Cheeseman.— 0;j Birds of the Kcrmadcc Islands. 217 



interest is now taken in the natural history of isolated f,n-oups 

 like the Kermadec Islands that I feel no apology is due for 

 placing this additional information before the notice of the 

 Institute. My previous catalogue contained the names of 

 twenty-two species. I am now enabled to add eighteen more, 

 making a total of forty. 



It is unnecessary to preface my paper with a sketch of the 

 physical features of the Kermadec Islands, a full description 

 being given in Mr. Percy Smith's official report, published by 

 the Government Printing Press, and in my account of the 

 botany, quoted above. There are, however, several noticeable 

 features connected with the ornithology of the group that 

 deserve brief mentiom The first, and perhaps the most re- 

 markable", is the fact that there are no species peculiar to the 

 group. So far as is at present known, all the birds are found 

 elsewhere. The land-birds, without exception, are natives of 

 New Zealand ; and the sea-birds are either found in our 

 waters, or are coinmon on the coasts of Australia or Poly- 

 nesia. Considering that both Norfolk Island and Lord 

 Howe's Island, which are in the same latitude as the Ker- 

 madec Islands, and are of very similar size and physical 

 structure, possess endemic species of land-birds, it is certainly 

 surprising that there are no species confined to the Kermadec 

 Islands. The fact is a most significant one, and certainly 

 lends much support to the view that I have advanced, in my 

 previous paper, of the origin of the flora and fauna of the group. 



Another peculiarity is the paucity of lesident species — that 

 is, of birds that live permanently on or about the islands — and 

 the great number of sea-birds (petrels, terns, S:c.) which make 

 yearly visits for breeding purposes. Out of the forty species 

 mentioned in the following catalogue, not more than twelve 

 or fifteen are permanent residents. The I'emainder make their 

 apj)earance in the spring, many of them in enormous numbers, 

 use the islands as a nesting-place, and disappear in the autunm 

 as soon as their young have attained sufficient age. And I 

 have no doubt that the proportion which the visitors bear to the 

 residents wdll be increased as the ornithology of the group is 

 studied. Every traveller bears witness to the vast number of 

 birds present during the breeding-season, and many kinds not 

 yet collected are sure to be obtained. 



My own visit to the islands was too early in the season to 

 obtain much information respecting the breeding-habits of the 

 birds ; but at my request Mr. Bell has especiahv attended to 

 this point, forwarding me many notes and specimens of the 

 eggs. Where the identifications are certain (in some cases I 

 liavc not obtained skins of the species whose eggs he hasfor- 

 warded) I have incorporated the information thus obtained 

 with mv catalogue. 



