214 T'ransactions.— Zoology, 
the typical specimen of O. earli, Gray, and not having compared it myself, 
I am unable to make out whether the true earli is, indeed, the bright 
cinnamon-red bird as Captain Hutton and I believe, or whether it is the 
same as O. australis, figured under the name of earli by Dr. Buller."* 
Captain Hutton, on the other hand, writes me :—* I am sure that you are 
right about the identification of O. earli, and I don’t understand how Finsch 
thinks otherwise.’’} 
Baron A. von Hügel, who has lately been on a scientific tour through 
the colonies, writes thus in ** The Ibis"1:—* Of New Zealand things I 
have got a very fair collection—some 800 specimens already. Ocydromus I 
have, of course, gone in for, and have a lot of notes about it. I don’t 
believe in more than three good species — O. australis (with endless 
varieties), O. fuscus, and O. earli. The last two are difficult to procure, 
although I shall doubtless get a series of the latter in the North Island; 
but of O. australis one could get a shipload in a very short time. I have 
got a splendid series, showing every age from embryo to adult, and varieties 
to perfection." 
It wil be seen, therefore, that the Baron, who comes to the subject 
with a totally unprejudiced mind, adopts my published division of the 
species in a very positive manner. i 
, on further investigation, it should be found necessary to add a fourth 
species, this must be Ocydromus brachypterus, Lafresnaye; for Dr. Finsch, 
who appears to have examined the type specimen, affirms distinctly § 
that it is the same as Hutton’s O hectori; and Captain Hutton himself 
admits that this is ‘‘ very probable."|| This is of course the bird referred to 
at page 171 of my “ Birds of New Zealand” in the following passage :—“Dr. 
Hector informs me that on all the high mountains of the Otago province 
- he met with a ‘cream-coloured variety, conspicuously marked and very 
readily distinguishable from the common bird. Mr. Buchanan confirms this 
observation, and states that on the Black Peak, at an elevation of 6,000 feet, 
he found this light-coloured variety very abundant, but none of the other 
birds ; the former indeed were so numerous as to prevent his getting any 
sleep.” 
It seems unfortunate that in obedience to the law of priority in nomen- 
clature, we must sink a name, very fittingly bestowed, in favour of brachyp- 
terus, which expresses no distinguishing specific character, being equally 
appropriate to all the forms of Ocydromus. 
* “Trans. N.Z. Inst.,” VIL, p. 231. > 4 Ib., IX., p. 330. 
1 “ The Ibis,” July, 1875, p. 393. . § “ Trans. N.Z. Inst.,” VIII, p. 202. 
|| ** Trans. N.Z. Inst.," IX., p. 220. 
E NECS E. T NECESITE PT 
