870 Transactions.—Zoology. 
a short span of telegraph wire overhanging the water, and, one after the 
other, they were dipping into the shallow sea-water in pursuit of fish. 
Sometimes two or even three of them would dip at the same moment, 
raising a tiny splash all round, and then mount again to the wire or fly off 
to the shore with their finny prey. 
In further illustration of the piscivorous habits of this bird it may be 
mentioned that Mr Brandon, of this city, has an indictment to file against 
the kingfisher for robbing the fountain in his garden of goldfish. 
Tam not aware that our kingfisher is ever nocturnal in its habits; but 
on a recent occasion, when travelling by coach along the banks of the 
Manawatu River, about 2.30 a.m., it being a cloudy night and quite dark, I 
heard the loud call-notes of this bird with startling distinctness. Probably 
it was a sleeper disturbed by the passing of the coach; although under 
these circumstances birds, as a rule, betake themselves off in silence to 
another roosting place. 
HeErTERALOCHA AcuTIROSTRIS, Buller.—The Huia. 
To the long list of albinoes among New Zealand birds already recorded, 
I have now to add a very remarkable one. I have received from Captain 
Mair some feathers which have much the appearance of the soft grey 
plumage of Apteryx oweni, although of course the structure is different, but 
which are in reality from the body of a Huia. I hope to receive the skin 
for examination, but in the meantime I will give a quotation from the letter 
forwarding the feathers :—‘‘ Old Hapuku, on his death-bed, sent for Mr. F. 
E. Hamlin, and presented him with a great taonga. This has just been 
shown tome. It is the skin of a very peculiar Huia, an albino I suppose, 
called by the Hawke’s Bay natives ‘Te Ariki.’ I send you a few feathers. 
The whole skin is of the same soft dappled colour, but the feathers are 
longer and softer. The bill is nearly straight, strong, and full length. The 
wattles are of a pale canary colour. The centre tail-feather is the usual 
black, while the four on each side are the beautiful grey colour. These 
birds are well known to the Huia-hunting natives of Hawke’s Bay, and to 
possess an ‘Ariki’ skin one must be a great chief. The specimen I have 
described was obtained in the Ruahine mountains.” 
Evpynamis TArTENSIS, Sparrin.—Long-tailed Cuckoo. 
The range of this species has been extended to the Friendly Group, 
Dr, Finsch having identified a young male in the spotted dress in a collec: 
tion of birds from the Island of Eua. 
The long-tailed cuckoo remains with us from October to February, and 
breeds in this country; but we have yet a good deal to learn about its 
peculiar habits and nidification. 
It is very pleasant to hear a pair of these birds answering each other for 
hours together from the lofty tops of neighbouring trees. Indeed, I have 
