389 



[Extract from 'The Ibis, ' for September, 1869.] 



Remarks on some Species of Birds from New Zealand. By Dr. O. Finsch, 



C.M.Z.S., &c. 



In a large collection of birds which I lately received from Dr. Julius Haast, the well- 

 known explorer of New Zealand, I was very much pleased to find some of the species 

 lately described as new by Mr. Walter Buller, in his ' Essay on the Ornithology of New 

 Zealand*,' or in his paper in 'The Ibis' for the present year (anted, p.p. 37 — 43). 

 A careful examination showed me at once that some of those so-called new species are by 

 no means new to science ; therefore it will, perhaps, be a matter of some interest to the 

 readers of this Journal, as well as to ornithologists in general, to become acquainted with 

 the results of my studies. 



Platycercixs alpinus, Buller, Ibis, 1869, p. 39. 



Two specimens, male and female, from the Southern Alps, and marked as types of 

 Mr. Buller's supposed species, are not distinguishable from the old known P. auriceps, 

 Kuhl. , either in size or colouring. Mr. Buller characterizes the new species by the 

 orange frontal band, and by the orpiment-orange (instead of crimson) thigh-spots ; but 

 these slight differences are by no means specific, and only indicate the young bird. In 

 my Monograph of the family Psittacidae (vol. ii. p. 286) I described such a younger bird, 

 from a specimen in the Bremen Museum, which corresponds in every respect with 

 P. alpinus, Buller. 



Nestor meridionalis, (Gmel.) 



Two specimens from the west coast of the South Island, the same locality from 

 which Mr Buller described his new N. occidentalis (supra, pp. 40, 41), and most probably 

 belonging to this species, I cannot distinguish from the true N. meridionalis. There are 

 slight differences in the shade of their colouring, as well as in their size, but it must be 

 remembered that all the species of Nestor vary very much, as I have already remarked 

 in my Monograph, wherein everybody will find a full account of this subject. In any 

 case, N. occidentalis needs a more minute description of its distinctive characters before 

 it can be enumerated in the list of so-called good species. 



I take this opportunity of adding an interesting notice respecting the systematic 

 place of the genus Nestor, which Dr. Haast was kind enough to send me. He writes to 

 me, ' ' Your arrangement of the genus Nestor in the system is quite right. These birds 

 are indeed honey-eaters ; their tongues are armed on the point with papillas as in the 

 Trichoglossina}." It is. of great value to receive a positive statement as to the structure 

 of the tongue in Nestor, the subject having hitherto been doubtful. Mr. Gould (Handb. 

 B. Austral, ii. p. 551) declared that the tongue was not "furnished with a brush -like 

 termination," whereas the correct figure of N. norfolcensls, given by Herr A. von Pelzeln 

 (Sitzungsb. kk. Acad. Wissench. Wien, xli. 1860, p. 322, cum. tab. cap it. ),, shows the 

 papilla? very exactly. This new fact given by Dr. Haast sets all doubt at rest, and the 

 position of the genus Nestor among the Trichoglossince now becomes evident. 



Gerygone assimilis, Buller, Essay, p. 9. 



Mr. Buller separated this new'species from G. flaviventris, more on account of the 

 difference in the construction of their nests than from any shown by the birds 

 themselves. I therefore expressed my doubts (Journ. f. Orn. 1867, p. 342) whether it 

 was possible to distinguish the bird exactly. A specimen of G. assimilis, from Dr. Haast, 

 convinced me at once that the skin of this species is not distinguishable from that of the 

 true G. flaviventris. The specimen agrees in every respect with the description and figure 

 given by Mr. Gray (Voy. 'Erebus' and 'Terror,' Birds, p. 5, pi. iv. fig. 1), except that 

 the yellow tinge on the belly is paler ; but the specimen is marked as a female. 



Turnagra hectori, Buller, Ibis, 1869, p. 39. 



The editor of ' The Ibis ' has already suggested that this species is probably identical 

 with Otagon tanagra, Schlegel (Nederl. Tijdschr. voor de Dierk. iii. 1865, p. 190). I agree 

 with this supposition ; for a careful comparison of the descriptions cannot admit of the 

 slightest doubt as to then- referring to the same species. 



Anas gracilis, Buller, Ibis, 1869, p. 41. 



This is undoubtedly identical with Anas (Querquedula) gibherifrons, Salomon Miiller 

 (Verhandelingen, Land en volkenkunde, 1839-41, p. 159), as the comparison of a typical 

 specimen of A. gracilis received from Dr. Haast with specimens from Timor in the Bremen 

 Museum shows. The species has a wide geographical distribution. Timor (Sal. Midler, 

 Wallace), Flores (Wallace), Celebes (Forster), Northern Australia (Leyden Mus. ), South 

 Australia (Leyden Mus., Haast), New Caledonia (Leyden Mus.). 



* Translated by me in the ' Journal fur Ornithologie 'for 1867, pp. 305 — 347. 



