248 Transactions. — Zoology. 
Art. XXIIL—— RHemarks on some curious Specimens of New Zealand Birds. 
By T. W. Km, Assistant in the Colonial Museum. 
(Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 11th October, 1879.] 
Ir will be remembered that, in 1876, Dr. Buller read before this Society 
descriptions of several varieties of the Common Wood-Pigeon (Carpophaya 
nove-zealandie). I have now the pleasure of bringing under your notice 
two additional examples of albinism in this species. 
No. 1 is a beautiful albino, the whole plumage being pure white, with 
the exception of the lesser wing-coverts, which are a delicate yellowish- 
brown colour, but much more decided than in the specimen mentioned by 
Dr. Buller. The claws are yellow instead of black, which is the normal 
colour. This specimen was shot at Springhill Station, Upper Whareama, 
by Mr. A. Cameron, and by him presented to the Museum; he says it has 
frequently been seen about the station during the last four years. 
No. 2 is a partial albino. The head, neck, back, and fore-part of the 
breast are light brown, stained in places with coppery-purple ; lesser wing- 
coverts, coppery-purple ; quills and their coverts, light brown; quills tipped 
and margined with white. Tail-feathers brown, tipped with white; under- 
surface steel grey, changing to brown towards the extremities ; under-parts 
from breast downwards, white, slightly tinged with brown ; eyes and feet 
the usual carmine pink ; claws yellowish-pink, tipped with black. This 
specimen was procured at Pahautanui, and presented to the Museum by 
Mr. Wise, a very old resident in the district. 
The next specimen I have to draw your attention to is a curious and 
interesting variety of the Kotuku, or White Heron (Ardea syrmatophora). 
On the right wing, near the ** bend," is a patch of dark feathers; thence 
a band of black and brown passes right over the back and joins a much 
larger patch of the same colour on the left wing, and then extends obliquely 
across the breast, becoming fainter as it again approaches the left side. 
Inner webs of primaries, lining of wings and flank-feathers, more or less 
marked with brown, passing in places into black. A black patch about an 
inch in length will also be noticed on the outer web of one of the * secondary 
plume feathers." 
I have never before heard of a specimen of this species possessing a 
single coloured feather, and indeed I am informed that ** White as a Kotuku” 
has passed into a proverb amongst the natives. I was therefore surprised, 
when, on proceeding to examine the six specimens contained in the “ type 
collection,” in the Colonial Museum, I found that no less than three of them 
had the wings, especially the under-surfaces, more or less spotted or dashed 
with brown and black. 
