40 Transactions. — Zoology. 



Island Wood-heu, which I have named Ocydromus greyi, in 

 compUment to Sir George Grey. 



As fully explained in " The Birds of New Zealand "' (vol. ii., 

 pp. 106, 107), when I came to examine the type of Ocydromus 

 carli (described as far back as 1862) in the British Museum, I 

 found that this was not the North Island species, as every 

 writer on the subject had treated it, but a closely-allied form, 

 with pale-red legs, from the South Island. Of the latter bird 

 Mr. Eeischek obtained five specimens in 1881, and two of 

 these I purchased and took to England with me. This led to 

 my hunting up the type of 0. earli, with the result I have 

 stated. By this discovery the common North Island bird 

 was left without a distinctive name. Finding, when I looked 

 over the old type-collection of birds in the British Museum, 

 that Sir George Grey had been one of the eai'Hest and most 

 liberal contributors of specimens from New Zealand, I thought 

 I could not do better than dedicate tliis species to him. 



Nycticorax caledonicus, Gmelin. 



I have also to exhibit another New-Zealand-killed example 

 of the Nankeen Heron, differing from those already recorded 

 in being furnished with the beautiful occipital white plumes, 

 rolled in the form of a pointed queue, Tin. long. This was 

 shot at the mouth of the Cathn Eiver, about a mile fi-om the 

 sea, about August or September, 1888. As already recorded 

 (Birds of N.Z., ii., pp. 139, 110), Sir George Grey, when 

 Governor of the colony, in 1852, introduced some of these 

 birds from Australia, and liberated them at Wellington. But 

 as early as 1815 the Eev. Mr. Colenso met with one in the 

 Waikato district {I.e., p. 140) ; and, as the bu-d is only met \vith 

 rarely, singly, and at long intervals, it is most reasonable to 

 suppose that these are stray visitants from Australia rather 

 than the descendants of the imported stock. "The example 

 described in my Ikst edition, and now in the Colonial Museum, 

 was shot in the neighbourhood of Wellington in 1856, and 

 may have been one of the introduced bkds. 



Diomedea fuliginosa, Latham. 



I exhibit a younger nestling of this Albatros than the one 

 described in '• The Birds of New Zealand." The whole body 

 is covered with thick woolly down of a slaty-grey colour, 

 except on the forehead, face, and throat, where the down is 

 very short and thickset, having the appearance of pile- velvet. 

 This stumpy growth is black ; but a patch of white encircles 

 the eyes, fills the lores, and sweeps over the base of the 

 bill, having the appearance of blinkers. Bill and feet 

 black. 



