336 



wings dark ashy brown ; tail-feathers black, the shafts bluish white towards the base. The vertical and 

 occipital crests consist of soft, narrow, silky feathers, the longest occipital measuring two inches, and 

 the longest vertical about half that length. The sides of the head, and the neck in front and behind 

 are further ornamented with projecting plume-like white feathers of a silky texture, and varying in 

 length to about an inch; the thighs also are ornamented in a similar manner, but to a less extent, the 

 effect being produced by minute white feathers at the extremity of fine hair-like stalks, the web alone 

 appearing above the surface of the surrounding plumage. Irides green ; bare skin in front of the eyes 

 dark blue ; bill brownish yellow, horn-coloured at the tips ; legs and feet bright orange-yellow. Total 

 length 27 - 5 inches ; wing, from flexure, 10; tail 375 ; bill, along the ridge 2 - 4, along the edge of lower 

 mandible 3 ; tarsus 225 ; longest toe and claw 3 - 75. 



Female. Crown of the head, back of the neck, mantle, and upper surface of wings dull brownish ash, silvery 

 on the head and neck, tinged with light brown on the mantle and wing-coverts ; back, rump, and 

 thighs dull ashy brown glossed with green ; the spotted character is absent, but the feathers composing 

 the mantle and the smaller scapulars are obscurely marked at the tips with ashy brown ; throat, fore 

 neck, and all the underparts, including the abdomen and under tail-coverts ashy white tinged with 

 buff; under surface of wings dull brownish ash; tail-feathers greyish brown, with whitish shafts. Bill 

 dark yellow, brownish on the culmen ; legs and feet orange-brown. Total length 27 inches ; wing, 

 from flexure, 9'5 ; tail 4 - 5 ; bill, along the ridge 2 - 4, along the edge of lower mandible 31 ; tarsus 2 ; 

 longest toe and claw 3 - 5. 



Obs. The bird here described as the female of P. punctatus has no crest, nor has it any of the 

 ornamental white plumelets. Whether I am right in considering this the adult female condition, 

 or whether it is only a seasonal state of plumage, I am by no means certain ; and the subject deserves 

 further investigation. Both Dr. Haast and Mr. Fuller are of opinion that it will prove to be a distinct 

 species. 



Young male. In my collection there are two specimens of what I take to be the young male. They have 

 neither occipital nor vertical crests ; the crown of the head and back of the neck are sooty grey glossed 

 with green ; an indistinct streak of white passes from the eyes down the sides of the neck to the roots 

 of the wings ; the upper part of the fore neck is dark leaden grey mottled with black, indicating a 

 transitional state of plumage ; upper surface as in the adult male, but more tinged with brown, and 

 having the spots less distinct ; back, rump, and lower part of abdomen greenish black ; a few scattered 

 filamentous white plumes on the thighs ; fore neck and all the under surface dark leaden grey. In one 

 of these specimens the throat and fore neck is more largely mottled with black, the grey of the under- 

 parts is much lighter, and the thighs are deeply stained with brown ; on the wings, where the plumage 

 shows a transitional condition, the black-tipped coverts are taking the place of the light-brown feathers 

 with white edges, these latter, as may be fairly inferred, being characteristic of the young. 



This beautiful representative of the Crested Shags is abundant on the coast of the South Island, 

 but is seldom met with on the northern side of Cook's Strait. I observed a party of three at the 

 mouth of the Waikanae river in January 1864 ; two young birds were killed in Wellington har- 

 bour in the winter of 1865 ; and another was shot in the Gulf of Hauraki, near Auckland : and 

 these are the only instances I know of its occurrence in the North Island. 



It associates in large flocks, and frequents the open sea in the vicinity of the coast, as well 



