﻿inhabiting 
  the 
  Chatham 
  Islands. 
  523 
  

  

  publication 
  of 
  that 
  work^ 
  liowever, 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  of 
  additional 
  

   information 
  has 
  been 
  obtained 
  through 
  the 
  collections 
  made 
  

   there 
  at 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  the 
  Hon, 
  Walter 
  Rothschild^ 
  and 
  

   through 
  the 
  exertions 
  of 
  my 
  excellent 
  correspondent 
  Mr. 
  

   HawkinSj 
  after 
  the 
  visit 
  I 
  was 
  fortunate 
  enough 
  to 
  be 
  able 
  

   to 
  pay 
  to 
  the 
  islands 
  in 
  January 
  1892. 
  On 
  that 
  occasion 
  

   my 
  time 
  was 
  chiefly 
  devoted 
  to 
  the 
  investigation 
  of 
  the 
  extinct 
  

   avifauna^, 
  and 
  I 
  could 
  give 
  but 
  a 
  very 
  small 
  portion 
  of 
  it 
  to 
  

   the 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  now 
  living 
  there. 
  I 
  was 
  happily, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  able 
  to 
  persuade 
  Mr. 
  Hawkins, 
  who 
  was 
  my 
  guide 
  and 
  

   assistant 
  on 
  that 
  occasion, 
  to 
  undertake 
  the 
  task 
  of 
  collecting 
  

   and 
  observing 
  the 
  species 
  inhabiting 
  the 
  different 
  islands. 
  

   To 
  his 
  exertions 
  therefore 
  I 
  am 
  indebted 
  for 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  

   material 
  on 
  which 
  the 
  present 
  communication 
  is 
  founded. 
  

   I 
  had 
  specially 
  drawn 
  his 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  interest 
  attaching 
  

   to 
  the 
  two 
  known 
  species 
  of 
  Cabalus 
  (C. 
  dieffenbachi 
  and 
  

   C 
  modest 
  us), 
  and 
  I 
  am 
  sure 
  that 
  ornithologists 
  will 
  agree 
  

   with 
  me 
  that 
  our 
  best 
  thanks 
  are 
  due 
  to 
  him 
  for 
  the 
  thorough 
  

   way 
  in 
  which 
  his 
  search 
  has 
  been 
  conducted, 
  and 
  which 
  has 
  

   resulted 
  in 
  the 
  re-discovery 
  of 
  the 
  long-lost 
  Cabalus 
  modestus. 
  

   His 
  investigations 
  have, 
  however, 
  I 
  fear, 
  made 
  it 
  certain 
  that 
  

   C. 
  dieffenbachi, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  last 
  specimen 
  was 
  obtained 
  by 
  

   Dr. 
  Dieffeubach 
  half 
  a 
  century 
  ago 
  on 
  the 
  main 
  island, 
  has 
  

   ceased 
  to 
  exist. 
  The 
  same 
  fate, 
  I 
  regret 
  to 
  think, 
  awaits 
  

   C. 
  modestus, 
  as 
  I 
  learn 
  that 
  cats 
  have 
  been 
  introduced 
  into 
  the 
  

   isolated 
  islet-home 
  where 
  this 
  bird 
  has 
  survived 
  so 
  long, 
  for 
  

   the 
  purpose 
  of 
  exterminating 
  the 
  rabbits. 
  These 
  pernicious 
  

   rodents, 
  having 
  somehow 
  obtained 
  a 
  footing 
  there, 
  are 
  

   devouring 
  the 
  pasture 
  intended 
  for 
  the 
  flocks, 
  of 
  the 
  wool 
  

   and 
  flesh 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  struggle 
  of 
  civilization 
  has 
  necessitated 
  

   that 
  even 
  a 
  so 
  distant, 
  small, 
  and 
  inaccessible 
  sea-girt 
  rock 
  

   shall 
  contribute 
  its 
  quota. 
  

  

  Since 
  the 
  colonization 
  of 
  the 
  Chatham 
  Islands, 
  both 
  by 
  

   Maoris 
  and 
  Europeans, 
  about 
  fifty 
  years 
  ago, 
  the 
  birds 
  

   have 
  lamentably 
  decreased 
  in 
  number. 
  Dr. 
  Dieftenbach, 
  the 
  

   Naturalist 
  to 
  the 
  New-Zealand 
  Company, 
  who 
  visited 
  the 
  

   archipelago 
  in 
  1840, 
  has 
  left 
  it 
  on 
  record"^ 
  that 
  " 
  vast 
  flocks 
  

   * 
  See 
  J. 
  R. 
  G. 
  S. 
  vol. 
  xi. 
  p. 
  207. 
  

  

  