Iredale. — Kermadec Islands Avifauna. 89 



II. Birds recorded but not observed by Myself or Members of 



THE Party in 1908. 



Megapodius sp. ? 



Megapodus sp. ? Cheeseman, loc. cit., p. 219. M. pritchardi Buller, 

 loc. cit., p. 31. 



I note that Oliver, in the paper cited, has omitted this bird from con- 

 sideration, bat without any explanation of his action. Lister's conclusions 

 (Proc. Zool. So3. (Lond.), 1911, p. 749 et seq.) are confirmatory of my own, 

 as there acknowledged, and, as this pap3r has been utilized in the Dominion 

 to approve of the non-acceptance of Megapodius pritchardi as a New Zealand 

 bird, no further argaments need be adduced. 



Carpophaga novaezealandiae Gnielin. 



Carpopkaga novaezealandiae Cheeseman, loc. cit., p. 219. 



Oliver doubtfully includes this, but I can see no valid reason for such 

 inclusion. The only basis is a second-hand tale, and I unhesitatingly reject 

 all such, however distasteful to my views such action may be. 



Hypotaenidia philippensis Linne subsp. ? 



Rallus philippensis Cheeseman, loc. cit., p. 220. 



Cheeseman notes it as " by no means common '" at the Denham Bay 

 Lagoon. Althougli we camped at this spot for ten months, it was neither 

 heard nor seen. It is possible that stragglers may occur, and it would be 

 delightfully interesting to know which subspecies straggled to this out-of- 

 the-way place. 



Porphyrio melanotus Temminck subsp. ? 



Porphyria melanotus Cheeseman, loc. cit., p. 220. 



Cheeseman recorded that he saw one in Denham Bay. It must have 

 been a straggler, as we did not see it. The same remarks apply here as to 

 the preceding. 



Puffinus tenuirostris Temminck. 



Hutton (Proc. Zool. Sac. (Lond.), 1893, p. 749) received a specimen from 

 Sunday Island. It is very probable that it was a bird washed up during 

 the winter months, and that it belonged to the Australian-breeding race 

 P. tenuirostris brevicaudus Gould. 



Prion desolatus Gmelin subsp. ? 



Oliver (loc. cit., p. 215) has made this addition to the Kermadec avifauna. 

 Mathews (Birds Austr., vol. 2, pp. 194-231, 1912) has given a splendid 

 review of the prionitic petrels, and by means of figures has removed the 

 confusion previously existing in this group. The genus Heteroprion is 

 there introduced for the birds like P. desolatus, and the Auckland-Islands- 

 breeding bird is named H. desolatus alter. Comparison should be insti- 

 tuted with correctly identified material, and the form occurring at the 

 Kermadecs determined. 



