XXXVl 



The Hon. Walter Rothschild also exhibited an egg of 

 the Great Auk from his collection. 



Mr. Rothschild likewise brought for exhibition some 

 eggs of Queen Victoria's Rifle-bird {Ptilorhis victoria), 

 which had been obtained by Mr. Meek on the coast of 

 Queensland,, opposite to the Barnard Islands, where the 

 species was first discovered. 



Some skins and living specimens of Apteryx were also 

 exhibited by Mr. Rothschild, who made the following 

 remarks on the birds : — 



'' At the meeting of the Club held last June, when I read 

 a paper on the known species of A'pterijx, it appeared to me 

 that several Members present were still far from satisfied 

 that Apteryx haasti was really a species, and not a hybrid 

 between Apteryx australis and Apteryx oweni. 



" Since the meeting in June I have received some twenty- 

 five more specimens of Apteryx haasti, making a series of 

 sixty skins now in my possession, all of which show no varia- 

 tion whatever except in size. 



" About three weeks ago I received four living specimens 

 of an Apteryx, which were noticed, on their landing, to be 

 very distinct. On careful examination I was at once struck 

 by the presence of cross-bars on the plumage, as well as by 

 the longitudinal stripes usually seen in the plumage of 

 Apteryx mantelU. Further investigation, together with the 

 fact that the plumage on none of the four examples is 

 identical, clearly shows them to be hybrids between Apteryx 

 mantelli and Apteryx occidentalis. It will thus be seen at a 

 glance that, while all specimens of Apteryx haasti are 

 regularly barred, the hybrids between barred forms and 

 striped forms of Apteryx show a mixed character of marking. 

 We may therefore fairly deduce this fact, that, whatever 

 else it may be, Apteryx haasti is certainly not a hybrid 

 between Apteryx australis and Apteryx oweni." 



Mr. E. Hartert exhibited some skins of Eupsychortyx, 



