- Butter.—On the Ornithology of New Zealand. 187 
from Milford Sound) consists of a layer of dry twigs, so loosely put together 
that the eggs are visible from beneath. 
There is another nest, however (collected by Mr. Potts, at Little River, 
April, 1878) which forms a very pretty object. It is placed on the lateral 
fork of a branch of totara, supported underneath by an epiphytic growth of 
native mistletoe (Loranthus micranthus), which, although dried, still retains 
its leaves. The nest is very slight, and admits the light through: its founda- 
tions, being formed of slender dry twigs of Leptospermum laid across each 
other and forming a shallow depression, with the ends of the twigs project- 
ing allround. Slight as the structure is, however, there is some appear- 
ance of finish about it. Mr. Potts suggests that ‘the spaces and openings 
of the latticed nest befit the dirty habits of the pigeon ; as the excrement 
dries, probably, most of it disappears through the nest.”’ 
The nest described above contained a single egg, of small size in pro- 
portion to the bird, measuring 1.9-inch by 1°4-inch, perfectly oval, of the 
purest white, and without any gloss on the surface. 
OcyDROMUS AUSTRALIS. 
A nest of the South Island Wood-hen, from Ohinitahi (Canterbury 
Museum) is a massive bed of dry grass, measuring 20 inches by 14, with a 
uniform thickness of about 4}-inches. In the centre there is a slight depres- 
sion, which contains five eggs. These are yellowish-white, irregularly spotted 
and marked with yellowish-brown and pale washed out markings of purple. 
In form they are slightly ovoido-conical, measuring 2.25-inches by 1.6, and 
presenting very little variety in colour; the spotted markings being generally 
thickest at the larger end. Mr. Enys states that the ground colour varies 
in specimens from different localities, from a pure white to a rich cream 
colour. I have observed that they are often much soiled, probably from 
contact with the bird’s feet during incubation. 
OrTYGOMETRA TABUENSIS. 
An egg of this pretty little Rail, in the Canterbury Museum, is broadly 
elliptical in form, measuring 1.8 by .95 of an inch, and is of a uniform pale 
creamy brown, minutely and obscurely freckled over the entire surface with 
a darker tint. The shell is slightly glossed. 
ArpEA SYRMATOPHORA. 
The nest of the White Heron is arather massive structure, with a 
flattened top (no appearance whatever of a cup or hollow), rounded in form, 
and measuring eighteen inches across. It is composed almost entirely of 
fern fronds by way of foundation, with a thick rough layer of dry twigs 
above. On this are deposited the eggs, three in number, differing very 
slightly in size, the largest measuring 2.2-inches by 1.6-inch, of a regular 
ovoid form, of a uniform pale green colour, and without any gloss. 
