68 Proceedings of the Royal Physical Society. 
such references as Mr Dall makes are all about Apteryx haasti and Apteryx 
owent. 
Apteryx haasti was described by Mr Potts who died at Canterbury, N.Z., 
in 1888, and who was the possessor of the only egg of the Great Auk at that 
time in the Southern Hemisphere. That egg, I believe, is now in the 
collection of Col. I. E. Thayer. Mr Potts was well known as an ornithologist ; 
what he wrote about A. haasti will be found in bis, 1872, p. 35; and Trans. 
N. Zeal. Inst., vol. iv. p. 204. 
Apteryx haasti. 
Mr James Dall, writing me on 12th December 1894, says: “I returned 
from a trip a few days ago. I got a male, female, and chick of Apteryx haasti 
(grandis) and was particular in saving the portions of skeletons. 
“T left the skeleton of the chick to drain, whilst I went to the tent for the 
billy, and, though not 30 yards away, on my return it was gone. A weka 
must have been watching me and carried it off, as though I looked well for it 
I failed to find it. The skeletons of the male and female I laid to one side 
whilst packing, and, a sudden storm coming on, the horse started off before I 
had the packs secure, broke all the three eggs I got during the season, and 
so I forgot the skeletons. The three skins are the best I got during three 
trips—the female especially is a very large bird. I got the male bird alive 
belonging to the large female ; also an egg. The male bird was exceptionally 
small, and the egg was only half he size of one that I got; there was a 
chick. I blocked the hole at the mouth of the nest, climbed up the hollow 
tree which was leaning very much, to examine for holes and block them, as 
they generally have an outlet, but did not find any, so I tried to get them 
out. All at once I heard a noise, and the chick dropped about 25 feet. 
There was a large knot hole under an astelia, and he had forced himself 
through, and I lost it. I was two days getting the live bird out, and after I 
had him a fortnight he made his escape. 
“The female is always the larger bird, though occasionally you get a large 
male with a female nearer his own size,—sometimes quite a small male, with 
a very large female. As I stated previously, the eggs, of which I got three 
only, vary in size. 
“The nest is generally a few leaves of Dracophyllum latifoliwm scraped 
under roots or trees, sometimes on the bare ground. The habits of the bird 
are not known well, but, from my observations, they do not keep together in 
the same nest all the year, as I think Apteryx oweni does. Neither do they 
lay two eggs together as that bird does. 
“The female Apteryx owent sits on the two large eggs laid, but from 
