Smith. — On Hieracidea nova>zealandiae and H. brunnea. 319 



a great delight in the study of birds, but only a beginner, and knowing 

 practically nothing of the birds of New Zealand — I had heard of Dr. Bidder's 

 work, but had not seen it — and being particularly anxious to see the article 

 on the " Sparrow Hawk" (as I called it then in common with others), I 

 went the following June to Christchurch where I spent two days with this 

 work in the Public Library. After studying the articles well, I was of 

 course a little surprised to find that two species of Falcon nearly alike in 

 plumage, but differing considerably in size, existed in New Zealand. I 

 also at this time read the critical notes by Professor Hutton, published in 

 the Ibis, and those by Mr. Potts in the Trans. N.Z. Inst. My mind being 

 thus set at rest, -or partly so, I determined when I returned home to pro- 

 cure as many specimens as possible and work out the subject for myself; 

 and my experience since that time is decidedly in favour of the existence of 

 two species. 



Hieracidea nov.e-zealandle. 



The first specimen I will mention (a female) was one I shot in Sep- 

 tember 1876 on the Eangitata Eiver. Being then in the employment of 

 the Hon. J. B. A. Acland, and it being a busy season of the year with 

 me, I was unable to stuff and mount the specimen. I sent it to a friend in 

 Christchurch, who was well acquainted with the late Mr. Fuller, taxider- 

 mist at the Canterbury Museum, who stuffed the bird. When Mr. Fuller 

 had finished it he remarked that it was one of the finest he had seen. 

 When I visited the Canterbury Museum I examined all the specimens, 

 but none, as near as I could judge on looking into the case, are equal in size 

 or so distinctly or beautifully marked. On the 28th October, 1874, Dr. 

 Buller read a paper on the two species before the Philosophical Institute of 

 Canterbury. The measurements he then gave are as near as I can make out 

 a few lines short of mine. I copied the whole of the article in pencil, and 

 am therefore able to compare his measurements with mine. I am not 

 an expert at describing the different parts of a bird's plumage, but this bird 

 has what I have never seen in any other individual, namely, nine distinct 

 bars on the tail. 



One of the shepherds at Mount Peel brought me in from the back 

 country a very Handsome pair of eggs of this species. They also are larger 

 and much darker in colour than those in the Canterbury Museum. 



On the 23rd October, 1879, I found a nest of this species in the rocks 

 at the Eangitata Gorge. The nest contained three young ones, one female 

 and two males. They were covered with a light bluish. wool. They must 

 have been about- three weeks old, but were very quiet. I brought them 

 home and prepared a large box for them. I fed them on birds, rats, mice, 

 mutton, &c, which they devoured in large quantities. On the 16th 



