4482 THE ZooLoGist—JUNE, 1875. 
Platycercus.—We have a beautiful specimen of the nest of P. 
Nove-Zealandiz, cup-shaped, built entirely of feathers, moss, and 
down from the tree-fern (Dicksonia squarrosa). A correspondent 
has communicated the following abnormal conditions of plumage in 
specimens of this genus :—“ P. Nove-Zealandiz. Plumage yellow; 
also a specimen with blue plumage, forehead and top of head dirty 
white, without any mark or spot on each side the rump. P. auriceps. 
A specimen with yellow plumage.” 
Kaka (Nestor meridionalis, Gmel.).—Some eggs of this parrot in 
the collection of the writer differ from the usual type, their sur- 
faces being very coarsely granulated. The nest contained five eggs, 
and was taken from the bush near Invercargill, South Otago. A 
form of Nestor not yet described has been found near Cass River, 
in this province. The dead bird was found in bad condition; it 
had the tail-feathers beautifully coloured with vermilion, without 
bars, the shafts much produced into hair-like points; the wing 
feathers with inner webs of delicate vermilion toning down to 
yellowish. Kakas, male and female, weigh from one pound two 
ounces to one pound five ounces. 
Longtailed Cuckoo (Eudynamis tahitiensis, Gmel.).—In De- 
cember, 1872, two instances came under the writer’s notice of this 
bird being reared in gardens in Christchurch; somewhat later 
Donald Potts saw one being fed in the Irishman scrub (Discaria 
toumatou), close to the River Potts; in each of these cases the 
foster-parents were gray warblers (Gerygone flaviventris). The 
writer differs entirely from Dr. Buller in attributing compassionate 
philornithic feelings to the foster-parent ; he looks on the Gerygone 
as adupe simply. In the paper on the crow (Glaucopis)—‘ History 
of the Birds of New Zealand, p. 154—we may again find some- 
thing like a belief on the part of Dr. Buller that a philornithic 
spirit prompts the yellow-head to feed and tend the offspring of the 
crow. Through the ‘Ibis, the writer tried to obtain some infor- 
mation about the egg of Eudynamis, but without success; he was 
referred to the two eggs labelled “ koekoe,” from the Buller collec- 
tion. This bird abounds on the west coast of this island, and the 
Maoris say “it comes with the mosquitos.” Crane-flies form a 
favourite portion of its food supply. The longtailed cuckoo weighs 
four ounces and three-quarters. 
Whistler (Chrysococcyx lucidus, Gmel.).—Having long since 
taken much interest in bird-notes, many observations have been 
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