﻿512 
  Mr. 
  W. 
  W. 
  Smith 
  on 
  New- 
  Zealand 
  Birds. 
  

  

  disputing 
  each 
  other's 
  right 
  to 
  the 
  morsels. 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  num- 
  

   bers 
  of 
  them 
  sitting 
  about 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  works 
  with 
  

   distended 
  crops, 
  gorged 
  to 
  repletion. 
  Both 
  young 
  and 
  old 
  

   revel 
  in 
  the 
  feast, 
  and 
  their 
  wild 
  excited 
  cries 
  are 
  heard 
  a 
  

   long 
  distance 
  from 
  the 
  works. 
  

  

  Ardea 
  egretta, 
  Gm. 
  

  

  Last 
  August 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  Craighead, 
  of 
  Black 
  Forest 
  Station, 
  

   McKenzie 
  Country, 
  wrote 
  to 
  me 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  he 
  had 
  recently 
  

   seen 
  a 
  specimen 
  of 
  the 
  White 
  Heron 
  near 
  the 
  head-waters 
  of 
  

   the 
  Waitaki 
  River. 
  This 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  record 
  of 
  its 
  occurrence 
  

   east 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  range 
  for 
  fifteen 
  years. 
  

  

  Anthornis 
  melanura. 
  Gray. 
  

  

  The 
  history 
  of 
  this 
  delightful 
  songster 
  of 
  the 
  New-Zealand 
  

   bush 
  is 
  so 
  perfectly 
  given 
  by 
  Buller 
  that 
  nothing 
  need 
  be 
  

   added 
  to 
  it 
  here. 
  The 
  sudden 
  disappearance 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  

   from 
  many 
  of 
  its 
  old 
  haunts 
  in 
  the 
  North 
  Island, 
  and 
  the 
  

   apparently 
  inevitable 
  extinction 
  that 
  similarly 
  threatened 
  it 
  

   in 
  the 
  South 
  Island, 
  was 
  truly 
  deplored 
  by 
  all 
  naturalists. 
  

   The 
  causes 
  to 
  which 
  are 
  attributed 
  the 
  gradual 
  or 
  rapid 
  

   disappearance 
  of 
  certain 
  species 
  of 
  New-Zealand 
  birds 
  have 
  

   been 
  fully 
  discussed 
  by 
  Buller; 
  these 
  include 
  the 
  probable 
  

   effects 
  of 
  the 
  introduced 
  honey-bee 
  on 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  the 
  

   Meliiihagida 
  , 
  the 
  changed 
  environment 
  produced 
  by 
  the 
  

   perfect 
  or 
  imperfect 
  clearing 
  of 
  open 
  swampy 
  lands 
  and 
  

   forests, 
  and 
  the 
  introduction 
  of 
  predatory 
  animals. 
  In 
  

   discussing 
  the 
  various 
  causes 
  and 
  their 
  effects, 
  he 
  contended 
  

   that 
  the 
  honey-bee 
  theory 
  was 
  " 
  quite 
  insufficient 
  to 
  meet 
  

   the 
  case,'"* 
  and 
  stated, 
  '^As 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  long 
  observation 
  I 
  

   have 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that, 
  apart 
  from 
  the 
  effects 
  

   produced 
  by 
  a 
  gradual 
  change 
  in 
  the 
  physical 
  conditions 
  of 
  

   the 
  country, 
  the 
  chief 
  agent 
  in 
  this 
  rapid 
  destruction 
  of 
  

   certain 
  species 
  of 
  native 
  birds 
  is 
  the 
  introduced 
  rat.^' 
  Refer- 
  

   ring 
  in 
  1887 
  to 
  the 
  disappearance 
  of 
  A. 
  melanura, 
  Buller 
  

   wrote 
  : 
  " 
  Doubtless 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  a 
  question 
  of 
  a 
  few 
  years, 
  and 
  

   the 
  sweet 
  notes 
  of 
  this 
  native 
  songster 
  will 
  cease 
  to 
  be 
  heard 
  

   in 
  the 
  grove 
  ; 
  and 
  naturalists, 
  when 
  compelled 
  to 
  admit 
  the 
  

   fact, 
  will 
  be 
  left 
  to 
  speculate 
  and 
  argue 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  causes 
  of 
  its 
  

  

  