BuLLEE. — On the Species of the Genus Ocyclromus. 215 



OCYDKOMUS EAKLI, GvaiJ. 



This is the North Island species, very distinct in character from the 

 others and exhibiting only a shght degree of individual variation. It is 

 admu-ably figured by Keulemans, and a full description of it, in all stages, is 

 given in my "Birds of New Zealand" (pp. 165, 166). 



OcYDROMus AXJSTRALis, Sparmi, 



This species has never been met with in the North Island as an 

 indigenous bird, although of late years it has been successfully acclimatized 

 by Sir George Grey at Kawau. 



The tendency of this bird to vary, in a very remarkable degree, has 

 occasioned much difficulty in discriminating the form. 



In my published account of 0. australis'^ I made the following observa- 

 tions on this point : — " Examples from different localities exhibit so much 

 variety in size and plumage as to suggest the existence of another closely 

 allied species. Mr. Potts says that when he was ' camping in one of the 

 gorges of the Eangitata a very striking variety used to visit his tent 

 constantly ; the individuals of either sex were above the average size ; the 

 general colour of the plumage light greyish-brown, the feathers barred or 

 marked with shades of dark brown ; the rump, and in some instances the 

 tips of the primaries, rich chestnut ; throat and cheeks grey.' * * * * 

 My brother, Mr. John BuUer, assures me that he invariably found the 

 alpine bird considerably larger than those inhabiting the plains and of a 

 much lighter colour. A specimen brought by Mr. Henry Travers from the 

 interior of the Marlborough province has the general plumage of a yellowish- 

 buff colour, very obscurely marked aud spotted with brown ; and among 

 those obtained by Sir George Grey in the Otago hills for the purpose 

 of stocking the Kawau Island, I observed that one (apparently a young 

 bird) had similar plumage, although it was more distinctly banded on 

 the sides and flanks. Sir George Grey informed me that these birds were 

 taken by himself at an elevation of 6,000 feet, where they were found con- 

 cealed under the tussocks or hiding among the loose rocks, the assistance 

 of a dog being required to dislodge them." I further described a specimen 

 in my own collection in which the whole of the upper surface is light fulvous 

 shaded with brown, each feather having a sub-terminal spot of that colour ; 

 the primaries and secondaries are dark rufous-brown barred with black, 

 and the soft overlapping feathers are fulvous, stained more or less with 

 rufous and barred with black in their middle portion, margined and spotted 

 towards the end with cream-yellow ; the throat, fore-neck, and breast pale 

 cinereous brown, mixed with fulvous on the crop ; the lower parts dull 



* " Birds of N.Z.," pp. 170-173. ~~~ 



