226 Transactions—Zoology. 
Ardea sacra, Gml. 
Captain Hutton’s description hardly answers to the birds here ; I should 
call it a dusky black. This bird has also got dorsal plumes. 
Nore.—The paroquet referred to by Mr. Morton is no doubt P. alpinus, 
Buller, which both Dr. Finsch and Dr. Buller consider to be the young of 
P. auriceps. When compiling my catalogue I followed them in uniting 
P. alpinus with P. auriceps. I now feel some doubt as to the correctness of 
this, but think that more evidence is yet required before P. alpinus can be 
accepted as a good species.—F. W. Hurron. 
Art. XXV.—WNote on Colluricincla concinna, Hutton. 
By Capt. F. W. Hurton, C.M.Z.S. 
[Read before the Wellington Philosophical Society, 14th August, 1872.] 
Ix the “ Catalogue of the Birds of New Zealand,” which was published last 
year I described a bird in the Nelson Museum under the name of Colluricincla 
concinna (“ Cat. Birds N.Z.,” No. 40, p. 15). Further inquiry led me to 
think that I had made a mistake, and that the bird in question was identical 
with Graucalus melanops of Australia. A short time ago another specimen 
that had been shot near Invercargill in April, 1870, was received at the 
Colonial Museum, and I was thus. enabled to compare this New Zealand 
bird with two specimens of Grawcalus melanops from Australia. The result of 
this comparison has been to show that the New Zealand bird differs from the 
Australian in having a more slender bill, a rather longer tail, the feathers of 
which are acutely pointed at the tip instead of being rounded, and in having 
much more white on the wings. Like the bird shot in the Nelson province this 
one also has the general plumage of the young of G. melanops, but the feathers 
of the chin and forehead are similar to those on the throat and top of the 
head, and not lighter as in G. melanops ; there is also no indication of any black 
feathers coming on the chin or upper part of the head. These differences are, 
I think, quite sufficient to warrant its being kept as a distinct species. 
The following is a description of the specimen :— 
Graucalus concinnus. 
Colluricincla concinna, Hutton, “ Cat. Birds of N.Z? No. 40, p 15. 
, The whole of the upper surface uniform pale grey, the feathers of the 
forehead with the shafts darker ; feathers of the throat and breast pale grey, 
slightly tipped with white, those of the upper abdomen and thighs pale grey, 
with white circular bands ; lower abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts pure 
white ; a broad band of black passes from the nostrils and gape through and 
below the eye to the region of the ears ; primaries brownish black, the first 
slightly tipped with white, the second, third, fourth and fifth margined 
out y and slightly tipped with white, the remainder margined all roun 
hite band which is broader on the tip and inner web ; secondaries 
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