186 Transactions. — Zoology. 



advent of man. At any rate, there is no record of any bones 

 of Dinornis maximus or of Dinornis giganteus having been 

 found among the remains of Maori feasts." 



Before passing on, I may say that it was a matter of 

 regret to me that my address had caused pain or annoyance 

 to a member of our Society, who wrote to me saying that ray 

 strictures on his paper had been far too severe. I can only 

 answer him in his own words, " Magiia est Veritas, ct prcB- 

 valebit." Whilst vindicating the truth from my point of view, 

 there was no desire on my part to wound ; and that I kept 

 within reasonable limits is, I think, sufficiently attested in 

 the following letter from Dr. Morris, C.M.G., the assistant 

 director at Kew : " You evidently have to hold the torch of 

 science with no uncertain light in the antipodean community 

 to keep out error and conclusions opposed to truth. I admire 

 your frank, outspoken words, for, while they undoubtedly will 

 reach conviction, they will not cause ill-feeling nor sympathy 

 for the vanquished, as is too often the case in the conflict 

 between the trained and untrained in scientific discussions." 

 This being the view of a competent judge, looking on from 

 outside, I cannot believe that I have abused my undoubted 

 right of criticism, or made myself too personal. 



I now invite the attention of the Society to some brief 

 notes on various species of native birds, in continuation of 

 similar contributions on former occasions. 



Miro albifrons, Gmelin. (South Island Eobin.) 



A partial albino received from Canterbury has the back 

 and under-parts entirely white ; the rest of the body-plumage 

 slaty-black and white intermixed irregularly ; quills and tail- 

 feathers normal. Bill bright-yellow ; legs darker yellow. 



Sphenceacus punctatus, Quoy and Gaim. (Fern-bird.) 



I have received a pair of Fern-birds from Stewart Island, 

 which seem to represent a larger race than the one inhabiting 

 the North and South Islands. In plumage it is precisely 

 similar, except that the black spots on the breast appear to be 

 more pronounced. The male gives the following measure- 

 ments : Total length, 7-5in. ; wing from flexure, 2-75in. ; 

 tail, 3-75in. ; bill, along the ridge, O'Sin. ; along the edge of 

 lower mandible, 0'7in. ; tarsus, 0-9in. ; middle - toe and 

 claw, 0-85in. 



Sphenceacus riifescens, Buller. (Chatham Island Fern-bird.) 



A collector living on Pitt Island states that, partly through 

 the firing of the low vegetation and partly through the intro- 

 duction of cats which have run wild, this interesting species 

 has become quite extinct. 



