184 Miscellanea. 



reported to the meeting lieUl on the 13th of April, I have intelligence 

 of the existence of a third and much larger species than either of 

 them. 



The bird I am now about to describe has just arrived from New 

 Zealand by way of Sydney, but unaccompanied by any information 

 as to the locality in which it was procured, or any particulars of its 

 habits and economy. 



It appears to be fully adult, and is about the same size as the 

 Apteryx Australis, from which it is rendered conspicuously different 

 by the irregular transverse barring of the entire plumage, which, 

 with its extreme density and hair-like appearance, more closely 

 resembles the covering of a mammal than that oi a bird ; it also 

 differs in having a shorter, more slender, and more curved bill, and 

 in the structure of the feathers, which are much broader throughout, 

 especially at the tip, and of a loose, decomposed, and hair-like 

 texture. I propose to characterise this new species under the name 

 of Apteryx Owenii, feeling assured that it can only be considered as 

 a just compliment to Professor Owen, who has so ably investigated 

 the group to which I believe it pertains. 



Apteeyx Owenii. Ap. corpus superius fusco et fulvo iransversim 

 radiatum; plumis singulis, ad basim argenteo-fuscis, in medio saiu- 

 ratius fuscis, deinde fascia semilunari transversa fulva, cui macula 

 succedit informis nigra, ad apicem fulvis. Corpus inferius supe- 

 riorc pallidius, pluma eiiim guceque inferioris corporis tribus radiis 

 fulvis, superioris tantum duobus ornatur ; fulvis quoque color infe- 

 riore longius quam sujieriore corpore in apicibus ])lumarum extendit. 



Face, head, and neck dull yellowish brown ; throat somewhat paler » 

 all the upper surface transversely rayed with blackish brown and 

 fulvous ; each individual feather being silvery brown at the base, 

 darker brown in the middle, then crossed by a lunate mark of fulvous, 

 to which succeeds an irregular mark of black, and terminated with 

 fulvous ; under surface paler than the upper, caused by each feather 

 being crossed by three rays of fulvous instead of two, and more 

 largely tipped with that colour ; the feathers of the thighs resemble 

 those of the back ; bill dull yellowish horn-colour ; feet and claws 

 fleshy-brown. 



Total length from the tip of the bill to the extremity of the body, 

 18 inches; bill, from the gape to the tip, 3| ; bill, f broad at the 

 gape ; tarsi, 2J ; middle toe and nail, 2J. 



Hab. New Zealand. 



Remark. — In this species the wing is even more rudimentary than 

 in the Apteryx Australis. 



On the Species of the Genus Placenta of Retzius. 

 By J. E. Gray, Esq., F.R.S. etc. etc. 



[Pro. Zool. Soc. Lend., Uth July, 1848.] 



Lamarck describes three species of this genus, depending on the 

 general outline and the waved or flat form of the shell, characters 



