Sir W. L. Buller on the Auckland-Island Shag. 39 



This large race migrates to Palawan and Northern Borneo, 

 and in both localities occurs with true B. javanica. 



Strepsilas interpres (L.). 



Turnstones were seen every day on the pebbly beach at 

 Rocky Bay associating with the other migratory shore-birds 

 and running about actively and tilting the small stones over 

 with their beaks. On one occasion as many as eleven were 

 counted together. 



III. — Notes on the Auckland- Island Shag (Phalacrocorax 



colensoi). By Sir Walter L. Buller^ K.C.M.G., D.Sc, 



F.R.S. 

 Mr. H. O. Forbes, in his paper '' On the Birds inhabiting 

 the Chatham Islands/^ which appeared in 'The Ibis^ for 

 October 1893, describes, under the name o£ Phalacrocorax 

 rothschildi, a Shag found at the Chatham Islands and in the 

 south of New Zealand, separating it from Phalacrocorax 

 colensoi and saying : " this species is at once distinguished 

 by the approximation of the dark plumage of the head 

 beneath the throat, leaving a comparatively narrow white 

 stripe between them.^^ He also makes the possession of 

 both the white alar bar and the white dorsal spot character- 

 istic of his new species. 



In my opinion we have a good deal more to learn about 

 the Shags inhabiting New Zealand and the adjacent islands ; 

 and I think Mr. Forbes was somewhat rash in characterizing 

 a new species without further investigation. 



The type of my Phalacrocorax colensoi was from the 

 Auckland Islands ; but (like all the other specimens collected 

 there by Mr. Burton at a wrong season of the year) it 

 was in old and faded plumage, with dingy colours. Quite 

 recently, however, I have had an opportunity of examining 

 a large number of skins, in good plumage, collected by 

 Mr. Henry Travers at the Auckland Islands and on Camp- 

 bell Island during the last cruise of the Government gunboat 

 ' Hinemoa.^ The examination of this collection has satisfied 



