Mr. J. Gould on two nerv species of Birds. 177 



Nestor notabilis. 



General hue olive-green ; each feather tipped in a crescentic form 

 with brown, and having a fine line of the same colour down the 

 shaft ; feathers of the lower part of the back and the upper tail- 

 coverts washed near the tip with fiery orange-red ; primaries brown, 

 margined at the base with greenish-blue ; tail dull green ; inuer 

 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 man- 

 dible 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. 



Hab. The Middle Island, New Zealand\ 



The Shoveller forms the fifth species known of the genus Spatula, 

 and is distinguished from the other members by the dark crescentic 

 markings which decorate the feathers of the breast, sides of the neck 

 and scapularies. The species of this well-defined form previously 

 described are Spatula clypeata, which inhabits Europe, North 

 America, India and China ; S. rhynchotis, which is found through- 

 out Australia ; tS. maculata, the habitat of which is Chili, and pro- 

 bably the neighbouring countries of Peru and Bolivia ; and S. ca- 

 pensis of South Africa. For the fifth, or New Zealand species, Mr. 

 Gould proposes the name of 



Spatula variegata. 



Crown of the head and space surrounding the base of the bill 

 brownish-black ; on either side of the face between the bill and the 

 eye a lunar-shaped streak of white, bounded posteriorly with speckles 

 of black ; cheeks, sides and back of the neck dark grey with greenish 

 reflexions ; front of the neck dark brown, each feather narrowly 

 fringed with white ; back brownish-black, the feathers of the upper 

 part margined with greyish-brown ; feathers of the breast, sides of 

 lower part of the neck, the mantle and scapularies white, with a 

 crescent of blackish-brown near the tip ; under surface dark chestnut 

 blotched with black ; flanks lighter chestnut barred with black ; 

 lesser wing-coverts dull greenish-blue ; greater wing-coverts dark 

 brown, fringed at the tip with white ; first elongated scapularies blue- 

 grey, with a conspicuous line of white on the outer web next the 

 shaft, bounded posteriorly with black ; the next blue-grey, margined 

 on the inner web with white ; the remainder greenish-black, with a 

 lengthened lanceolate mark of dull or brownish-white down the centre 

 of the apical half; speculum deep green ; primaries dark brown with 

 lighter shafts ; under surface of the shoulder white ; on each side of 

 the vent a patch of white freckled with black ; under tail-coverts 

 black, tinged with shining green ; tail dark brown ; irides bright 



Ann. ^ Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 2. Vol. xix. 12 



