388 



IV. — Turn agra Hectort, Buller. 



Dr. Finsch is no doubt right in his identification of my bird with Otagon 

 tanagra, Schlegel. The description of the species appeared in a German work, 

 in 1865, but without any habitat being assigned to it ; and it was noticed in 

 Dr. Giinther's " Zoological Record " for the same year ; but I believe I am 

 right in stating that no description of it had appeared in English before the 

 publication of my article in " The Ibis." 



The genus Turnagra was established by M. Lesson, in 1837. Our oldest 

 known species was originally placed by Mr. Gray in his genus Keropia, and 

 was distinguished as K. crassirostris. The generic title was afterwards altered 

 to Tanagra, and again to Otagon. But ultimately Mr. Gray referred the 

 species to the genus Turnagra ("Gen. of Birds, 1841 "), and I have deemed it 

 right to follow his classification. The names Tanagra capensis, Sparrm, T. 

 macularia, Quoy. and Gaim., and Otagon turdus, Bonap., are all synonyms of 

 our well known T. ci-assirostris, the Piopio of the South Island. 



Prof. Schlegel has retained Bonaparte's genus Otagon, and adopted the 

 rejected generic title of Tanagra, specifically to distinguish the new form. 

 According to our nomenclature this would of course be Turnagra tanagra, 

 which appears to me a very objectionable combination. 



The merit, however, of being the first to notice the existence of this new 

 species belongs to Prof. Schlegel, although he was apparently unaware that it 

 came from New Zealand. I am quite satisfied in having been instrumental 

 in adding it to our List of Native Birds. 



V. — Anas gibberiprons — Miiller. 



I am under an obligation to Dr. Finsch for setting me right with this 

 species. It is remarkable, however, that a bird known to inhabit Australia, 

 and having so wide a distribution should have been entirely omitted in the 

 recent handbook edition of Mr. Gould's great work on the Birds of Australia. 

 My Anas gracilis sinks into a synonym of A. gibberifrons which is now added 

 to the list of New Zealand birds. 



While on the subject of Ducks I would add that a further addition has 

 been made to our Avifauna in a species from Waikato, sent to me by Captain 

 Hutton, which I have identified as the Nyroca australls, Gould. (See ante, p. 78.) 



VI. — Podiceps cristatus — Linn. 



The example from which I took my original description of P. Hectori, did 

 not disclose the white on the secundaries and scapularies, owing probably to 

 the condition of the dried skin • but specimens which I have since received 

 agree with Dr. Finsch's description. My P. Hectori, like Gould's P. australis, 

 must therefore be held synonymous with P. cristatus, Linn. But it is probable 

 that we still have in this country a distinct race of the Crested Grebe, distin- 

 guishable by the under parts being of a uniform dark rufous grey, instead of 

 silvery white, stained on the sides with chestnut, as in P. cristatus. 



I ti-eated this bird as P. Hectori in another state of plumage, but I cannot 

 discover that P. cristatus, in any condition, presents this peculiarity, which is 

 constant in all specimens from certain localities. Dr. Hector considers this 

 dark -breasted Grebe (of which there are specimens in the Colonial Museum, at 

 Wellington), a distinct bird, and states that it is found on the Wakatipu Lake, 

 accompanied by young, and possessing the double crest and red ruff which 

 characterizes the adult bird ; while in brackish lakes by the coast, where old 

 and young birds, and also eggs were obtained, none but white-crested birds 

 were ever shot. 



If this dark-breasted bird should hereafter prove to be a distinct species, I 

 must claim from naturalists its recognition as the true Podiceps Hectori. 



