﻿870 
  Transactions. 
  — 
  Zoology, 
  

  

  a 
  short 
  span 
  of 
  tolegTapli 
  'wire 
  ovarhaiiging 
  tlio 
  water, 
  and, 
  one 
  after 
  the 
  

   other, 
  they 
  were 
  dipp'ng 
  into 
  the 
  shallow 
  sea-water 
  in 
  pursuit 
  of 
  fish. 
  

   Sometimes 
  two 
  or 
  even 
  three 
  of 
  them 
  would 
  dip 
  at 
  the 
  same 
  moment, 
  

   raising 
  a 
  tiny 
  splash 
  all 
  round, 
  and 
  then 
  mount 
  again 
  to 
  the 
  wire 
  or 
  fly 
  off 
  

   to 
  the 
  shore 
  with 
  their 
  finny 
  prey. 
  

  

  In 
  further 
  illustration 
  of 
  the 
  piscivorous 
  habits 
  of 
  this 
  bird 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  

   mentioned 
  that 
  Mr 
  Brandon, 
  of 
  this 
  city, 
  has 
  an 
  indictment 
  to 
  file 
  against 
  

   the 
  kingfisher 
  for 
  robbing 
  the 
  fountain 
  in 
  his 
  garden 
  of 
  goldfish. 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  not 
  aware 
  that 
  our 
  kingfisher 
  is 
  ever 
  nocturnal 
  in 
  its 
  habits 
  ; 
  but 
  

   on 
  a 
  recent 
  occasion, 
  when 
  travelling 
  by 
  coach 
  along 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  the 
  

   Manawatu 
  River, 
  about 
  2.30 
  a.m., 
  it 
  being 
  a 
  cloudy 
  night 
  and 
  quite 
  dark, 
  I 
  

   heard 
  the 
  loud 
  call-notes 
  of 
  this 
  bird 
  with 
  startling 
  distinctness. 
  Probably 
  

   it 
  was 
  a 
  sleeper 
  disturbed 
  by 
  the 
  passing 
  of 
  the 
  coach 
  ; 
  although 
  under 
  

   these 
  circumstances 
  birds, 
  as 
  a 
  rule, 
  betake 
  themselves 
  off 
  in 
  silence 
  to 
  

   another 
  roosting 
  place. 
  

  

  Heteealocha 
  acutirosteis, 
  Bailer. 
  — 
  The 
  Huia. 
  

  

  To 
  the 
  long 
  list 
  of 
  albinoes 
  among 
  New 
  Zealand 
  birds 
  already 
  recorded, 
  

   I 
  have 
  now 
  to 
  add 
  a 
  very 
  remarkable 
  one. 
  I 
  have 
  received 
  from 
  Captain 
  

   Mair 
  some 
  feathers 
  which 
  have 
  much 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  soft 
  grey 
  

   plumage 
  of 
  Apteryx 
  oweni, 
  although 
  of 
  course 
  the 
  structure 
  is 
  different, 
  but 
  

   which 
  are 
  in 
  reality 
  from 
  the 
  body 
  of 
  a 
  Huia. 
  I 
  hope 
  to 
  receive 
  the 
  skin 
  

   for 
  examination, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  meantime 
  I 
  will 
  give 
  a 
  quotation 
  from 
  the 
  letter 
  

   forwarding 
  the 
  feathers 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  Old 
  Hapuku, 
  on 
  his 
  death-bed, 
  sent 
  for 
  Mr. 
  F. 
  

   E. 
  Hamlin, 
  and 
  presented 
  him 
  with 
  a 
  great 
  taom/a. 
  This 
  has 
  just 
  been 
  

   shown 
  to 
  me. 
  It 
  is 
  the 
  skin 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  peculiar 
  Huia, 
  an 
  albino 
  I 
  suppose, 
  

   called 
  by 
  the 
  Hawke's 
  Bay' 
  natives 
  ' 
  Te 
  Ariki.' 
  I 
  send 
  you 
  a 
  few 
  feathers. 
  

   The 
  whole 
  skin 
  is 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  soft 
  dappled 
  colour, 
  but 
  the 
  feathers 
  are 
  

   longer 
  and 
  softer. 
  The 
  bill 
  is 
  nearly 
  straight, 
  strong, 
  and 
  fall 
  length. 
  The 
  

   wattles 
  are 
  of 
  a 
  pale 
  canary 
  colour. 
  The 
  centre 
  tail-feather 
  is 
  the 
  usual 
  

   black, 
  while 
  the 
  four 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  arc 
  the 
  beautiful 
  grey 
  colour. 
  These 
  

   birds 
  are 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  the 
  Huia-hunting 
  natives 
  of 
  Hawke's 
  Bay, 
  and 
  to 
  

   possess 
  an 
  ' 
  Ariki 
  ' 
  skin 
  one 
  must 
  be 
  a 
  great 
  chief. 
  The 
  specimen 
  I 
  have 
  

   described 
  was 
  obtained 
  in 
  the 
  Euahine 
  mountains." 
  

  

  EuDYNAMis 
  TAiTENSis, 
  Spamn. 
  — 
  Long-tailed 
  Cuckoo. 
  

  

  The 
  range 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  has 
  been 
  extended 
  to 
  the 
  Friendly 
  Group, 
  

   Dr, 
  Finsch 
  having 
  identified 
  a 
  young 
  male 
  in 
  the 
  spotted 
  dress 
  in 
  a 
  collec- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  birds 
  from 
  the 
  Island 
  of 
  Eua. 
  

  

  The 
  long-tailed 
  cuckoo 
  remains 
  with 
  us 
  from 
  October 
  to 
  February, 
  and 
  

   breeds 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  ; 
  but 
  we 
  have 
  yet 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  to 
  learn 
  about 
  its 
  

   peculiar 
  habits 
  and 
  nidification* 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  very 
  pleasant 
  to 
  liear 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  answering 
  each 
  other 
  for 
  

   liours 
  together 
  from 
  the 
  lofty 
  tops 
  of 
  neighbouring 
  trees. 
  Indeed, 
  X 
  have 
  

  

  