﻿528 
  Mr. 
  H. 
  O. 
  Forbes 
  on 
  the 
  Birds 
  

  

  " 
  The 
  old 
  Maoris 
  and 
  Maorioris 
  say/' 
  writes 
  Mr. 
  Hawkins, 
  

   " 
  that 
  years 
  ago, 
  at 
  a 
  certain 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  year, 
  the 
  Pigeons 
  

   used 
  to 
  come 
  in 
  thousands 
  : 
  in 
  fact, 
  that 
  you 
  could 
  sit 
  under 
  

   a 
  tree 
  on 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  little 
  rises 
  in 
  the 
  bush 
  and 
  spear 
  thirty 
  

   to 
  forty 
  in 
  an 
  afternoon. 
  A 
  singular 
  fact 
  about 
  them 
  was 
  

   that 
  in 
  their 
  crops 
  and 
  maws 
  there 
  was 
  nothing 
  but 
  kelp, 
  and 
  

   that 
  they 
  all 
  landed 
  on 
  the 
  high 
  land 
  round 
  Waitangi 
  

   where 
  the 
  township 
  now 
  is 
  ; 
  [that 
  is, 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  coast 
  of 
  

   the 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  island 
  to 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  Petre 
  Bay] 
  . 
  They 
  

   came 
  in 
  the 
  early 
  spring, 
  about 
  August." 
  However 
  this 
  

   may 
  be, 
  this 
  Pigeon 
  feeds 
  also 
  on 
  the 
  fruit 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Karaka 
  " 
  

   (Corynocarpus 
  Icevigatus) 
  , 
  likewise 
  on 
  the 
  berries 
  of 
  a 
  species 
  

   of 
  Smilax, 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  "Tutu" 
  or 
  "Tut" 
  fruit, 
  which 
  

   formed 
  the 
  contents 
  of 
  the 
  stomachs 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  I 
  personally 
  

   examined. 
  

  

  18. 
  Charadrius 
  bicinctus. 
  

  

  Charadrius 
  bicinctus, 
  Buller, 
  op. 
  cit. 
  ii. 
  p. 
  3. 
  

  

  19. 
  TiiiNORNis 
  Nov^-zEALANDi^. 
  (Plate 
  XIV. 
  figs. 
  5, 
  6, 
  

   egg; 
  Plate 
  XV. 
  fig. 
  2, 
  young.) 
  

  

  Thinornis 
  nova-zealandice, 
  Buller, 
  op. 
  cit. 
  ii. 
  p. 
  11. 
  

  

  This 
  bird 
  is 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  Rangitutahi, 
  or 
  the 
  Sisters, 
  a 
  

   group 
  of 
  rocks 
  to 
  the 
  north-west 
  of 
  Wharekauri, 
  and 
  on 
  

   Mangare, 
  whence 
  my 
  specimens 
  were 
  obtained. 
  Its 
  breeding- 
  

   ground 
  is 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  Chatham 
  Islands 
  ; 
  stragglers 
  only 
  

   have 
  been 
  obtained 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand. 
  

  

  The 
  young 
  of 
  this 
  group 
  are 
  very 
  difficult 
  to 
  describe 
  in 
  

   words 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  convey 
  any 
  idea 
  of 
  their 
  coloration. 
  Mr. 
  

   Keulemans's 
  excellent 
  figure, 
  given 
  on 
  Plate 
  XV. 
  fig. 
  2, 
  

   explains 
  itself. 
  

  

  The 
  eggs 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  are 
  in 
  shape 
  pyriform. 
  Their 
  

   dimensions 
  are 
  :— 
  1-42 
  x 
  1-02, 
  1-47 
  x 
  POl, 
  1-40 
  x 
  1-01, 
  

   1"40 
  X 
  1-0. 
  Their 
  ground-colour 
  is 
  olive-bufF, 
  marked 
  pretty 
  

   evenly 
  all 
  over, 
  but 
  more 
  abundant 
  at 
  the 
  larger 
  end, 
  with 
  

   fine 
  spots 
  and 
  fine 
  linear 
  streaks 
  and 
  markings 
  of 
  clove- 
  

   brown, 
  often 
  becoming 
  almost 
  black. 
  The 
  Thinornis 
  lays 
  

   three 
  eggs. 
  

  

  