194 Transactions. — Zoology. 



roUmdifolia was conspicuous. Kindling a fire in front of a 

 huge block of granite, we put on our "billy" of tea, and 

 prepared for an al fresco lunch. Whilst this was proceeding 

 a Woodhen came out of the bush, and, with characteristic 

 curiosity, peered round in its usual stealthy manner to see 

 what we were about, coming right out on to the beach and 

 approaching to within a few feet of our party. I drove him 

 off to a convenient distance, and then brought him down with 

 a very small charge of shot. He proved to be a male of the 

 above species, and was in very fat condition. I found his 

 crop gorged with the berries of the tataramoa bramble {Buhus 

 australis), with which the ground, as I had noticed, was 

 plentifully strewed in the vicinity of our camp. 



Ocydromus brachypterus, Lafr. (Black Woodhen.) 



Of this species I obtained a fine specimen in Dusky Sound 

 in January last. It was very abundant in this locality during 

 Sir James Hector's exploration in 1865, but it is now scarce, 

 and this was the only one I even heard of during our visit. I 

 have since received one from Stewart Island, also a chick, 

 of which I took the following note : Apparently about a 

 month old (end of November) ; covered with thick and long 

 blackish-brown down, which has evidently taken the place of 

 an earlier growth — short, woolly, and of a greyish-black 

 colour — vestiges of which are still to be seen on the back of 

 the neck and above the shoulders ; feathers of a blackish- 

 brown colour are beginning to appear on the shoulders and 

 on the sides of the neck and body, the latter barred with paler 

 brown. 



Cabalus modestus, Hutton. (Button's Fhghtless Eail.) 



There seems little doubt that this remarkable form has, 

 like its larger congener of the Chatham Islands, Gabahis 

 dieffenhachii, become extinct. The small island of Mangare, 

 on which it was originally discovered, and whence fortunately 

 a good many specimens have been obtained for the various 

 museums, is now overrun with cats, besides which the native 

 vegetation has been burnt off for the purpose of sowing grass- 

 seed, even this bleak spot having been annexed by the enter- 

 prising sheep-farmer. 



The occurrence of these flightless forms of bird-life in 

 detached insular areas is a most interesting and suggestive 

 fact in the zoology of this sub-region, as I have more than 

 once pointed out, and it is of the utmost scientific importance 

 that we should obtain full information as to the structure and 

 anatomy of these peculiar endemic species before they pass 

 away for ever. 



The flightless Waterhen of Tristan d'Acunha (Gallinula 



