BuLLEK. — On the Ornithology of Neio Zealand. 185 



(robustus, giganteics, &c.) and the thick-legged forms (elej^hant- 

 opus and crassus) are highly specialised in diiiferent directions. 



"Your observations on the numerous species oi Apteryx 

 and their distribution are very interesting. What strikes me 

 at once is, what a pity that the skeletons are not properly 

 described. If you ever have the chance of getting any, I 

 wish you would lend them to me for that purpose. I think I 

 may say without undue vanity that I could monograph the 

 skeleton of Apteryges as well as most men. Unfortunately, 

 it is of little use to begin until one has a good series of well- 

 authenticated specimens of all the species, and I am sorry to 

 say I cannot give the collectors carte blanche." 



I am glad to add that I have since been able to procure 

 for Professor Parker a specimen in the flesh and two rough 

 skeletons of the Giant Kiwi {Apteryx lawryi) from Stewart 

 Island. He has devoted special attention to the anatomy of 

 Apteryx, and his remarks quoted above are therefore valuable. 



In my address (at p. 87) I gave reasons for my conclusion 

 that the larger forms are the more ancient, being those that 

 roamed originally over the afterwards submerged continent, and 

 that the smaller-sized Moas, of different genera and species, 

 are the descendants of those which had been specialised in 

 the various islands during the long epoch following the conti- 

 nental submergence. As will be seen, Professor Parker differs 

 with me on this point. I mentioned, on the page already cited, 

 Captain Hutton's published view that the smaller forms of 

 EatitaB in New Zealand must have preceded the larger, but I 

 also quoted from his paper " On the Moas of New Zealand " 

 (Trans. N.Z. Inst., vol. xxiv., p. 149) a passage wdiich seemed 

 to show that a difficulty about this existed in his own mind. 

 It was this : " Evidently Anomalopteryx and Palaptcryx are 

 the oldest forms ; but if Palapteryx had wdngs it could not 

 have been derived from the wingless Anomalopteryx, and, if 

 the birds were increasing in size, Anomalopteryx could not 

 have been derived from Palapteryx." I added, by way of 

 commentary, " Exactly so ; but on my hypothesis these diffi- 

 culties disappear, and the supposed conditions are in harmony 

 with it." It would seem that Captain Hutton — who has 

 studied the subject very closely, and whose opinion is entitled 

 to great respect — has arrived at the same conclusion as myself, 

 for in a very interesting article lately communicated by him 

 to the Canterbury Press''' he says : " The commoner kinds of 

 Moas were comparatively small birds, from 3ft. to 5ft. high, 

 and it seems probable that the giants of the race, which 

 attained a height of about 12ft., had all died out before the 



* " The Rise and Fall of the Moa," by Captain Hutton, P.R.S.— The 

 Press, 2nd November, 189G. 



