102 Mr. E. Hartert on the 



usually breeds near water) ^ but still there were other pairs of 

 R. flabeUifera breeding in the vicinity, and I saw one nest. 

 The present nest was placed about twelve feet from the ground 

 in a mahoe tree, far away from water, and was well sheltered 

 by the leaves of the tree. 



I have never seen eggs of Rhipidura fvHginosa from the 

 South Island, but the two eggs taken are, I think, richer in 

 colour than those of R. flabeUifera, the spots being of a 

 purplish tint, while in eggs of the pied bird they are brownish. 

 The shell is glossy, but this may be due to incubation. 



Mr. Potts writes of the interbreeding of the two species in 

 the South Island, and it is satisfactory to know that when 

 Rhipidura fuliginosa straggles to this island there is no need 

 for it to remain single. 



If, as I think, this bird has been resident here at least 

 more than twelve months, it is probable that it interbred 

 last season ; but I have never noticed anything that could be 

 taken for a cross between the two species. 



Waikohu Station, Te Karaka, Gisborue, 

 New Zealand. 



-f- VII. — On the Chrysotis canifrons o^ Lawrence. 



By Ernst Hartert. 



After having read Mr. Lawrence's article " on the validity 

 of Chrysotis canifrons^' iu 'The Ibis"* (1893, p. 566), I 

 feel rather uneasy at having disturbed the Nestor of orni- 

 thologists by uniting his species with C. ochroijtera (Gm.). 



There is no doubt that I made a mistake in not fully 

 giving all my reasons for the course I took, and as Mr. Law- 

 rence accuses me of having " str-angely ignored all further 

 comparisons " of the two species, except that of the forehead, 

 I must now go further into the question. 



On going to Aruba I took a copy of Mr. Lawrence's de- 

 scription of Chrysotis canifrons with me, and it was one of 

 my special objects to procure examples of this typeless species. 

 I made many inquiries, and was specially on the look-out 



