40 BIRDS OF NEW ZEALAND. 



" The young are said to be black ; then they become bluish grey, and 

 afterwards pure white (Lath. Gen. Hist. ix. p. 428)." (^Note) "What is the 

 ' Coot' of Lord Howe's Island, Phill. Voy. Bot. Bay, p. 226 ? " 



Also (Ibis, 3rd ser. vol. iii. Jan. 1873, p. 44) 



A. von Pelzeln, on birds in the Imperial collection at Vienna, after refe- 

 rences, says : — " Our collection is in possession of White's type (Fulica alba, 

 Norfolk Isl.) ; the identity of the bird is proved by White's remark in the 

 preface to his book, that the birds from which the drawings were taken are 

 deposited in the Leverian Museum. In a letter on Lord Howe's Island 

 (P. Z. S. 1869, p. 471), Dr. G. Bennet says that the White Gallinule figured 

 in Phillip's 'Voyage to Botany Bay,' and found only in Norfolk and Lord 

 Howe's Islands, is now extinct, as it has not been seen recently on either of 

 these islands .... To Mr. A. Newton (Ibis, 1866) we owe the notice that, 

 besides the specimen in the Imperial Museum at Vienna, there is a second in 

 the Derby Museum at Liverpool, from Bullock's collection." (Note) " Herr 

 von Pelzeln has just forwarded us a drawing of this species, from w^hich it is 

 our intention to have a plate prepared for our next Number." 



Accordingly, in ' The Ibis,' 3rd ser. vol. iii. July 1873, Mr. Salvin pub- 

 lishes the plate (x.), and says, in a " Note on the Fulica alba of White :" — 



" On comparing the coloured drawing with the specimens of Notornis 

 mantelU in the British Museum, it appeared evident that the bird in the 

 Imperial Cabinet at Vienna must belong to Notornis. The short wings and 

 the short toes, as well as the outline of the back, indicated clearly a far 

 greater generic affinity with Notornis than with Porphyria. 



" I therefore (depending, of course, upon the accuracy of the drawing 

 sent me, which has been placed on stone by Mr. Keulemans on a slightly 

 larger scale than the original sketch) have little hesitation in adding this 

 species to the genus Notornis, thereby confirming the position pointed out for 

 it by Herr von Pelzeln (anted, p. 44)." 



At the risk of being tedious I make the following extracts from White, 

 Phillip, and Latham, Gray's 'Voyage of the Erebus & Terror,' and state my 

 own view. 



