191 
A life-sized drawing of this species was given in Gray and Mitchell’s ‘ Genera of Birds ’ (1842), 
admirably coloured, but placed in an attitude quite foreign to the habits of the bird. Mr. Gould 
gave a portrait of it in the Supplement to his ‘ Birds of Australia,’ executed in his usual masterly 
style ; and other figures, of less note, have appeared at various times. The coloured drawing of 
this bird in the 1 Student ’ for 1870, as well as the woodcut in the * Field,’ although in other respects 
excellent pictures, possess a fault in common — namely, in having the tail broad and fan-like, instead 
of being compressed, narrow, and inclined inwards. This, as I have been informed, was owing to the 
damaged condition of the tail in the particular bird from which both of these figures were taken. 
The egg of the Kakapo, of which there is a figure (from the pencil of Mr. Wolf) in the ‘ Pro- 
ceedings ’ of the Zoological Society for 1852, is broadly ovoido-conical in form, and of pure whiteness 
till discoloured in the process of incubation. A specimen in the Canterbury Museum, much stained 
and slightly damaged, measures 2 inches in length by T4 in its greatest breadth : the surface of the 
shell is smooth, but without any gloss or polish ; and on close inspection it is found to be finely 
granulate. Another in the Otago Museum is of almost exactly similar size, measuring 2 inches in 
length by 1-45 in breadth : this specimen is somewhat discoloured, probably by contact with the 
bird’s feet ; the shell is minutely granulate, having a slightly rough surface to a sensitive touch. 
Another in my son’s collection is appreciably smaller, measuring T85 inch in length by 1-35 in 
breadth, and, originally of a greenish-white colour, is stained and discoloured, though somewhat 
unequally, to a pale yellowish brown. 
A specimen from Preservation Inlet is rather larger than the last mentioned one, measuring 
2 inches in length by 1*4 in breadth. It is yellowish white and somewhat soiled, the surface being 
without any gloss, and slightly granulate, or marked with extremely fine points. 
Kakapo chick, just hatched : natural size. (See page 178.) 
