New Zealand birds, whereas, according to the ruling prices, both here and in the Colony, he 

 could fairly have demanded £25, or even more, for this unique specimen. He frankly admitted 

 that it was the finest example that had passed through his hands, and he had been collecting 

 for many years. General plumage canary-yellow, with brighter washes of yellow on the breast, 

 shoulders and upper-surface of wings; ear-coverts orpiment-orange ; feathers overlapping 

 under mandible wine-red ; broad nuchal collar orpiment-orange and red intermixed ; lower 

 part of back, rump, and upper tail-coverts bright scarlet; under-surface of wings, sides of 

 the body, abdomen, flanks, and under tail-coverts, scarlet, mixed more or less with orpiment- 

 orange ; quills and tail-feathers greyish-white, the former toothed on their inner webs with 

 yellow and crimson, the latter with red. 



I have examined the example of the so-called Nestor norfolcensis in the Liverpool Museum, 

 and I cannot separate it from Nestor productus of Philip Island, the abnormal character of 

 the bill, which is the main distinguishing feature, having no value in my eyes, for I know 

 how variable this organ is in members of this group. The case must, therefore, in my opinion, 

 stand as Nestor norfolcensis = N. productus. 



I am glad to be able to quote Professor Newton's opinion on this point, in a letter to myself : 

 "I cannot say I ever believed in the validity of Nestor norfolcensis, for I know well how Parrots' 

 (and some other birds') beaks get overgrown ; but really there is no evidence whatever to prove 

 that the Liverpool specimen (formerly Tristram's) came from Norfolk Island. It is quite likely 

 to have done so, since we may presume that of old time there were more Nestors on the bigger 

 than on the smaller island, though they were extirpated in the former earlier than in the latter, 

 and probably very few specimens were ever procured from Norfolk Island, and that a very 

 long while ago. I remember that Tristram's specimen had the look of being very ancient." * 



* Canon Tristram writes (< Ibis/ 1892, vol. iv., 6th series, p. 557) :-< On studying Count Salvador's description of 

 Nestor productus and N. norfolcensis in the 'British Museum Catalogue of Birds ' (vol. xx, pp. 9 and 10), I was surprised 

 to find that a mounted specimen which has been for twenty years in my possession corresponds with the description of 

 N. norfolcensis, and not with that of N. productus. I had never thought before of comparing my bird with any other 

 specimen. Unfortunately, the most striking peculiarity of the Norfolk Island Nestor, that sulcated ridge on the upper 

 mandible, is wanting in my specimen, for the sheath had long been lost before it came into my possession, but the core 

 shows that the bill must have been more massive than in N. productus. The lower mandible is perfect. I have now 

 examined the specimens of the Philip Island Parrot in the British Museum, and in the Norwich, Cambridge, and Derby 

 (Liverpool) Museums. They all agree together in the points of distinction given by Latham and Pelzeln as separating 

 N. productus from the Norfolk Island species, while my specimen has all the characters specified as belonging to 

 N. norfolcensis. The tail is of a uniform brown, without the least trace of bars, the tail-feathers towards the base 

 of their inner webs being pale red, but not toothed with red, as in the other species. The axillaries and under wing- 

 coverts are white without a shade of yellow, and the inner webs of the wing-primaries are toothed with white. These 

 last particulars are not given by Latham, but are mentioned by Pelzeln, and the specimen agrees with the diagnosis 

 of both authors. In measurements it seems slightly smaller than its congener.' He adds: 'It is possible that 



my specimen may have been the example mentioned as having been in the possession of Governor Hunter 



It is to be feared that it is, too probably, the last relic of an extinct race.' 



