Buller. — On the Ornithology of New Zealand. 209 



blue. The plumage of the adult is exactly the same in both sexes. The 

 vertical and occipital crests are present all through the year, but as the 

 breeding season approaches they become larger and more conspicuous, while 

 the hind-neck and the flanks are profusely ornamented with loose white 

 plumes three quarters of an inch in length. 



In the very young bird the skin is entirely bare, nothing being visible but 

 the roots of the downy plumelets. When more advanced the body is covered 

 with thick down, dark ash-grey on the upper surface and white on the under 

 parts ; the forehead, fore part of crown, and a portion of the face and throat 

 perfectly bare. 



Phalacrocorax nov^e-iiollandi,e, Steph. — Black Shag. 



Among birds of this class it is a rare thing to find any conspicuous 

 departure from the ordinary plumage. The following is the description of a 

 fine albino obtained at Sumner, near Christchurch : — General upper surface 

 dark cream colour j the crown, hindneck, lower part of back and flanks 

 stained and shaded with brown J the scapulars and wing-coverts broadly 

 margined with yellowish brown j sides of the head, throat, foreneck, and all 

 the under parts pure white ; the wing-feathers are yellowish white, more or 

 less clouded and freckled with brown j the old tail-feathers are yellowish 

 white, the new ones ashy ; and interspersed with the plumage of the upper 

 parts there are numerous new feathers of a brownish«-ash colour with darker 



edges, thus indicating a transition to a darker state of plumage. The bare 

 facial membrane is flesh-coloured, with an obsolete yellow spot in front of the 

 eye ; bill black ; legs and feet dark brown. 



The young of this species attains to a considerable size before the downy 

 covering makes its appearance. 



Phalacrocorax brevirostris, Gould. — White-throated Shag. 



The nestling is covered with thick down of a jet black colour ; forehead 

 and fore part of crown and a broad space round the eyes and across the chin 

 perfectly bare and of a pale blue, changing to purplish flesh colour towards 

 the base of lower mandible. The feathers come first on the back and flank?, 

 the quills and tail-feathers also making an early appearance. 



In some examples of this bird there is a tendency in the under parts to 

 change to white, and as a rule the extent of white on the throat and foreneck 



is uncertain and variable. On this account Dr. Finsch seems inclined to 

 unite the species with P. melanoleucus (Trans. K Z. Inst., V., p. 211). But 

 I have never seen a specimen exhibiting the " frill " or lateral and occipital 

 crests which are characteristic of the last named species, 



Phalacrocorax carunculatus, Gmelin. — Rough-faced Shag. 



The sexes, as determined by Mr. Henry Travers, are exactly alike, both as 



to size and plumage. 



Bl 



