51 



Dr. Finscli's description to be strictly correct, — that it most nearly resembles 

 Nestor •meridionalis, from which it is only distinguishable by the broad 

 yellowish white band across the under parts of the body, and considering the 

 extreme tendency in that species to variability of colour, I should be inclined 

 to regard the British Museum bird as an accidental variety of the common 

 Kaka. Among the numerous abnormally coloured examples which I have 

 seen, from time to time, varying from an almost pure albino to a rich 

 variegated scarlet, I remember one which, although like the common bird 

 in its general plumage, had a broad longitudinal band of yellowish white on the 

 abdomen. The specific identity of this specimen with Nestor meridionalis 

 was unmistakable. 



14. Nestor superbus, Buller. 



Diagnosis. — Latere inferiore, capitis lateribus, torque nuchse, tergo 

 caudseque tectricibus et superioribus et inferioribus puniceis ; pileo, pectore, 

 humeris alarumque tectricibus superioribus flavis ; alls albido-flavis ; cauda 

 cinereo-flava. 



Dr. Finsch's remark that my Nestor siq^erhus approaches nearest in colour 

 to N. Esslingii and N. froductus, does not tend to diminish the confusion 

 which already exists. As we have already seen, this author makes the yellow 

 bellyband almost the only distinguishing feature between N. Esslingii and N. 

 meridionalis. Gould gives the following description of the Phillip Island 

 bird {Nestor productus) : — General colour of the upper surface brown ; head 

 and back of the neck tinged with grey, the feathers of these parts, as well as 

 of the back, margined with a deeper tint ; rump, belly, and under tail coverts 

 deep red ; cheeks, throat, and chest yellow, the former tinged with red ; 

 shoulders, on their inner surface, yellow tinged with rufous olive ; tail feathers 

 banded at the base with orange-yellow and brown ; the inner webs of the quiU- 

 feathers at the base and beneath with dusky red and brown ; irides very dark 

 brown ; bill brown ; nostrils, bare skin round the eye, and the feet dark 

 olive-brown. 



A glance at the diagnostic characters above (as quoted by Dr. Finsch) will 

 show that my Nestor superbus is a very differently coloured bird to either of 

 these species. 



15. ISTestor occidentalis, Buller. 



Dr. Finsch disallowed this species, on the supposition that it was the large 

 Alpine Nestor from the South, which he pronounces a mere variety of Nestor 

 meridionalis. This surmise was a mistake ; but, in a letter to me, he state3 

 that he is still inclined to believe that N. occidentalis is only another " variety " 

 of the common species. 



