226 Transactions — Zoology. 



Ardea sacra, Gral. 

 Captain Hutton's description hardly answers to the birds here ; I should 

 call it a dusky black. This bird has also got dorsal plumes. 



Note. — The paroquet referred to by Mr. Morton is no doubt P. alpinus, 

 Buller, which both Dr. Finsch and Dr. Buller consider to be the young of 

 P. auricejjs. When compiling my catalogue I followed them in uniting 

 P. alpinus with P. auriceps. I now feel some doubt as to the correctness of 

 this, but think that more evidence is yet required before P. a^nnus can be 

 accepted as a good species. — F. W. Hutton. 



Art. XXY. — Note oti Colluricincla concinna, Hutton. 

 By Capt. F. W. Hutton, C.M.Z.S. 



[Read before the Wellington Pliilosophical Society, I4:th August, 1872,] 



In the " Catalogue of the Birds of New Zealand," which was published last 

 year I described a bird in the Nelson Museum under the name of CoUuricincla 

 concinna ("Cat. Birds N.Z.," No. 40, p. 15). Further inquiry led me to 

 think that I had made a mistake, and that the bird in question was identical 

 ^vith Graucalus melanops of Australia. A short time ago another specimen 

 that had been shot near Invercargill in April, 1870, was received at the 

 Colonial Museum, and I was thus enabled to compare this New Zealand 

 bird with two specimens of Graucalus melanops from Australia. The result of 

 this comparison has been to show that the New Zealand bird differs from the 

 Australian in having a more slender bill, a rather longer tail, the feathers of 

 which are acutely pointed at the tip instead of being rounded, and in having 

 much more white on the wings. Like the bird shot in the Nelson province this 

 one also has the general plumage of the young of G. melanops, but the feathers 

 of the chin and forehead are similar to those on the throat and top of the 

 head, and not lighter as in G. melanops ; there is also no indication of any black 

 feathers coming on the chin or upper part of the head. These differences are, 

 I think, quite sufficient to warrant its being kept as a distinct species. 



The following is a description of the specimen : — 



Graucalus concinnus. 

 CoUuricincla concinna, Hutton, " Cat. Birds of N.Z.," No. 40, p. 15. 



The whole of the upper surface uniform pale grey, the feathers of the 

 forehead Vv^ith the shafts darker ; feathers of the throat and breast pale grey, 

 slightly tipped T\^ith white, those of the upper abdomen and thighs pale grey, 

 with white circular bands ; lower abdomen, vent, and under tail-coverts pure 

 white ; a broad band of black passes from the nostrils and gape through and 

 below the eye to the region of the ears ; primaries brownish black, the first 

 slightly tipped with white, the second, third, fourth and fifth margined 

 outwardly and slightly tipped with white, the remainder margined all round 

 with a white band wliich is broader on the tip and inner web ; secondaries 



