BuLLEK. — On New Zealand Ornithology. 49 



Akt. VI. — Notes on Herr Fmscli's Bevieio* of Mr. Walter Buller's 

 JEssai/f on Neio Zealand Ornithologi/. By tlie Author. 



\_Read hefore the Wellington Philosophical Societi/, 2Zth August, 1868.] 



Here Otto Finsch lias done me tlie honour to produce an unabridged 

 German translation of my Exhibition " Essay on the Ornithology of New 

 Zealand," and has appended thereto some valuable notes on the nomenclature 

 and synonymy, together with some more precise information as to the 

 geographical range of several of the species. (See " Journal fiir Ornithologie," 

 1867, pp. 305-357.) 



In the views advanced by the learned reviewer, in treating of the New 

 Zealand avifauna, I need hardly say I generally agree ; but there are some 

 points on which, as a local ornithologist, I feel bound to join issue with him. 



I would, first of all, observe that the reviewer does not appear exactly {o 

 comprehend the object or purpose for which the essay was written. He 

 expresses regret that the author did not enter more fully into the natural 

 history of the various species enumerated ; and refers to the importance — 

 which, of course, no one will deny — of original observations on the manners 

 and habits of birds, &c. 



It is scarcely necessary for me to explain that in producing the essay I 

 did not pretend to give an exhaustive account of the birds of New Zealand, 

 or a purely scientific dissertation on the subject. The narrow limits to 

 which the essay was necessarily confined, precluded the possibility of any- 

 thing like a history of the species ; while, on the other hand, it was the 

 desire of the Exhibition Commissioners that the essayists should popularize 

 their subjects as much as possible. 



Erom the very favourable notice which it has received from the leading 

 scientific reviews, it is gratifying to find that it has proved acceptable to 

 ornithologists in Europe ; but the chief object of the treatise (as correctly 

 stated in the notice of it in Dr. Griinther's " Zoological Eecord," 1866) was 

 " to convey to unscientific persons in the colony some idea of the peculiarities 

 of the New Zealand amis.'" 



The reviewer disapproves of my " determined adherence " to Grray's list 

 of 1862. It is sufficient to say that in giving an enumeration of the recorded 

 species, I availed myself of the most complete synopsis that had appeared. 

 As stated in the introductory part of the essay, I considered Mr. Gr. H. 



* A translation of Herr Finscli's critique on Mr. Buller's paper lias been appended for 

 the information of the Nevr Zealand readers. — Ed. 



t " Essay on the Ornithology of New Zealand," by 'Walter Buller,Esq., F.L.S., Wangauui. 

 {Vide post.) 



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