112 Transactions.—Zoology. 
bands. Spots on the secondaries ferruginous. Middle tail.feathers marked 
like the others. This species appears to be confined to the southern parts of 
Otago, on the eastern side of the Alps, from Te Anau Lake to the southern 
slopes of the Takitimu Mountains. It differs from O. fuscus in the markings 
of the wings and tail, and in the shape of the primaries. From 0. troglodytes 
it differs in its general colouration, and in its smaller size. It may possibly 
be identical with Gallirallus brachypterus, Lafresnaye. 
6.—0. earl, Gray. 
Distinguished by its rusty brown back and grey abdomen, The primary 
feathers of the wing are, in the adult male, rounded at the point and banded 
with ferruginous on the inner web only ; but in the adult female they are 
more or less banded on both webs and rounded at the tip. In the young bird 
they are marked as in the female, but are acutely pointed at the tip. The 
tail is without mark in both sexes and at all ages. 
‘ Height of Middle toe, 
Wing. Tail. Culmen. bill Tarsus. — 
e. claw. 
Male mor OO 3:9 1:8 67 2-9 2:1 
Female ... 6-0 3°25 18 67 2:2 2:0 
This species is confined to the North Island, 
Авт. XXV.— Notes on the Ornithology of New Zealand. 
By WALTER L. BULLER, D.Se, F.L.S., etc. 
[Read before the Philosophical Institute of Canterbury, 4th December, 1873.] 
Tur last volume of the Transactions contains an interesting paper by 
Dr. Otto Finsch, of Bremen, under the title of “ Remarks on some Birds of 
New Zealand," which was read before the Philosophical Institute of 
Canterbury on the 5th June, 1872,* 
In this paper Dr. Finsch, after mentioning an exhaustive article on the 
subject which he had prepared for the ** Journal für Ornithologie," proceeds to 
state, for the information of his ornithological friends in New Zealand, * the 
most important facts" discovered by him before communicating them to Ше 
German periodical. : 
As, however, the critical remarks which Dr. Finsch has embodied in his 
Paper appear to me to deal in many cases rather with assumptions than with 
* facts," and as the further discussion of debateable points may 
benefit science, 
I beg to lay before the Society the following brief notes in repl 
* Trans. N.Z, Inst., Vol. V., pp. 206—212, 
