CI 



May 12, 1835. 



N. A. Vigors, Esq., in the Chair. 



A letter was read, addressed to the Secretary by P. L. Strachan, 

 Esq., and dated Sierra Leone, February 22, 1835. It referred to 

 some Alligators sent from that country by the writer several months 

 since, all of which died on their passage. It also stated that he had 

 forwarded to the Society a Mud Turtle (Trionyx?), which, he hoped, 

 would prove acceptable. 



A letter was read, addressed lo the Secretary by A. MacLeay, 

 ^sq.. Colonial Secretary, New South Wales, dated Sydney, October 

 25, 1834. It stated that the writer had, in consequence of the ap- 

 plication made to him, set on foot inquiries respecting that interesting 

 Bird of New Zealand, the Apteryx Australis, Shaw ; and that he 

 had succeeded in obtaining a skin of it, (destitute, however, of the 

 legs,) which he had forwarded to the Society. The specimen was 

 exhibited. 



The skin presented by Mr. MacLeay to the Society was obtained 

 by him from the Rev. W. Yate, who writes to him as follows, dated 

 Waimate, March 10, 1834: "About six weeks ago I had one of 

 these birds in my possession, the second I have seen in the Land. 

 I kept it nearly a fortnight, and in my absence it died. One of my 

 boys took off the skin ; the legs rotted off. I have very great plea- 

 sure in sending you the skin as it is. Should I ever meet with an- 

 other, I will do all I can to preserve it for you. Its food is long 

 earth-worms. It strikes with its bill on the ground, and seems to 

 know by the sound where its prey lies. It then thrusts its bill into 

 the ground, draws up the worm, and swallows it whole and alive. 

 They kick very hard, and their legs are remarkably strong for the 

 size of the bird. They are very rare in New Zealand, but are found 

 in the greatest numbers at Hiku Rangi, the mountain which you 

 mention." 



Mr. MacLeay adds, that he has applied to other friends on the 

 subject, and that, should he succeed in procuring further information, 

 he will communicate it to the Society. 



He concludes by expressing his intention of forwarding to the 

 Society the white-fleshed Pigeon of the Colony, which, he conceives, 

 would be a great acquisition in England : it is certainly, he says, fat- 

 superior to Partridge. 



No. XXIX. Proceedings of ihe Zoological Society. 



