178 Transactions. — Zoology. 



'^ The habitat was iintisual, in the thick hush, between the bhiflf of Okarita 

 and lake Mapourika j whereas our little riroriro delights in trilling from the 

 shrubs on the creek-side, or more open country, or in flitting about the bushy 

 vegetation of the gullies that fringe or form the outskirts of a forest. Neither 

 my son, who accompanied me, nor myself had ever heard a similar note ; 

 with diffidence we set it down as a new species. For the next few days, 

 whilst rambling in that locality, we heard the same note repeatedly, and saw 

 the birds, but we never observed one of them on the outside of the bush. 



" The diagnosis of a male bird, killed 20th December, four miles west of lake 

 Mapourika, is here given. This bird was in full song. Upper surface dark 

 olivaceous ; wings smoky black, except first two feathers, outer webs fringed 

 with yellow ; cheek dark grey ; neck and breast pale grey ; abdomen white ; 

 under wing-coverts white ; upper wing-coverts brown, margined with yellow ; 

 upper tail-coverts slaty black, tipped with yellow ; tail brown, with a broad 

 band of black, two centre feathers black, tipped with brown, four feathers on 

 each side tipped with white on inner webs, pale brown on outer web, two 

 outer feathers broadly barred with white, tipped with brown. 



" Bill black j both mandibles horn-colour at the point ; legs and feet black ; 

 inside of feet yellowish flesh ; irides bright blood-red. 



" Bill from gape, 6 lines ; wing from flexure, 2 inches ; tail, 2 inches 

 2 lines j tarsus, 9 lines; middle toe and claw, 5 lines ; total length, 4 inches 

 5 lines. "*" 



No. 26. — Cekthiparus nov^-zealandi^, Gml. 

 Brown Creeper. (Plate XVIT.) 

 An illustration is given of the nest of this species, as it has been but 

 seldom observed, notwithstanding that the bird is of common occurrence in the 

 bush. We noticed this species in the Wesfcland forest, from the Teremakau 

 to the southern Waio. It frequents the Irishman scrub {Discaria toumatou) 

 on the upper Rangitata river ; this habitat is little sheltered, and appears 

 rather peculiar considering the habits of the bird. 



No. 35. ZOSTEROPS LATERALIS, Lath. 



Blight Bird. 



From observation of an egg taken last summer, the writer is in doubt 

 whether this immigrant has not become the dupe of the whistler [Chrysococcyx). 



A nest was found, built in a manuka bush {Lcptospermurri scoparium), 

 containing four eggs, one of which greatly exceeded the others in size, and 

 was of a deeper blue-green colour. This incident bears upon a very interest- 

 ing and much discussed question as to protective mimicry by parasites of the 

 eggs of dupes, by approximate colouration. The nest and eggs are deposited 



* ''Ibis," July, 1872, p. 325. 



