Parxer.—On Notornis mantelli. 245 
Art XXXII.—On the Skeleton of Notornis mantelli. By T. Jerrery Parker, 
B.Se.London ; Professor of Biology in the University of Otago. 
[Read before the Otago Institute, 21st September, 1881.*] 
Plates XIX—XXI. 
Introductory. 
Tue genus Notornis was founded by Professor Owen in the year 1848, 
upon portions of the skull sent to him from the North Island by the Hon. 
Walter Mantell. The skull was fully described in the Transactions of the 
Zoological Society, and the genus was referred to the family Rallide, as a 
close ally of Porphyrio. Shortly afterwards the same distinguished 
osteologist received a femur, a tibia, and a tarso-metatarse of the same bird, as 
well as a sternum, which he at first erroneously referred to Notornis, but 
afterwards (in 1871) recognized as belonging to Aptornis otidiformis. Pro- 
fessor Owen’s description of these bones, published originally in the Pro- 
ceedings and Transactions of the Zoological Society, are republished at pp. 
173 and 199 of his great work, “‘ The Extinct Birds of New Zealand”: the 
account of the sternum referred to is on p. 198, and the correction of the 
position at first assigned to it on p. 840. The memoir on the “ Restoration 
of Notornis” (p. 486) contains nothing new as to the osteology of the genus, 
_ and, as far as I am aware, no other descriptions of the skeleton have been 
published up to the present time. 
The fossil bones of Notornis mentioned above were all found in the North 
Island, and the bird was at first supposed to be extinct, but in 1849 the first 
recorded living specimen was captured on Resolution Island, on the West 
Coast of Otago, and shortly afterwards a second example on Secretary 
Island. Both were secured by Mr. Mantell, and are now in the British 
Museum. Unfortunately in neither case were any of the bones preserved. 
For thirty years nothing more was seen of Notornis, and it was very generally 
Supposed to have become wholly extinct. But about two years ago, the third 
own specimen was taken on Captain Hankinson’s run on the eastern 
shore of Lake Te Anau; being run down by dogs in the course of a 
rabbiting expedition. The captor, Mr. J. Connor, fortunately preserved not 
only the skin of the bird, but also the dried trunk, and last year forwarded 
both of them to Dunedin for transmission to England for sale. Through 
the kindness of Mr. B. J. Spence I was allowed to have the specimens at 
Seemann sess 
3 * When this paper was read I had no skeleton of T'ribonyz: I have since, however, 
received two specimens of that bird from Mr. Robbins, of the Hobart M Museum, whom I 
. desire to thank for his promptitude in supplying my wants in this respect. The paper 
__ has been recast to admit of the necessary comparisons with Tribonyz. January 24, 1882. 
