464 Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



South Island, are not so marked as in the instances already mentioned, nor 

 would thoy be likely to excite so much attention. In neither of these is 

 there any form common to both islands. 



If we include in this discussion the case of the Chatham Islands, we 

 shall find that there are eight species of birds peculiar to that group and the 

 main islands of New Zealand, and six peculiar to the group itself; that 

 out of the latter one species is represented by separate species of the same 

 genus found in each of the main islands, differing from them, however, in 

 external characters only, and four species allied to, but differing a good deal 

 from species common to both the main islands, whilst one species, of which 

 only two specimens were ever obtained, differs from any member of the 

 family to which it belongs. The first case is that of Petroica traversi, the 

 second comprises Anthornis melanocephala, Sphmceacus rufescens, Qerygone 

 albiifrontata, and Rallns dieffenbachii, and the last is Cabalus modestus. 



But, besides the peculiarities already noticed, there are others of a still 

 more remarkable character. For example, the North Island possesses two 

 birds which are not found anywhere else within the sub-region of which it 

 forms part, namely, Pogonornis cincta and Heteralocha acutirostris. The 

 first of these belongs to the Meliphagidce, represented in the main islands 

 and the Chathams by five species altogether, three of which are commonly 

 distributed in the main islands, a fourth being a variety of one of those 

 confined to the Chathams, the fifth being the bird under consideration. Its 

 range even in the North Island, is restricted, although there is nothing in 

 its habits or structure to prevent its being as widely distributed as the other 

 members of the Meliphagida. The second case, that of Heteralocha acuti- 

 rostris, is even more remarkable, for in its most especial feature, namely, 

 the difference in the bill in the sexes, it is scarcely paralleled by any other 

 bird. Its range, like that of Pogonornis, is also very restricted, but there 

 is nothing in its habits or in its apparent wants, or in the general conditions 

 of life in which it is placed, which would appear to render the forests of the 

 South Island an unsuitable habitat. 



The South Island furnishes almost equally interesting cases, namely, 

 Nestor notabilis and Notornis mantelli. There is nothing, a priori, against 

 the assumption that the Notornis may have originally inhabited the North 

 Island also, and have been extirpated by man. At present it is found only 

 in the south-western parts of the South Island, and is evidently rare, only 

 three specimens having as yet been obtained. It is an interesting fact that 

 another species of this genus, Notornis alba, is found in Norfolk Island, one 

 of the distant outliers of the New Zealand zoological sub-region. Nestor 

 notabilis, commonly known as the Kea, belongs to the family of the parrots, 

 but is said to have developed the instincts and habits of a bird of prey. It 



