Smith. — On Hieracidea novae-zealandise and H. brunnea. 321 



hand, but they died next day, notwithstanding all the care I bestowed on 

 them in keeping them warm, giving them good food, etc. The female was 

 very plain in plumage. Her measurements agree nearly with those given 

 in Dr. Buller's paper already alluded to. Since I first read Dr. Buller's 

 fine work in June, 1876, I have always adopted his mode of measuring a 

 bird ; and am also very exact in doing so with this bird, as the measurements 

 and " sexing " alone must determine the species. I should have stated that 

 the male of the above-mentioned nest was a very small bird. It had the 

 smallest head of any specimen I have seen, very little larger than the 

 Falco asalon of Europe and North America. 



I will speak of one more nest and I have done, as I do not desire to 

 trespass too far. On 3rd November, 1878, I found a nest in Chapman's 

 Gully, a mile from the homestead, Mount Peel. The nest was situated 

 under a large plant of snow-grass (Danthonia), and contained three beautiful 

 young birds. I arrived at the nest as the male came with a native pipit in 

 his talons. When he saw me lying on the ground near the nest, he dropped 

 the bird and dashed at me, knocking off my hat. I rose and approached 

 the nest, when the female likewise assailed me ; but it would have been 

 almost impossible for me to remove the young, as the parent birds were so 

 violent. I then secured the two birds and brought the three young ones 

 home, reared them, and kept them six months ; but I need not here give 

 their history for that time, the rearing of the young of this species being 

 ably described in the work already referred to. 



The measurements of the parent birds are as near as possible the same 

 as those of the first-mentioned pair, except that the male was a little 

 larger. 



I have possessed, from time to time, nearly thirty specimens of this bird, 

 some varying a little in their markings and measurements. 



I have one beautiful female, the smallest that I have seen, and the most 

 distinctly marked. 



Such is a little of my experience with the two species. I could relate 

 many other facts proving or tending to prove that the species are distinct. 

 The habits and general colouring of the plumage are almost indistinguish- 

 able ; but in all the specimens of H. novce-zealandiai I have seen the 

 plumage was much brighter, more glossy, and certainly more beautifully 

 marked than in H. brunnea. 



Comparing the nestlings of H. novce-zealandi® with nestlings of H. brun- 

 nea, the latter never attained near the size of tbe former, although I kept 

 them four months longer. They were more lively, fiercer, and appeared 

 to me more untameable than H. novce-zealandicc. I, however, never tried 

 much to tame them. 

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