9 



to leave. In the breeding season the birds never come out on the open ground — in fact, 

 they seem to be starving themselves in their fear of leaving the nest or its close vicinity." 

 In another letter he says : " In one of the females opened by me (in July) I found an egg- 

 without any shell. It would have been ready for extrusion in about a month or so." 



Another good reason, therefore, for keeping this species distinct, is the striking difference in 

 its egg from that of Apteryx australis. One which I brought with me to England is a perfect 

 ellipse in shape, and of a pale-green colour. It measures 5'25 in. in length by 3'25 in. in width. 

 A celebrated egg-collector, the late Philip Crowley, to whom I submitted it, wrote saying : " The 

 pale-green colour of the shell is very curious ; I have always found the shell white in the 

 other species." This example is now in the British Museum. 



Two eggs which I sent to Mr. Kothschild (now in the Tring Museum) are similar, but 

 of a paler green. 



FOOT OP APTERYX LAWRYI, ? , NATURAL SIZE. 



