BuLLER. — On Ardetta maculata, 119 



Art. XXVI. — Rotes on the Little Bittern of Neio Zealand (Ardetta 

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



Plate XXI. 



[Received hy the WeUingtoii Philosophical Society, March, 1874.]* 



The first mention of the existence of a Little Bittern in New Zealand was 



made by Mr. Ellman (Zoologist, 1861, p. 7469), who gave it a place in his list 



of species, apparently on native atithority. 



The first recorded specimens (two in number) were obtained by Mr. Shaw, 

 at Kanieri, on the West Coast, in March, 1868, and forwarded to the 

 Canterbury Museum, where they are still preserved. Mention of these was 

 made in my notes on Dr. Finsch's papei", read before the Philosophical Society 

 of Wellington, in August, 1868 (Trans. N.Z. Inst., 1868, Vol. I., p. 110). 



Subsequently a third specimen was obtained " in one of the swampy creeks 

 that feed the Okarito Lagoon," and another at the head of the Wakatipu 

 Lake, above Queenstown, in the Province of Otago. The last-named specimen 

 was described in a paper read before the Otago Institute, by Mr. Purdie, who 

 proposed to name it Ardeola novce-zealandice (Trans. N.Z. Inst., 1870, 

 Vol. III., p. 99.) Mr. Potts afterwards referred the species to Ardetta pusilla, 

 of Gould, and contributed to the Philosophical Institute of _ Canterbury some 

 very interesting notes on its range and habits (Trans. N.Z. Inst., 1870, 

 Yol. IIL, pp. 97—100.) In the " Birds of New Zealand " I have since given 

 the historical synonomy, and shown that the title of maculata (Latham, 1801) 

 has the oldest claim to recogTiition. 



During a visit to Hokitika in the autumn of 1871, I received from Mr. 

 Clapcott the skin of a fine male specimen, apparently in full adult plumage ; 

 and I afterwards secured, through the kind assistance of Dr. Garland, a second 

 specimen (a younger male), both of which had been obtained in the vicinity of 

 the township. 



So far as I am aware, those I have enumerated . are the only examples of 

 this bird that are at present known, and none of these correspond to 

 Mr. Gould's description of the adult female in Australia. If I recollect aright, 

 one of the specimens in the Canterbury Museum is marked +, and if the sex 

 in this case was determined by dissection, I think it highly pi'obable that our 

 Little Bittern will prove to be distinct from A . macidata of authors. 



As the species is evidently very rai-e in New Zealand, and may, ere long, 

 become extinct, I am anxious to direct attention to the subject without delay, 

 in the hope that some colonist who has the opportunity will investigate this 

 point, and so enable us to decide finally whether our bird is in i-eality identical 

 with that inhabiting Austi'alia. 



* Dated at London 30th December, 1873. 



