﻿522 
  Mr. 
  H. 
  O. 
  Forbes 
  on 
  the 
  Birds 
  

  

  some 
  500 
  miles 
  east 
  and 
  a 
  very 
  little 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  latitude 
  of 
  

   Lyttelton, 
  in 
  the 
  province 
  of 
  Canterbury^ 
  N.Z. 
  The 
  group 
  

   consists 
  of 
  about 
  a 
  dozen 
  separate 
  islands^ 
  of 
  which 
  Whare- 
  

   kauri 
  (Chatham 
  Island) 
  is 
  the 
  largest, 
  and 
  Rangiauria 
  (or 
  

   Pitt's 
  Island), 
  to 
  its 
  south-east, 
  the 
  next 
  in 
  size. 
  On 
  the 
  east 
  

   side 
  of 
  Pitt's 
  Island 
  lies 
  Rangatira 
  (or 
  South-east 
  Island), 
  

   the 
  third 
  largest 
  of 
  the 
  group, 
  and 
  off 
  its 
  west 
  coast 
  is 
  

   situated 
  the 
  small 
  islet 
  of 
  Mangare 
  and 
  other 
  rocks 
  and 
  

   fragments 
  of 
  land. 
  To 
  the 
  north 
  and 
  west 
  of 
  Cape 
  Young, 
  a 
  

   promontory 
  of 
  Wharekauri, 
  lies 
  the 
  rocky 
  group 
  of 
  the 
  

   Sisters, 
  or 
  Rangitutahi. 
  Still 
  further 
  to 
  the 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  

   island 
  than 
  any 
  of 
  its 
  satellites 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  named, 
  the 
  

   sea 
  washes 
  round 
  Matahara, 
  or 
  the 
  Forty-fours, 
  rocks 
  so- 
  

   named 
  from 
  their 
  lying 
  all 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  44th 
  degree 
  of 
  South 
  

   latitude*. 
  

  

  This 
  little 
  archipelago 
  was 
  discovered 
  by 
  H. 
  M.S. 
  'Chatham,' 
  

   the 
  companion 
  of 
  H.M.S. 
  ' 
  Discovery,' 
  the 
  vessels 
  which 
  

   formed 
  the 
  expedition 
  of 
  Captain 
  Vancouver 
  in 
  the 
  Pacific 
  

   Ocean 
  from 
  1790 
  to 
  1795. 
  The 
  two 
  vessels 
  were 
  parted 
  from 
  

   each 
  other 
  during 
  a 
  storm, 
  after 
  their 
  dej)arture 
  from 
  New 
  

   Zealand, 
  and 
  did 
  not 
  sight 
  each 
  other 
  again 
  till 
  their 
  port 
  of 
  

   rendezvous 
  in 
  Tahiti 
  was 
  reached. 
  Each 
  had 
  then 
  to 
  report 
  

   a 
  discovery, 
  the 
  ' 
  Chatham 
  ' 
  having 
  found 
  the 
  island 
  of 
  

   Wharekauri, 
  on 
  which 
  her 
  commander, 
  Lieut. 
  Broughton, 
  

   landed 
  and 
  conferred 
  its 
  name 
  in 
  honour 
  of 
  the 
  Earl 
  of 
  Chat- 
  

   ham, 
  while 
  the 
  ' 
  Discovery 
  ' 
  had 
  narrowly 
  escaped 
  disaster 
  

   upon 
  a 
  low 
  rocky 
  islet 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand, 
  to 
  

   which 
  Capt. 
  Vancouver 
  gave 
  the 
  significant 
  name 
  of 
  ''The 
  

   Snares," 
  from 
  its 
  dangerous 
  position 
  in 
  the 
  fairway 
  of 
  

   vessels 
  rounding 
  the 
  southern 
  end 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand. 
  Both 
  

   islands 
  have 
  proved 
  of 
  much 
  ornithological 
  interest. 
  

  

  Sir 
  Walter 
  Buller^ 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  edition 
  of 
  his 
  ' 
  History 
  of 
  

   the 
  Birds 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand,' 
  has 
  in 
  most 
  instances 
  mentioned 
  

   the 
  species 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  Chatham 
  Islands. 
  Since 
  the 
  

  

  * 
  [On 
  these 
  Islands 
  generally, 
  see 
  " 
  An 
  Account 
  of 
  the 
  Chatham 
  

   Islands," 
  by 
  Dr. 
  E. 
  Dieffenbach 
  (Journ. 
  R. 
  Geogr. 
  Soc. 
  xi. 
  p. 
  195 
  (1841) 
  ; 
  

   and 
  " 
  The 
  Chatham 
  Islands 
  : 
  their 
  relation 
  to 
  a 
  former 
  Southern 
  Con- 
  

   tinent," 
  by 
  11. 
  O. 
  Forbes 
  (Suppl. 
  Papers 
  K. 
  Geogr. 
  Soc. 
  vol. 
  iii. 
  p. 
  607 
  

   (1893).— 
  Ed.] 
  

  

  