56 



admixture of white in the plumage of the abdomen, sides of the body, and flanks. The rest of the 

 plumage is normal. To judge from its large size, it is a male bird. I obtained it, through a dealer, 

 from the west coast of the South Island. 



Mr. Morgan Carkeek, who has more recently returned from a two months' surveying- 

 expedition through the mountainous country in the interior of the Marlborough District, found, 

 to his astonishment, that the South Island Wood-hen had vanished altogether, for he had again 

 met with only a single example during the whole of that time. He attributes this result entirely 

 to the ravages of the imported stoats and weasels, which have become fairly established in that 

 country. 



My collector, Charles Eobinson, found this species of Wood-hen extremely abundant in the 

 woods on both sides of the Heaphy Eiver, during his long quest after Apteryx haasti, and he and 

 his son lived on them the whole time. He brought me back several specimens, thus placing its 

 identity beyond doubt. 



Seeing that the range of this species in New Zealand is, so far as we at present know, 

 restricted to a portion of the west coast of the South Island, its occurrence on Macquarie Islands, 

 about five hundred and fifty miles to the south-south-west of New Zealand, is a very curious fact 

 in geographical distribution. It is said, however, and probably with truth, that this bird was in- 

 troduced by the early sealers visiting the island. 



Dr. Sharpe stated at a meeting of ornithologists (Bulletin B.O.C., vol. i., 1892-3, pp. 29 and 

 30) that he could detect no difference between Mr. Gray's Ocydromus earli and my 0. greyi, and 

 " admitted his inability to separate them even as races." Dr. Sharpe, whose great skill as a 

 systematic ornithologist I of course recognise to the utmost, has evidently been misled in this 

 instance by the examination of dried skins in a museum. If he had seen fresh specimens of the 

 cinnamon-tinted, lake-red-legged bird and the common brown-legged Weka, side by side, he would 

 have no difficulty in distinguishing them. He adds that the type of Gray's 0. earli (which, 

 according to the Museum label, came from the South Island) is a young bird ; but I confess it did 

 not appear to me to be an immature bird, when I examined it some years ago, and Mr. Gray, who 

 named and described it, certainly did not regard it as a young example. His theory, moreover, 

 that the differences in Gray's type pointed out by me may be due to immaturity does not meet the 

 case, as will be seen on referring to my account of the young birds (vol. ii., p. 106.)* No one, I 

 suppose, will accuse Professor Newton of being a " splitter" ; and I have quoted, on page 53, what 

 he wrote on receiving from me a specimen of what I call Ocydromus earli, obtained in the South 

 Island. It had not only " disturbed," but " almost shattered," his conclusions, after a most careful 

 examination of Museum specimens in this country. 



For my own part, I may say that I could pick out a single example of Ocydromus earli from 

 a hundred of 0. greyi, and vice versa. It will be admitted, therefore, that this difference is 

 pronounced, and not fanciful. The former species is confined to the South Island, and the 

 latter, as strictly, to the North Island. It matters not to me whether they be regarded as species, 

 sub-species, or permanent races, so long as they are distinguished. 



Captain Hutton writes me (December 13, 1901) : — " The ' Discovery ' expedition has brought a 

 lot of Ocydromus earli from Macquarie Island (introduced by the sealers), and one specimen of what 

 I take to be a hybrid between 0. earli and 0. australis. These specimens have convinced me that 



* Dr. Sharpe expresses some surprise that I should have introduced, between the descriptions of two such nearly 

 allied species, that of the very distinct Ocydromus brachypterus ; but they are all members of one genus, and it ought to 

 be obvious enough to anyone that this was done because I had figured the last-named species and 0. greyi on the same 

 plate. I might as pertinently ask why Dr. Sharpe himself, in the British Museum Catalogue, has placed twelve species 

 of Bhipidura between two closely allied New Zealand forms, B. flabellifera and B. fuliginosa? 



