112 Transactions . — Zoology. 



bands. Spots on the secondaries ferruginous. Middle tail-feathers marked 

 like the others. This species appears to be confined to the southern parts of 

 Otago, on the eastern side of the Alps, from Te Anau Lake to the southern 

 slopes of the Takitimu Mountains. It differs from 0. fuscus in the markings 

 of the wings and tail, and in the shape of the primaries. From 0. troglodytes 

 it differs in its general colouration, and in its smaller size. It may possibly 

 be identical with Gallirallus hracliypterus, Lafresnaye. 



6. — 0. earli, Gray. 



Distinguished by its rusty brown back and grey abdomen. The primary 

 feathers of the wing are, in the adult male, rounded at the point and banded 

 with ferruginous on the inner web only ; but in the adult female they are 

 more or less banded on both webs and rounded at the tip. In the young bird 

 they are marked as in the female, but are acutely pointed at the tip. The 

 tail is without mark in both sexes and at all ae;es. 



Male 



Wing. 



Tail. 



3-9 



Culmen. 



1-8 



Heisrbt of 



bill 

 at base. 



•67 



Tarsus. 



2-2 



Middle toe, 



without 



claw. 



2^1 



Female . . 



. 6-0 



3-25 



1-8 



•67 



2-2 



2^0 



This species is confined to the North Island. 



Art. XXV. — Notes on the Ornithology of New Zealand. 

 By Walter L. Buller, D.Sc, F.L.S., etc. 

 [Bead before the PMlosopldcal Institute of Canterbury, 4:th December, 1873.] 

 The last volume of the Transactions contains an interesting paper by 

 Dr. Otto Finsch, of Bremen, under the title of " B-emarks on some Birds of 

 New Zealand," which was read before the Philosophical Institute of 

 Canterbury on the 5th June, 1872.* 



In this paper Dr. Finsch, after mentioning an exhaustive article on the 

 subject which he had prepared for the " Journal fiir Ornithologle," proceeds to 

 state, for the information of his ornithological friends in New Zealand, " the 

 most important facts" discovered by him before communicating them to the 

 German periodical. 



As, however, the critical remarks which Dr. Finsch has embodied in his 

 paper appear to me to deal in many cases rather with assumptions than with 

 "facts," and as the further discussion of debateable points may benefit science, 

 I beg to lay before the Society the following brief notes in reply. 



* Trans. N.Z. Inst., Vol. V., pp. 206-212. 



