Ill 



Aet. XIII. — On the Nests and Eggs of some Sjyecies of New Zealand Birds 

 Qiot previously described. By Captain F. W. Hutton, F.G.S. 



{Read he/ore the Auckland Institute, Jidy 11, 1870.] 



During the summer of 1867-8, Mr. Kirk and myself, while exploring the 

 Great and Little Barrier Islands, found the nests and eggs of some species of 

 birds which do not aj)pear to have been noticed by Mr. Potts. I have there- 

 fore written a short description of them as an appendix to his paper of last year. 



Creadion carunculatus, Gml. 



One afternoon, at the end of December, on returning to our camp on the 

 Little Barrier, we observed a Saddle-back fly out of the hollow top of a dead 

 tree-fern stem, and on exainination we found the nest about two feet down it. 

 It was roughly composed of stems of Hymenopliyllimn, and the dead fibres of 

 the nikau {Areca sapida), and lined with the fine loose bark of the tea-tree 

 {Leptospernnmi). It contained three eggs of ovoid form, and of a bluish white 

 colour, spotted with brownish grey and violet, the spots being closer together 

 near the thick end of the egg. The length of the eggs was 1 inch 2 lines. 

 They had not been sat upon. 



This furnishes another proof of the well known fact, that the colouring of 

 the plumage of those birds that build in holes is identical, or nearly identical, 

 in both sexes, 



Eallus pectoralis, Less. 



The Land-rail builds on the ground, generally u.nder a tussock. The nest 

 is loosely composed of grass, etc. The egg is ovoid in shape, and of a pinkish 

 white or cream colour. It is spotted, principally at the larger end, with spots 

 and blotches of two colours, one a reddish chestnut, and the other more of a 

 grey, looking as if the chestnut spots had been washed out or covered with a 

 semi-transparent covering. Length 1 -5 inch, greatest breadth 1 -2 inch. 



Majaqueus Parkinsoni = Procellaria Parkinsoni, Gi-ay. 



"We also found on the Little Barrier, at an altitude of 1-500 feet and more 

 above the sea, several specimens of this bird sitting upon their nests, but only 

 one nest had an egg in it. This bird breeds in holes under the roots of trees. 

 The entrance to the hole is irregular in shape, but generally just large enough 

 to admit the hand. Some of the holes were three feet long, and each was 

 enlarged at the end where the bird was sitting with its beak turned towards 

 the entrance, and in this enlarged space some dried leaves were placed. The 



