136 THE ANIMALS OF NEW ZEALAND 



the shining cuckoo. The young birds of this species also linger 

 longer than their parents, and are occasionally seen as late as 

 the first week in April. These birds retain their young spotted 

 plumage much longer than the young of the shining cuckoo do, 

 but no specimen showing the change into that of the adult has 

 as yet been shot in New Zealand, and neither old nor young have 

 been recorded from the Chatham Islands. 



Long-tailed Cuckoo : old and young. 



Mr. Layard says that this bird is very rare in New Caledonia. 

 He obtained only four specimens, all of which were purchased in 

 the streets. The first was on March 23rd, 1879, the second on 

 March 15th, 1881, and the other two on April 15th. 1881. As the 

 birds were in their immature plumage, he thinks that they were 

 born in the island. 



I\Ir. C. W. Woodford, Resident Commissioner of the British 

 Solomon Islands, states that he obtained immature males of the 

 long-tailed cuckoo in April and May, 1887, and that he has seen 

 the bird several times in the Solomon Islands during the past 

 three years, the last time being in May, 1900. He is of opinion that 



