44 The Hon. W. Rothschild on Apteiyx Haastii. 



years over seventy living Kiwis of four species, and having 

 examined some one hundred and sixty preserved specimens, 

 of which over one hundred belong to my collection (in spirit, 

 skins, and skeletons), belonging to five or, possibly, six 

 species. More especially of A . Haastii I have at present : — 



One adult male, alive. 



One young male, alive. 



Two adult males and four adult females, in skins. 



Two young males, in skins. 



Two chicks, in skins. 



One adult female, stuffed. 



Two adult males and two adult females, in spirits. 



One chick, in spirits. 



One adult male and one adult female, in skeletons. 



One Qg^. 



After an examination of these materials I am unable to 

 agree with Mr. Forbes's views. A consideration of the 

 geographical distribution of the various species of Kiwis must 

 lead to a conclusion opposed to them. 



ApteryxMantdli.^ ^ ^ North Island. 

 Haastii. j 



• australis. ") o i.i t i i 



^ .. <- . . oouth island. 

 Uwenii. ) 



maximus .... Stewart's Island. 



As A. Haastii occurs only in the North Island, where 

 A. australis and A. Oivenii are not found, it is evident that 

 it cannot be a hybrid between them. However, I must men- 

 tion that on looking over my skins of A. Oivenii I find that 

 seven specimens from the west coast of the South Island are 

 larger and darker than those from the east coast, and there- 

 fore that it is quite possible that this larger race of ^. Oicenii 

 has been mistaken for the true A. Haastii. This latter is 

 called ^'Boa-Roa " by the natives, and not Kiwi. 



Ajjteryx Haastii is the largest species of the genus, a 

 female in my possession being considerably larger than the 

 largest known female of A. maximus. It is further distin- 

 guished by its enormous beak, which, though not so long as 

 that of A. maximus, is very much stouter even than that of 

 the recently discovered extinct species. 



As far as I can see at present another distinctive character 

 will be found in the csecum, which seems to differ not only in 

 the two sexes, but also in the various species of the genus. 



