A Reference List of the Birds of New Zealand. 427 



Strigops habroptilus habroptilus Gray. South Island Kukapo. 

 Strigops habroptilus Gray^ Geii, Birds, vol. ii. 18J5, p. 427, 

 pi. cv. : Dusky Souud, South Island. 



Synonyms : — 



Strif/ops greyii Gray, Ibis, 1862, p. 230 : colour aberration : South 



Island. 

 Strinyops habroptilus, Buller, Suppl. vol. ii. p. 89, 



Range: — South Island (breeding). 



Strigops habroptilus innominatus, subsp. n. North Island 

 Kakapo. 



Range : — North Island (breeding). 



Note : — The only specimen of the Kakapo we have seen 

 from the North Island is considerably smaller than a long 

 series from the South Island ; as Buller noted (Birds New 

 Zeal. 1873, p. 29, footnote) that the only North Island 

 specimen he examined was also '^ very small, measuring only 

 21 inches in length, and 8'5 in the wing/' we are adopting 

 the extreme course and naming this race in the hope that 

 our action will incite investigation. Inasmuch as the 

 Kakapo is flightless, there is every reason to suggest that 

 the birds inhabiting the two Islands should constitute 

 recognisable races. Type in British Museum. 



Strigops habroptilus parsonsi, subsp. n. Mountain Kakapo. 



Range : — South Island : Alpine heights of north-west. 



Note: — This is an extremely large form living in the moun- 

 tains of the north-west of the South Island; it has a wing 

 measurement of 335 mm., which is not approached by any of 

 the Dusky Sound birds. Type in Coll. G. M. Mathews*. 



Order CORACIIFOEMES. 



Family APODID^E. 

 Genus CH^TURA, 

 Chatura Stephens in Shaw's Gen. Zool. vol. xiii. 1826, p. 76. 

 Type (by subsequent designation) : C. pelac/ica (Linnti). 



* In the Vienna Museum is a long series of birds collected by 

 Reischek at Dusky Sound. He maintains that the birds collected 

 on the heights were larger and lighter than those living at or about 

 sea-level. 



