﻿BuLLER.- 
  

  

  -Further 
  Contributions 
  to 
  the 
  Ornithology 
  of 
  Neiv 
  Zealand. 
  367 
  

  

  I 
  and 
  others 
  at 
  present 
  believe, 
  or 
  they 
  belong 
  to 
  one 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  species, 
  

   as 
  contended 
  for 
  by 
  Professor 
  Hutton. 
  On 
  this 
  point 
  we 
  are 
  still 
  waiting 
  

   for 
  further 
  evidence, 
  but 
  unfortunately 
  both 
  the 
  large 
  and 
  small 
  forms 
  are 
  

   becoming 
  so 
  scarce 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  few 
  opportunities 
  of 
  examining 
  fresh 
  

   specimens. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Sharpe 
  has 
  adopted 
  Bonaparte's 
  genus 
  for 
  our 
  bird, 
  merely 
  altering 
  

   the 
  termination 
  for 
  classical 
  accuracy 
  and 
  making 
  it 
  Harpa. 
  He 
  has 
  given 
  

   a 
  woodcut 
  of 
  the 
  foot, 
  but 
  has 
  not 
  diagnosed 
  the 
  genus. 
  As 
  he 
  has 
  treated 
  

   the 
  Australian 
  genus 
  Hieracidea 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  manner, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  inferred 
  

   that 
  the 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  arrangement 
  of 
  the 
  scuteHse 
  is 
  the 
  only 
  grouad 
  

   for 
  separating 
  the 
  genera. 
  It 
  seems 
  to 
  me, 
  however, 
  that 
  as 
  a 
  distinguish- 
  

   ing 
  generic 
  character 
  this 
  is 
  somewhat 
  uncertain. 
  On 
  comparing 
  Mr. 
  

   Sharpe' 
  s 
  figure 
  of 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  H. 
  australis 
  with 
  that 
  given 
  by 
  me 
  in 
  Volume 
  

   VI. 
  of 
  Transactions 
  (facing 
  page 
  214), 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  there 
  is' 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  amount 
  of 
  divergence. 
  The 
  following 
  very 
  truthfid 
  woodcut 
  

   of 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  our 
  bird 
  will 
  show 
  its 
  close 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  Australian 
  form, 
  

   famiHar 
  to 
  us 
  as 
  Hieracidea 
  berigora. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Sharpe, 
  at 
  

   page 
  420 
  of 
  his 
  Cata- 
  

   logue, 
  cites 
  Gould, 
  

   P. 
  Z. 
  S., 
  1837, 
  page 
  

   141, 
  for 
  the 
  genus 
  

   mli^^^' 
  — 
  "^^ 
  ^ 
  /e?•ac^(iea, 
  of 
  which 
  

  

  H. 
  berigora 
  is 
  the 
  

   recognized 
  type. 
  I 
  

   have 
  not 
  access 
  here 
  

   to 
  the 
  early 
  proceedings 
  of 
  the 
  Zoological 
  Society, 
  but 
  I 
  find 
  that 
  Mr. 
  Gould 
  

   himself 
  cites 
  his 
  Syn. 
  Birds 
  of 
  Austr,, 
  part 
  III., 
  as 
  the 
  earliest 
  authority 
  for 
  

   leracidea 
  berigora, 
  and 
  the 
  Proc. 
  Zool. 
  Soc, 
  June 
  25, 
  1844, 
  for 
  leracidea 
  

   occidentalis. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  the 
  systematic 
  position 
  of 
  our 
  bird. 
  Dr. 
  Finsch 
  has 
  

   the 
  following 
  remarks, 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  translated 
  from 
  the 
  German 
  of 
  the 
  

   "Journal 
  fiir 
  Ornithologie 
  " 
  for 
  March, 
  1872: 
  — 
  '^ 
  Falco 
  novce-zealandicB 
  

   must 
  be 
  ranged 
  among 
  the 
  Tree-falcons, 
  and 
  follows 
  next 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  Falco 
  

   femoralis, 
  having, 
  like 
  the 
  latter, 
  a 
  long 
  tail, 
  which 
  is 
  only 
  half 
  covered 
  by 
  

   the 
  wings. 
  t> 
  * 
  * 
  Third 
  primary 
  longest 
  ; 
  second 
  shorter 
  and 
  somewhat 
  

   longer 
  than 
  fourth 
  ; 
  first 
  and 
  fifth 
  equal. 
  Tarsi 
  covered 
  in 
  front 
  with 
  ten 
  

   sexagonal 
  scutes 
  in 
  double 
  rows. 
  Middle 
  toe 
  very 
  long, 
  being 
  with 
  the 
  claw 
  

   nearly 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  leg 
  ; 
  lateral 
  toes 
  equal, 
  the 
  points 
  of 
  their 
  claws 
  

   scarcely 
  reaching 
  to 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  middle-toe 
  claw. 
  A 
  subgeneric 
  dis- 
  

   tinction 
  appears 
  justifiable." 
  

  

  