AXSER BEACHYRHYNCHUS. 79 



I may note that the bill of the specimen in my collection, and which 

 has had very rongh nsage from neglect, rats, and, finally, earthquakes and 

 heavy rain, has the bill now of a uniform dirty grey-white, the wdiole of 

 the outer portions having been pounded off by the heavy stones of a w^all 

 falling on it during the earthquake of 1897. It would seem, therefore^ that 

 very little reliance can be placed on the colouring of the bill in old 

 specimens as a means to identification. 



