694 Mr. P. R. Lowe on the 



With the evidence which we shall shortly give of the 

 generalised nature of the species comprising the genus 

 Ccenocorypha of the ultra-south, and of those peculiar South 

 American forms comprising the group of gigantic Scolopacine 

 species which are neither wholly Rusticoline nor \\ holly 

 Gallinagine, and which Seebohm called semi-Woodcocks, 

 the views put forward by Matthew are of great interest. 

 If we agree, for instance, with his conclusions and for the 

 present ignore all consideration of the ancient Antarctica, 

 it is evident that the original centre of dispersal and 

 evolution of the Snipes was in the north. 



But it might conduce to the interest of this aspect of 

 the past history of the genus Ccenocorypha if we add the few 

 following remarks which are ancillary to the subject. 



The Chatham Islands comprise a small isolated group 

 some five hundred miles to the east of New Zealand. At 

 the present day, the only island of the group inhabited by 

 C. pusilla is a small outlier named Maugare ; but we may 

 feel certain that this present-day restriction is simply due to 

 extermination of the species on the other islands subsequent 

 to the arrival of man and of carnivorous animals * introduced 

 by him f. 



Allied forms of C. pusilla are found on the Auckland 

 Islands (C aucklandica Gray) and on Snares Island 

 (C heuyeli Tristram). I have not had the opportunity of 

 examining the osteological features of these two species, 

 but we may, I think, take it for granted that in all 

 essential points they are similar to those of C. pusilla. 

 There is no reliable record of any species of Ccenocorypha 

 ever having been taken in New Zealand, nor have any fossil 

 relics been obtained there. Nevertheless, it appears not 

 improbable that some form of this genus must have originally 

 inhabited New Zealand, but that since the advent of man 

 all traces of it have disappeared. In connection with this 

 curious absence it is interesting to reflect that no other 



* Cotnocorypha is on the way to become flightless. 



t Since this was written I have found sub-fossil forms of C. pusilla 

 from Wharekauri (Chathams) in the collections of Lord Rothschild and 

 Dr. H. 0. Forbes. 



