﻿87G 
  Tiansacilons. 
  — 
  Zoolcriy, 
  

  

  liundvecls. 
  Prion 
  vitiatiis 
  and 
  Prion 
  hanksii, 
  in 
  like 
  manner 
  no 
  doubt, 
  keep 
  

   to 
  tlicmselves, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  floclcs 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  our 
  coast 
  

   when 
  caught 
  in 
  the 
  fatal 
  storm, 
  on 
  the 
  occasion 
  I 
  have 
  referred 
  to, 
  were 
  

   composed 
  almost 
  exclusively 
  of 
  Prion 
  viltattis. 
  

  

  I 
  opened 
  a 
  large 
  number 
  of 
  these 
  birds 
  for^ 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  ascertaining 
  

   on 
  what 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  fceiling. 
  As 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  expected 
  with 
  storm- 
  

   tossed 
  fugitives, 
  the 
  stomachs 
  of 
  many 
  were 
  quite 
  empty. 
  In 
  others 
  there 
  

   was 
  a 
  black 
  mass 
  of 
  comminuted 
  matter, 
  and 
  in 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  of 
  them 
  I 
  

   detected 
  among 
  this 
  matter 
  Avhat 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  beaks 
  of 
  a 
  very 
  minute 
  

   cephalopod. 
  

  

  Phalaceocorax 
  vaeius, 
  Gml. 
  — 
  Pied 
  Shag. 
  

  

  Captain 
  Mair 
  writes 
  mc, 
  under 
  date 
  20tli 
  November:—-"! 
  went 
  to 
  

   Whale 
  Island 
  ten 
  days 
  ago. 
  The 
  sea-birds 
  building 
  there 
  arc 
  very 
  interest- 
  

   iug. 
  There 
  are 
  some 
  colonies 
  of 
  white-breasted 
  shags 
  on 
  this 
  island 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  at 
  Eurima 
  — 
  only 
  the 
  one 
  species. 
  I 
  found 
  the 
  young 
  in 
  every 
  stage, 
  

   from 
  partly 
  developed 
  ones 
  in 
  the 
  egg 
  to 
  young 
  birds 
  just 
  ready 
  for 
  flight, 
  

   all 
  with 
  white 
  breasts 
  and 
  bellies. 
  I 
  am 
  going 
  to 
  Eotoili 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  days 
  to 
  

   have 
  a 
  look 
  at 
  the 
  shaggery 
  there. 
  

  

  " 
  On 
  the 
  island 
  I 
  saw 
  some 
  thirty 
  crane 
  (Ardca 
  sacra), 
  and 
  I 
  found 
  a 
  

   number 
  of 
  their 
  nests 
  in 
  a 
  cave. 
  Those 
  that 
  were 
  fully 
  fledged 
  were 
  a 
  

   beautiful 
  light 
  blue 
  colour, 
  with 
  bright 
  yellow 
  legs. 
  It 
  Avas 
  very 
  fanny 
  to 
  

   watch 
  them 
  flying 
  into 
  the 
  high 
  trees, 
  perching 
  among 
  the 
  shags, 
  and 
  look- 
  

   ing 
  very 
  gawky 
  ; 
  then, 
  presently, 
  the 
  shags, 
  with 
  loud 
  guttural 
  noises, 
  

   would 
  sally 
  forth, 
  chasing 
  them 
  far 
  and 
  wide. 
  

  

  " 
  I 
  may 
  add 
  that, 
  although 
  there 
  arc 
  no 
  tuis 
  on 
  the 
  islands, 
  korimakoa 
  

   [Anthornis 
  mdanura) 
  are 
  very 
  pleatifal. 
  It 
  was 
  really 
  delightful 
  to 
  see 
  and 
  

   hear 
  them 
  again. 
  They 
  abound 
  in 
  numbers 
  in 
  the 
  shrubbery, 
  and 
  hearing 
  

   them 
  sing 
  at 
  daylight, 
  carried 
  one 
  back 
  in 
  spirit 
  to 
  one's 
  boyhood, 
  at 
  the 
  

   North, 
  thirty 
  years 
  ago!" 
  

  

  Art. 
  L. 
  — 
  Memorandum 
  of 
  the 
  tied. 
  By 
  the 
  Hon. 
  Dr. 
  Menzies, 
  M.L.C^ 
  

   [Read 
  before 
  the 
  Wellington 
  Philosophical 
  Society, 
  2Sth 
  September, 
  1878.] 
  

   In 
  Dr. 
  Buller's 
  ' 
  Birds 
  of 
  New 
  Zealand 
  ' 
  we 
  learn 
  that 
  the 
  habits 
  of 
  thd 
  

   "Kea" 
  or 
  Mountain 
  Parrct, 
  (Nestor 
  notabilis, 
  of 
  Gould) 
  are 
  carnivorous; 
  

   that 
  it 
  attacks 
  and 
  destroys 
  living 
  sheep, 
  apparently 
  at 
  random. 
  Eecent 
  

   observation 
  leads 
  to 
  a 
  belief 
  that, 
  in 
  some 
  localities 
  at 
  all 
  events, 
  it 
  selects 
  

   its 
  victims 
  and 
  also 
  its 
  delicacies. 
  

  

  