302 THE ZOOLOGIST. 
captured by a party of rabbitters about the beginning of 1880, 
on the Maruroa Flat, on the east side of Lake Te Anau. This 
bird was also sent to England, and at the present time probably 
adorns the shelf of some foreign museum. Since the above 
date no fresh example of the Notornis has been secured, 
although much time has been spent in the search around Lake 
Te Anau. 
My first acquaintance with this bird dates back to 1881. 
During the months of January and February of that year 1 was 
engaged, with Mr. A. McKay and Mr. John Buchanan, on a 
geological and botanical exploration of the Wanaka country. On 
the 20th of January we struck our camps at the forks of the 
Matukituki, opposite Mount Aspiring, and proceeded up the south 
branch of that river to Cascade Creek, a distance of eight or ten 
miles. Here we pitched our tents, at an altitude of 2000 feet 
above the sea, in the shelter of the Fagus bush which covers all 
the slopes of the surrounding mountains and the greater portion 
of the river-flats. 
Shortly after dusk our attention was attracted by the call of 
a strange bird which approached within a few chains of our 
camp, uttering at short intervals a loud booming note. Now, 
we were all pretty familiar with the calls of the different birds 
usually met with in the high lands of Otago, but the call of this 
bird was quite unlike any of them. We knew also the booming 
note of the Bittern, which, although like this in kind, was left 
far behind both in volume and intensity. Besides, this was a 
high, mountainous, bush-covered country, ill adapted for this 
bird, which usually frequents raupo-swamps and creek-banks. 
After some deliberation we arrived at the conclusion that this 
was the Notornis, a determination subsequently borne out by 
facts which came under my own observation. 
The next evening, with Mr. McKay’s assistance, I lit a large 
bright fire in the bush, about four chains from the camp, knowing 
from experience that birds of nocturnal habits were often 
attracted by the light of a camp-fire. Retiring a short distance 
from the fire, we awaited the result. As we anticipated, in less 
than half an hour our friend of the previous evening approached, 
uttering his booming note as he walked about. We now crawled 
towards the fire, making as little noise as possible in passing 
over the dry twigs and leaves lying upon the ground. When we 
