, both in coloration (though 

 this in each is variable) and habit — the foi^mer fr-equenting the sea- 



^ A Monograjih of the Weaver-Birds by Mr. Edward Bartlett was begun in 1888, 

 but unfortunately remains unfinished. 



^ A name given by J. R. Forster, from whom Latham states that his information 

 was derived. To the shame of English authorities Forster's manuscript was not 

 published until 1840. 



' In the meanwhile it had received another name, G. hrachyptcrus, from 

 Lafresnaye {Rev. Zool. 1841, p. 243 ; Mag. dc. Zool. 1842, pi. 24) the type of which 

 has been examined by Dr. Sharpe {Cat. B. Br. Mus. xxiii. p. 67). 



^ What Sparrman's bird was may yet be open to doubt. His localities are 

 not trustworthy, and his specimen differed, by its yellow legs, from all other 

 known Ocydromi. 



