556 BIRDS 0¥ AUSTRALIA. 



greenish blue ; tail dull green ; inner webs of the lateral 

 feathers brown, toothed on their basal two-thirds with orange- 

 yellow; all the tail-feathers crossed near the extremity with 

 an indistinct band of brown, and tipped with olive-brown ; 

 feathers of the axillae fine scarlet ; under wing-coverts scarlet 

 tipped with brown, the greater ones banded with brown 

 and with yellow stained with scarlet ; basal portion] of the 

 primaries and secondaries largely toothed with fine yellow, 

 which is not perceptible on the upper surface unless the wings 

 are very widely spread ; upper mandible dark horn-colour ; 

 under mandible yellow, becoming richer towards the point ; 

 feet nearly yellowish olive. 



"Total length 18 inches; bill 2^; wing 12^; tail 7^; 

 tarsi If. 



" Habitat. The Middle Island, New Zealand." 



ramHy COLUMBID^. 



Genus DIDUNCULUS, Peale. 



Of this extraordinary form only one species has yet been 

 discovered ; and in all probability it will ever stand alone. 



Sp. 17. DIDUNCULUS STRIGIROSTRIS. 



DiDUNCULUS. 

 Didunculus, Peale. 



Gauthodon strigirostris, Jard. in Aun. and Mag. of Nat. Hist,, vol. xvi. 

 p. 175. pi. 9. 



Gnathodon strigirostris, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. v. 

 pi. 76. 



The researches of modern zoologists have not perhaps 

 brought to light a more curious object than the Didimcidus, 

 the first description of which was published by Sir William 

 Jardine in the ' Annals and Magazine of Natural History,' 

 above referred to, wherein he states that " we are indebted to 



