173 



I kept a young one in my garden for some time. It never lost its natural timidity of 

 character, and would always run away on my approach. Enjoying full freedom, it always made 

 for the high ground and seemed never tired of running up the paths on the garden slope. In 

 addition to being shy, it was a very stupid bird. When driven along a garden path to its 

 extremity, instead of making its escape by turning off the path it would always turn back, 

 and rush past screaming. 



Like its congener, H. longirostris, the Black Oyster-Catcher is a resident on the coasts 

 of Tasmania and Australia as well as New Zealand. It is very similar to the American black 

 form, but may be distinguished by the bright red colour of its legs, those of the latter being 

 pale flesh-colour. 



Order CHAEADKIIFOEMES.] 



[Family CHAKADBIIDJE. 



LOBIVANELLUS LOBATUS. 



(AUSTRALIAN MASKED PLOVEE.) 



w> : »y 





Lobivanellus lobatus (Latham), Buller, Birds of New Zealand, vol. ii., p. 13. 



In vol. ii., p. 13, I have described a straggler of this beautiful species of Plover, obtained by the 

 late Mr. Drew at Kai-iwi, near Wanganui, in August, 1886. The specimen is still in the interest- 

 ing little museum, at Wanganui, founded by him. 



The occurrence was first recorded by Mr. T. W. Kirk (' Ibis,' 1888, p. 45), but he erroneously 

 referred the bird to Lobivanellus personatus. 



The distinguishing features in this bird are the lobed mask of pale sulphur-yellow, and the 

 sharp spur, more than half an inch in length, at the bend of the wing. 



Mr. C. A. Barton, writing to me from Hokitika, describes what is certainly either Lobivanellus 

 lobatus or L. personatus, of Australia, as occurring there. He says : " Can you inform me if there 

 is in Australia a spur- winged wader about the size of an Oyster-catcher ? Several times lately I 

 have observed a vara avis on the sandbanks of the Hokitika Eiver that, from what I have been 

 able to observe through a field-glass, would be classed between the Dottrels and the Oyster- 

 catchers ; but I am nearly sure that it has well-developed spurs (say half an inch long) on 

 the wings, and a flap-wattle (pale-yellow) covering the sides of the face and extending back 

 to and close round the eyes. And the bill, I think, is soft or rather weak, and about half as long 

 again as the head." I refer this bird to L. lobatus, because the one obtained at Kai-iwi was of 

 that species. 



