XVI 



Tlie Hon. T\''alter Rothschild sent for exhibition a 

 series of Snipes from various islands of the New Zealand 

 region, and offered the following remarks : — 



''Since I laid before the B. O. C. the description of 

 Galiinago tristrami I have received seven more specimens 

 of G. huegeli^ Tristr., and G. aucklandica. Of these the 

 two G. huerjeli are* labelled, one as coming from Auckland 

 Island and the other from Antipodes Island. Now G. huegeli 

 is supposed to be confined to the Snares, the two only known 

 specimens having come from there. Mr. Danneferd, who 

 sent my specimens, gets most of his island-birds from the 

 crew of the ' Hinemoa,^ and I have more than once noticed 

 in collections made by them for Sir Walter Buller that the 

 labelling was most careless and incorrect. On the other 

 hand, Danneferd positively states in a letter that one Snipe 

 came from Antipodes Island and the other six from Auckland 

 Island, and specially mentions that he sent examples of two 

 species from Auckland Island. Personally I am more inclined 

 to doubt the accuracy of the labelling than the possibility of 

 two isolated islands (Auckland and Antipodes Is.), more than 

 500 miles apart, presenting the very unusual fact of two 

 quite distinct species of Snipe [G. huegeli and G. aucklandica) 

 on the one, and one of them only (G. huegeli) on the other, 

 while on a neighbouring group (Chatham Is.) we have a 

 third distinct and somewhat intermediate form. Lastly, we 

 sliould have the still more incredible fact that G. huegeli 

 occurs in company with G. aucklandica on Auckland Island 

 and with G. tristrami on Antipodes Island, while on the 

 Snares it is the sole species of Snipe, and on the Chatham 

 Islands G. pusilla alone is found. The rather unfortunate 

 doubt as regards .the locality of some of my specimens, how- 

 ever, does not, in my opinion, interfere with the fact that 

 there are four distinct species of Antarctic Snipe, as the 

 series laid before you by Mr. Hartert shows. '^ 



To illustrate these notes ]Mr. Hartert laid on the table over 

 40 skins of G. pusilla, 6 of G. aucklandica, 3 of G. huegeli, 

 and 2 of G. tristrami. 



