II APTERYGIDAE 39 
from all their allies by their small size, and by the long, weak, 
decurved bill, which tapers regularly and has the nostrils placed 
almost at the extremity. The head and eyes are comparatively 
small, as will be seen to be the case in the Dinornithidae. The 
lees are very stout and situated backwardly, a small elevated 
hallux is present, and the toes are provided with long, sharp claws. 
The moderate metatarsus is reticulated in the young, but is clothed 
with fairly large scutes in the adult, when it becomes much smoother. 
The wings are small-boned and invisible, with functionless quills, 
the tail is rudimentary, the aftershaft and furcula are absent, while 
many elongated hairs occur on the front of the head. 
Fic. 12.—Kiwi. Apteryx australis. x +. 
These curious flightless birds are confined to New Zealand, 
whence a specimen was brought to England as early as 1813. 
Apteryx mantelli, of the North Island, is deep red-brown with 
longitudinal streaks of yellowish-brown, the head being darker 
and the lower parts greyer; A. australis, of the South Island, is 
lighter, and feels soft instead of harsh when grasped. 4. oweni, 
of both islands, is much smaller, and is heht grey-brown, trans- 
versely marked with blackish bars. 4. haasti, also said to 
occur in both islands,’ is a larger and darker form of the last 
named; A. lawryi, of Stewart Island, hardly differs from A. 
australis; while A. maximus, of Verreaux, is a very doubtful 
species. Mr. Rothschild? has founded a sub-species (occidentalis) 
* Rothschild, Bull. Ornith. Club, I. 1893, pp. Ix. 1xi. 2 Loe. cit. 
