﻿BuiLER.—lw/ 
  )•///(?;• 
  Contrihutluns 
  to 
  the 
  Orn'uhohfjtj 
  of 
  Xew 
  Zealand. 
  370 
  

  

  Anas 
  chlorotis, 
  G. 
  U. 
  Gray. 
  — 
  Brown 
  Duck. 
  

  

  Au 
  albino 
  forna 
  of 
  this 
  duck, 
  tlio 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  plumnge 
  being 
  of 
  a 
  dull 
  

   cream 
  colour, 
  with 
  obsolete 
  markings, 
  was 
  shot 
  in 
  the 
  liorowhenua 
  Lake 
  

   in 
  June 
  last. 
  

  

  The 
  brown 
  duck 
  is 
  far 
  more 
  plentiful 
  than 
  is 
  generally 
  supposed 
  ; 
  but, 
  

   being 
  a 
  nocturnal 
  feeder, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  commonly 
  seen 
  as 
  the 
  grey 
  duck 
  and 
  

   the 
  " 
  black 
  teal 
  " 
  or 
  pochard. 
  It 
  always 
  retires 
  up 
  the 
  creeks 
  in 
  the 
  woods 
  

   during 
  the 
  day, 
  or 
  conceals 
  itself 
  among 
  the 
  sedges 
  and 
  vegetation 
  which 
  

   usually 
  fringe 
  the 
  inland 
  watercourses 
  and 
  lagoons. 
  At 
  Horowhenua, 
  for 
  

   example, 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  particularly 
  abundant, 
  you 
  rarely 
  surprise 
  one, 
  

   except 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  dog, 
  during 
  the 
  heat 
  of 
  the 
  day. 
  But 
  after 
  sunset 
  

   they 
  begin 
  to 
  collect 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  lake, 
  emerging 
  in 
  pairs 
  from 
  their 
  

   concealjiient, 
  swimming 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  bush 
  creek, 
  and 
  then 
  

   taking 
  wiug 
  to 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  rendezvous. 
  Thoy 
  then 
  form 
  into 
  flocks, 
  some- 
  

   times 
  of 
  considerable 
  size, 
  and 
  arc 
  on 
  the 
  alert, 
  feeding 
  about 
  the 
  lake 
  all 
  

   night 
  long. 
  When 
  hunting 
  for 
  its 
  food, 
  it 
  makes 
  a 
  peculiar 
  and 
  rather 
  

   musical 
  sniffing 
  noise. 
  

  

  QuEEQUEDULA 
  GiEBEPJFRONS, 
  Bouap. 
  — 
  Little 
  Teal. 
  

  

  This 
  duck 
  is 
  very 
  plentiful 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  sulphur 
  springs 
  at 
  Ohincmutu, 
  

   and 
  likewise 
  at 
  Eotomahana, 
  where, 
  as 
  Captain 
  Mair 
  informs 
  me, 
  he 
  once 
  

   killed 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  eleven 
  at 
  a 
  single 
  shot 
  on 
  the 
  water. 
  It 
  sometimes 
  

   swims 
  in 
  pairs, 
  but 
  usually 
  associates 
  in 
  small 
  flocks 
  of 
  a 
  dozen 
  or 
  more. 
  

   It 
  is 
  easily 
  distinguished 
  from 
  all 
  the 
  other 
  species 
  by 
  the 
  conspicuous 
  

   white 
  bar 
  on 
  the 
  wings. 
  

  

  Stercoeapjus 
  antaecticus. 
  Gray. 
  — 
  Southern 
  Skua. 
  

  

  The 
  living 
  example 
  of 
  i\i\i 
  fine 
  Skua-gull, 
  referred 
  to 
  in 
  last 
  j'ear's 
  

   volume, 
  is 
  still 
  an 
  inhabitant 
  of 
  my 
  garden, 
  where, 
  after 
  much 
  preliminary 
  

   persecution, 
  it 
  now 
  tolerates 
  the 
  companionship 
  of 
  a 
  grey 
  sea-gull 
  fLarus 
  

   duiniiiicaniis 
  ). 
  The 
  history 
  of 
  this 
  bird 
  is 
  somewhat 
  remarkable. 
  About 
  a 
  

   year 
  and 
  a-lialf 
  ago 
  it 
  was 
  captured 
  somewhere 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  Kapiti, 
  and 
  

   came 
  into 
  the 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  Hon. 
  Wi 
  Parata, 
  who 
  kept 
  it 
  in 
  his 
  inarae 
  till 
  

   it 
  became 
  quite 
  tame. 
  Being 
  injured 
  in 
  the 
  wing 
  it 
  was 
  unable 
  to 
  fly, 
  but 
  

   having 
  made 
  its 
  escape, 
  it 
  travelled 
  some 
  ten 
  miles 
  up 
  the 
  coast, 
  and 
  was 
  

   recaptured 
  by 
  some 
  natives 
  at 
  Otaki. 
  It 
  remained 
  there 
  some 
  three 
  months, 
  

   and 
  then 
  made 
  a 
  fresh 
  start 
  northwards. 
  Its 
  next 
  stage 
  was 
  Horowhenua, 
  

   where 
  it 
  was 
  caught 
  and 
  taken 
  inland 
  to 
  Hector 
  McDonald's 
  homestead. 
  

   Here 
  it 
  became 
  au 
  inmate 
  of 
  the 
  farm-yard, 
  and 
  appeared 
  to 
  get 
  quite 
  

   reconciled 
  to 
  its 
  changed 
  mode 
  of 
  life. 
  It 
  fraternized 
  with 
  the 
  dogs 
  and 
  

   poultry, 
  shaiing 
  their 
  food 
  and 
  occasionally 
  devouring 
  a 
  chicken. 
  But 
  one 
  

   day, 
  after 
  a 
  fight 
  with 
  a 
  rival 
  turkey, 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  appeared 
  to 
  come 
  off 
  

   second-best, 
  it 
  travelled 
  to 
  the 
  coast, 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  some 
  four 
  miles, 
  and 
  

  

  