rnsrscn. — On JVew Zealand Ornitliologjj. 65 



during tlie winter, Tasmania, Australia, New Caledonia, etc., consequently, 

 nortii-westwards, since up to the present time it has not been observed on 

 the islands of Polynesia proper. 



Mr. Buller's views with regard to the specific differences of the New 

 Zealand gold-cuckoos, copied from Gr. E. G-ray (" Voy. of Ereb. and Terr."), 

 do not hold good. New Zealand specimens, compared with Australian, do not 

 exhibit any difference sufficiently well defined to class them separately. So 

 also Verreaux's specimens from New Caledonia agree with the Australian. 

 According to Schlegel, the range of Ghr. hccidus extends over New Gruinea 

 as far as Java and Sumatra. 



The marking of the tail-feathers, the number of bands and dots on the 

 same, differ clearly in these as well as on the allied species (16) . 



According to Dieffenbach, Chr. lucidiis lays its eggs in the nests of 

 'Khi'piduTa flalellifera. Mio. taitensis also makes use of the nest of that bird 

 for the same purpose, as well as the nest of Antliornis melanura (Eamsay, 

 " Ibis," 1865, p. 154), (17). 



Fam. CoLUMBiD^. — The dearth of the pigeon tribe in New Zealand de- 

 serves particular mention, as characteristic of the ornithology of the country. 



Fam. TETRAONiDiE. — In this family also New Zealand is wonderfully 

 deficient. We miss, with astonishment, representatives of the genera 

 Turnix and Bynoiciis, of which there are so many species in Australia and 

 Tasmania. 



According to Hutton, pheasants are very numerous in the neighbourhood 

 of Epsom, Auckland, and they brood twice in the year. Ortyx virginiana 

 increases also wonderfully fast. 



Fam. ApTEETGiDiE. — Our knowledge of Apteryx australis (Shaw), is not 

 confined to the two specimens referred to by Mr. Buller. The Leiden 

 Museum possesses one also, and there is a very fine specimen in the Im- 

 perial collections at Vienna. 



With regard to their nidification, the accounts given by the natives do 

 not appear to be quite correct. From observations made in the Zoological 

 Grardens in London (on a female, A. mantelli), the bird itself tries to hatch 

 the egg. Mr. Webster states, in his communications, that the egg is 

 deposited in a hollow log. 



Grould has given an account of all that is yet known of the nidification of 

 Apteryx. (" Handbook, Birds of Australia," II., p. 570.) 



Fam. CHAEADEiiDiE. — There is a specimen of Gharadrius hicinctus, from 

 Lord Howe's Island, in the Leiden Museum. Scematopus longirostris 

 ranges as far as New Gruinea. Gharadrius xantlioclieilus {fidvus, Grml.) — 

 which resembles our European Ghr. pUtvialis to an extraordinary degree — 

 has a very extensive range, extending over Australia, the Indian Archipelago, 

 9 



