ORNITHOLOGY OF NEW ZEALAND. 1 3 



THE ORNITHOLOGY OF NEW ZEALAND. 



Some important additions have been made to the Avifauna of New 

 Zealand during the last year. At a meeting of the Wellington Philo- 

 sophical Society, held on the 2nd July last, Sir Walter Buller exhibited 

 a huge Kiwi from Stewart's Island, which he referred to Apteryx 

 maxima of M. Jules Verreaux (Bonap. Comp. Rend. Acad. Sc, xliii., 

 p. 841). Two of the largest specimens of Apteryx australis (male and 

 female) were on the table for comparison ; and he pointed out that 

 this new bird had a bill fully an inch and a half longer, with propor- 

 tionately robust feet ; and that the claws, instead of being long and 

 sharp pointed as in Apteryx australis, were short, broad, and blunt at 

 the tip. He also pointed out other distinguishing peculiarities in the 

 plumage. Referring to the history of this species, he said that the 

 well-known French naturalist named had, as far back as 1856, distin- 

 guished it from the others on what appeared at the time to be very 

 insufficient data ; and a year or two later the government of New 

 Zealand published in the Gazette a report by Drs. Sclater and Hoch- 

 stetter, "On our present knowledge of the species of Apteryx" in 

 which special attention was called to Jules Verreaux' s new form, and 

 the colonists invited to look for it. When, in 1871, Professor Hutton 

 published his " Catalogue of New Zealand Birds," he referred the 

 large Grey Kiwi of the South Island {Apteryx haasti) to Apteryx maxima. 

 But Sir Walter Buller himself, in his first edition of " The Birds of 

 New Zealand," dissented from this view, expressing himself as 

 follows : — " The evidence, as far as it goes, would seem to indicate the 

 existence of a much larger species of Kiwi than any of the foregoing 

 ■ — in fact, a bird equalling in size a full-grown turkey. For this 

 reason I have considered it safer to retain Apteryx haasti as a recog- 

 nised species, and to leave the further elucidation of the question to 

 the zeal and enterprise of future explorers ia the land of the Apteryx." 

 Seventeen years had elapsed since this was written, and at length the 

 veritable Apteryx maxima had turned up in Stewart's Island, the 

 specimen now before the meeting being undoubtedly the only example 

 known in any public or private collection. Sir Walter Buller then 

 proceeded to give an interesting account of the geographical distribu- 

 tion of the various species of Apteryx, and the circumstances of their 

 development. Apteryx bulleri is confined to the North Island, Apteryx 

 australis to the South Island, and Apteryx maxima to Stewart's Island; 

 whilst Apteryx oweni, inhabiting the colder regions of the South, has 

 also been found on the snow-line to the north of Cook's Strait. All 

 these species have doubtless sprung from a common parent, and the 

 insular separation has existed for a sufficiently long period of time to 

 admit of the development of distinct species under the ordinary laws 

 of evolution. Whilst on this subject, Sir Walter Buller said he would 

 take occasion to refer to some remarks made by a former President 

 when Mr. R. B. Sharpe's paper was read, changing the name of the 

 North Island bird from Apteryx mantelli to Apteryx bulleri. In the 

 discussion which the President's remarks evoked, Mr. Maskell and 

 others appeared to reproach him (Sir Walter) with having, as it were, 

 filched the name from Mr. Mantell, who had so long enjoyed it. As 



