2 DR. HECTOR ON MAORI FEATHER MATS. [Jan. 4, 



A letter was read, addressed to the Secretary by Mr. George 

 Brown, Corresponding Member, dated Port Hunter, Duke-of-York 

 Island (lat. 4° V S., long. 152° 22' E.), Sept. 5, 1875, stating that he 

 had shipped by the ' John Wesley,' for the Society, to the care of 

 Dr. George Bennett at Sydney two Cassowaries, and a Cockatoo 

 from the adjoining island of New Britain, and two Pigeons and two 

 Parrots from Duke-of-York Island, and some other birds, which he 

 trusted would arrive safely. Mr. Brown stated that he had a col- 

 lector at work along with him, and hoped shortly to have made a 

 good series of specimens of the hitherto almost unknown fauna of 

 this and the neighbouring islands. 



The Secretary had received intelligence from Dr. Bennett of the 

 safe arrival of the two Cassowaries (Casuarius bennetti) and of four 

 of the other birds at Sydney, and that they would be forwarded to 

 the Society by the ' Paramatta ' on her next return voyage. 



The following extract was read from a letter addressed to the 

 Secretary by Mr. R. Trimen, Curator of the South-African Museum, 

 Cape-town, dated 24th Nov. 18/5. 



" Your note (P. Z. S. 1875, pp. 81, 82) on Canis chama, Smith, 

 leads me to think that you may be interested in hearing that there 

 are two specimens of that species in this Museum. 



" They have hitherto been labelled C. varieyatoides, Smith (South 

 Afr. Qu. Journ. ii. p. 87), the example first received having been so 

 determined by the late Curator ; but on comparison of them with 

 the characteristic plate (xviii.) in the * Proceedings,' and with Dr. 

 Smith's descriptions of the two species, it is clear that they are C. 

 chama and not C. varieyatoides. 



" I should be glad to hear if you know any thing about the latter 

 species. 



" The late Dr. J. E. Gray referred it (List Mamm. Brit. Mus. 1843, 

 p. 58) to C. mesomelas, JSchreb. ; but as Dr. Smith was well ac- 

 quainted with C. mesomelas, it seems improbable that he would have 

 founded a new species on any thing less than a well-marked 

 variety. 



" C. chama is more widely spread than Dr. Smith's account would 

 lead one to suppose, one of our two examples being from the neigh- 

 bourhood of Beaufort (about the centre of this colony) and the other 

 from near Caledon, a town about 70 miles east (and "a little to the 

 south) of Cape-town." 



Dr. .Hector, F.R.S., sent for exhibition three feather mats, made 

 by the Maoris of New Zealand : — 



No. 1. An ancient mat, obtained by Dr. Buller from a chief be- 

 longing to the Upper Wanganui river. Centre of pigeon's feathers 

 (Carpophaya novce-zealand'ut) trimmed with feathers from the Kaka 

 (Nestor meridionalis) and North-Island Kiwi (Apteryx mantelii), 

 and also tufts of hair of the ancient Maori dog, now extinct. 



No. 2. A mat of Kiwi feathers (Apteryx mantelli) from Tampo 

 Lake, North Island. The harsh feel, from the prolonged shafts 



