60 Transactionx. I 



Where other workers are mentioned these must be regarded as contiruia- 

 tory evidence of my own views. 



As regards the " two " species of Gerygone, there is only one (Mathews, 

 Novit. Zool., vol. 18, p. 448, 1912) which is more closely allied to New Cale- 

 donian forms than to Neozelanic species, whilst the Zosterops has very little 

 affinity to the New Zealand Z. lateralis, which, moreover, can only be 

 considered a recent immigrant to New Zealand, and consequently 

 should not enter into comparisons regardmg ancient land connections. 

 Ninox albaria I have not yet seen, and its affinities are not yet well 

 known. 



The Rhipidura belongs to the Austro - New Zealand species R. fiabeUi- 

 fera. Examination of long series of Australian Rhipidura point to the fact 

 that the New Zealand form is a comparatively recent settler from Aus- 

 tralia, as north Australian races differ more from south Australian than the 

 latter do from the Neozelanic race. It would seem that this would also be 

 a dubious factor to use in basal comjDarisons. The Pachyeephala, which 

 Oliver writes is " probably related to Australian forms," is only subspeci- 

 fically distmct from the common Australian P. gutturalis, and was only 

 separated as recently as 1898. 



Oliver concluded : " Numerically the Australian, New Zealand, and New 

 Caledonian elements in the endemic birds of Lord How^e Island are about 

 equal, or overwhelmingly in favour of a New Caledonia - New Zealand 

 migration as against an Australian immigration. The two flightless rails 

 turn the balance in favour of New Zealand. . . . The existence of two 

 brevipinnate rails belonging to genera found elsewhere only in New Zealand 

 is sufficient proof of a former land connection with that country." As the 

 rails are little related to Neozelanic forms, as sho\vn above, I hope that the 

 natural conclusion will be accepted, and that the sentence '" Lord Howe 

 Island would therefore properly belong to the New Zealand biological region " 

 will be altered to " Lord Howe Island cannot be accepted as part of the New 

 Zealand biological region." I have written critically, so that it will be 

 clearly understood that there is, practically speaking, no endemic Neo- 

 zelanic element in the avifauna of Lord Howe Island. The supposed 

 Neozelanic basal element is purely New Caledonian, and the true relation- 

 ships of the Lord Howe bird-life will be fully developed in a paper, now in 

 manuscript, by Mr. G. M. Mathews and myself. 



In the Norfolk Island avifauna there is imdoubtedly present a Neo- 

 zelanic basis, and this constitutes a most intricate factor in the disposition 

 of this faunula. However, the New Caledonian influence is so predominant 

 that there can be little hesitation in preferring that fauna as being the 

 closest and the most natural to which it might be attached. The only 

 endemic Neozelanic genus worth consideration is Nestor, and against this 

 must be placed Turdus, Diaphoropterus, and Aplonis, genera which occui 

 in New Caledonia but not in New Zealand or Australia. Hemiphaga is verj 

 closely related to Carpophaga, and these pigeons are birds of quite a con 

 siderable power of flight. The Zosterops are quite a peculiar little group 

 notable for their very large size. It might be noted that the two specif 

 of Turdus on Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands are not what are general! 

 understood as representative forms — i.e., subspecies — but have had 

 different origin, as have also the species of Gerygone and Zosterops on tl 

 two islands. Further evidence will be put forward m the paper not( 

 above, but the conclusions arrived at by Oliver must be revised, and tl 

 attachment of Lord Howe and Norfolk Islands to the New Zealand biologic 



