﻿BuLLEE. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  specific 
  Value 
  of 
  Prion 
  banksii. 
  351 
  

  

  Note 
  on 
  the 
  Tuatara 
  from 
  East 
  Cape 
  Island. 
  

   In 
  a 
  paper* 
  read 
  before 
  this 
  Society 
  last 
  year, 
  I 
  described 
  a 
  new 
  form 
  of 
  

   tuatara 
  f 
  Sphenodon 
  guntheri, 
  varj, 
  from 
  East 
  Cape 
  Island, 
  in 
  the 
  posses- 
  

   sion 
  of 
  Mr. 
  John 
  White, 
  of 
  Napier. 
  Referring 
  to 
  this 
  specimen, 
  Mr. 
  "White 
  

   writes 
  me 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  The 
  tuatara 
  which 
  my 
  son 
  Arthur 
  has, 
  was 
  obtained 
  in 
  the 
  

   year 
  1873 
  from 
  the 
  island 
  called 
  Whangaokino 
  at 
  the 
  East 
  Cape. 
  The 
  

   native 
  who 
  got 
  it 
  informs 
  me 
  that 
  he 
  saw 
  on 
  this 
  island 
  tuataras 
  green 
  in 
  

   colour, 
  and 
  others 
  like 
  the 
  one 
  in 
  question." 
  

  

  Akt. 
  XLIII. 
  — 
  On 
  the 
  specific 
  Value 
  of 
  Prion 
  banksii. 
  By 
  W. 
  L. 
  Bullee, 
  

  

  C.M.G., 
  Sc.D. 
  

  

  [Read 
  before 
  the 
  Wellington 
  Philosophical 
  Society, 
  3rd 
  Augxist, 
  1878.] 
  

   In 
  treating 
  of 
  Prion 
  banksii, 
  in 
  my 
  "Birds 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand" 
  (page 
  311), 
  I 
  

   made 
  the 
  following 
  observations 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  The 
  propriety 
  of 
  retaining 
  the 
  above 
  

   specific 
  distinction 
  appears 
  to 
  me 
  very 
  doubtful 
  ; 
  but 
  I 
  am 
  unwilling 
  to 
  

   dismiss 
  the 
  supposed 
  species 
  till 
  the 
  subject 
  has 
  been 
  further 
  investigated." 
  

   In 
  an 
  article 
  which 
  I 
  afterwards 
  contributed 
  to 
  our 
  Transactions,! 
  I 
  

   expressed 
  my 
  belief 
  that 
  the 
  species 
  would 
  stand, 
  and 
  pointed 
  out 
  what 
  

   appeared 
  to 
  me 
  good 
  distinguishing 
  characters. 
  

  

  A 
  recent 
  visit 
  to 
  the 
  West 
  Coast, 
  after 
  very 
  stormy 
  weather, 
  has 
  enabled 
  

   me 
  to 
  settle 
  this 
  point 
  beyond 
  all 
  doubt. 
  A 
  north-west 
  gale 
  had 
  been 
  

   blowing 
  for 
  several 
  days, 
  and 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  Prion 
  had 
  been 
  washed 
  

   ashore. 
  In 
  travelling 
  by 
  coach 
  from 
  Waikanae 
  to 
  Otaki, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  only 
  

   ten 
  miles, 
  I 
  counted 
  no 
  less 
  than 
  twenty-seven 
  lying 
  on 
  the 
  strand, 
  and 
  

   there 
  were 
  probably 
  many 
  more. 
  As 
  I 
  performed 
  the 
  rest 
  of 
  the 
  journey 
  

   to 
  Manawatu 
  in 
  a 
  buggy, 
  I 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  stop 
  and 
  pick 
  up 
  specimens. 
  

   In 
  this 
  way 
  I 
  was 
  fortunate 
  enough 
  to 
  obtain, 
  during 
  one 
  day, 
  twenty 
  fresh 
  

   birds. 
  Of 
  these, 
  twelve 
  were 
  referable 
  without 
  hesitation 
  to 
  Prion 
  tiirtur 
  and 
  

   eight 
  to 
  Prion 
  banksii. 
  The 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  size 
  and 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  beak 
  

   was 
  constant, 
  and 
  among 
  individuals 
  of 
  each 
  species 
  there 
  was 
  only 
  a 
  slight 
  

   variation. 
  I 
  selected 
  the 
  smallest 
  of 
  Prion 
  banksii 
  for 
  the 
  purposes 
  of 
  

   comparison, 
  and 
  I 
  beg 
  now 
  to 
  exhibit 
  it 
  together 
  with 
  an 
  ordinary 
  

   specimen 
  of 
  Prion 
  turtur. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  the 
  two 
  birds 
  are 
  very 
  

   readily 
  distinguishable. 
  

  

  Thinking 
  that 
  the 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  bill 
  might 
  possibly 
  be 
  a 
  

  

  * 
  Transactions 
  New 
  Zealand 
  Institute, 
  Vol. 
  X., 
  p. 
  220. 
  f 
  Vol. 
  VII, 
  p. 
  209. 
  

  

  