14 THE AUSTRAL AVIAN RECORD [Vol. II. 



ON SOME INTERESTING BIRDS IN THE 

 VIENNA MUSEUM. 



By Tom Iredale. 



Recently passing through Vienna, I took the opportunity 

 of examining some New Zealand birds, and also made 

 notes on two or three others of interest in connexion 

 mth that avifauna. 



In the Annal k. k. naturhist Hof museum Wien, Vol. 

 XVII., 1902, pp. 301-322, Lorenz contributed a paper 

 entitled " Zur Ornis Neuseelands," which was based on 

 a collection obtained from Reischek. To all students of 

 New Zealand ornithology the name of Reischek is 

 familiar, and he stands alone as the most assiduous and 

 painstaking collector and observer that has ever worked 

 in New Zealand. It was abvious then that some good 

 results would be obtained from a careful study of 

 Reischek's collection, and Lorenz's notes on the New 

 Zealand Pseudogerygone, Anthus, and Nestor sue exceed- 

 ingly valuable, and his paper is one of the most 

 estimable contributions yet made to New Zealand 

 ornithology. Unfortunately, Lorenz only dealt with the 

 Passeriformes, Picarian birds, Psittaci formes, Accipitri- 

 formes, Strigiformes, and Columbi formes, the remainder 

 of the collection being left unworked. 



"When Mathews and I drew up the " Reference List to 

 the Birds of New Zealand" (Ibis, 1913, pp. 201-263), 

 we made full use of Lorenz's notes, and often deplored 

 the fact that the Orders in which we were most interested 

 had been left untouched. At that time I had no idea 

 that an opportunity of examining Rieschek's birds 

 should so soon present itself, and it is somewhat 

 unfortunate that these notes must be presented as a 

 supplement instead of being incorporated in that 

 " Reference List." 



The Reischek collection is note\^'Orthy in that immature 

 and nestlings are well represented. 



