BuLLER. — Replies to Hutton^s Notes. 131 



[Captain Hutton is in error in stating that the specimens of Xenicus 

 longijyes in my collection (Colonial Museum) were wrongly determined. There 

 is no such species as Xenicus stohesii. The explanation of the strikingly 

 incorrect figure of X. longipes in the " Yoyage of the Erebus and Terror" will 

 be found at page 116 of my "Birds of New Zealand." I may mention that, 

 in company with the late Mr. G. R. Gray, I examined Foster's original 

 (unfinished) drawing of this bird, in which the bill is depicted as straight, and 

 the eye-circlet almost wanting. Mr. Gray told me that his artist was 

 responsible for the alterations in the published figure (which represents a bird 

 with an upturned bill, like Acanthisitta), and that his own description of the 

 species (" Voy. Ereb. and Terr.," p. 4) was taken from the latter ! After we 

 had thus sifted the matter and compared specimens, Mr. Gray readily 

 admitted that his Xenicus stokesii ("Ibis," 1862, p. 219) would not stand.] 



" Gerygone flaviventris. 



" In the figure given of this bird the breast is white, whereas it should be 

 gi'ey ; while in the description of G. albofrontata the breast is described as 

 grey when it should have been white. 



" I was in error in saying that this bird never uses spiders' nests in the 

 construction of its nest. Dr. Powell informs me that the green spider's nest 

 made use of is that of Epeira verrucosa. It is remarkable that G. albofrontata 

 in the Chatham Islands uses the very same species of spider's nest as 

 G. flaviventris, and neither ever employs the orange-coloured nest of Epeira 

 antipodiana." 



[The fact that this species uses spiders' nests in the construction of its own 

 nest was first mentioned by me in 1870 (Trans. N.Z. Inst., Yol. III., p. 41), 

 and was contradicted by Captain Hutton, in his usual emphatic manner, in 

 the Critical Notes appended to his " Catalogue." There is nothing unaccount- 

 able, as it seems to me, in the use of the green-coloured, nests of Epeira 

 verrucosa and the rejection of the orange-coloured nests of E. antipodiana. It 

 is easily explained on the principle of assimilative or protective colouring. My 

 description of Gerygone albofrontata is from the type specimen in the British 

 Museum.] 



"MiRO TRAVERSI. 



" I am not aware that I ever suggested to Dr. Buller that he should call 

 this bird after Mr. H. Travers. The facts of the case are these: — When 

 Mr. Travers' collection of Chatham. Island birds arrived at the Museum, 

 Dr. Hector handed it over to me, with instructions to make a list of them, 

 describe the new species, and pick out a set of the novelties to send to 

 Dr. Buller. This I did, and described the bird as Fetroica traversi ; and, with 

 Dr. Hector's consent, the list was sent for publication in 'The Ibis' ('Ibis/ 



