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the throat is greyish, each feather with a terminal margin of fulvous ; the white of the underparts is washed 
with cream which deepens to fulvous, or sometimes pale rufous, on the flanks and under tail-coverts ; the 
inner lining of the wings is uniform dark grey, and along the carpal flexure there are a few touches of 
fulvous. The size is appreciably less than that of the fully-grown bird; the hill and irides are of a less 
decided or lighter colour ; the feet instead of being carmine are of a bright coral-red, and the soles pale 
brown instead of yellow. 
Fledgling. A specimen in my collection has the chin and upper part of throat greyish brown, the feathers 
minutely tipped with whitish grey ; the white plumage of the underparts washed with cream-yellow ; the 
under tail-coverts stained with pale rufous; nape and hind neck shaded with coppery and vinous brown; 
lining of wings clear ash-grey. 
Nestling. A very young chick, which I examined as a dried specimen, was covered sparingly with yellowish- 
white down, looking very much like flax tow, and perfectly bare on the abdomen. 
Obs. Before arriving at full maturity the plumage is subject to slight variations. It is not unusual to find the 
under tail-coverts pale rufous and the white plumage of the underparts clouded or marked with grey. 
Varieties. There is a lovely albino in the Colonial Museum, from the Wairarapa, the entire plumage being of a 
pure milk-white, the small wing-coverts alone presenting a slight tinge of yellowish brown ; bill and feet 
carmine-red. Partial albinos, or light-coloured varieties, are occasionally met with. A specimen presented 
to me by the late Mr. Edward Hardcastle, R.M., has the head, neck, fore part of the breast, and all the 
upper parts pale yellowish brown, more or less glossed with purple ; the wing-coverts and scapulars stained 
towards the tips with coppery brown ; the quills and tail-feathers uniform pale yellowish brown, tinged with 
vinous, the tips of the latter paler. In another specimen, shot at Maungakaramea, near Whangarei, and 
for which I was indebted to the late Mr. Henry Mair, the neck, shoulders, back, upper tail-coverts, scapu- 
lars, and wing-coverts present scattered feathers of pure white, imparting to the plumage of the upper parts 
a spotted appearance. Both of these specimens are now in the Colonial Museum. A third example, in the 
possession of Mr. William Luxford, of Wellington, has the head, neck, shoulders, and upper wing-coverts 
coppery brown, and the rest of the upper parts pale grey ; the primary quills tinged with brown at the tips ; 
the underparts of the body white. Another in the Colonial Museum has the head, neck, breast, and upper 
parts generally pale vinous brown, without any gloss, and becoming darker on the inner webs of the quills and 
tail-feathers ; the shoulders and smaller wing-coverts dark velvet-brown, fading off on the outer feathers, 
this dark patch upon the lighter plumage forming a very conspicuous feature; bill and feet almost white. 
Another in my own collection, presented by Mr. W. Marshall, who obtained it in the Upper Rangitikei 
district, is very similar, but there is a larger admixture of brown in the general plumage, and the velvet- 
brown extends over the entire mantle but is relieved by a light feather here and there ; the quills on their 
inner webs and all the tail-feathers except the middle one are rufous brown with pale tips. In each wing 
two of the quills are entirely dark. 
There is a very curious example in the Auckland Museum (marked $ ) and obtained from the Waikato 
in June 1884: — The head, neck, breast, upper surface of wings and tail pale vinous brown, relieved by 
touches of creamy white ; the hind neck shaded with darker brown with a very faint gloss ; shoulders, 
mantle, and smaller wing-coverts bright coppery brown, shaded with ashy brown, the central part of each 
feather being of that colour ; this darker colour prevails on the scapulars, which are entirely dark brown 
with paler tips, delicately glossed with purple, and with whitish shaft-lines ; primaries and tail-feathers dark 
vinous brown on their inner vanes, and paler brown shading off into creamy white on their outer ; the larger 
wing-coverts pale vinous brown with whitish margins. Underparts pure white. Irides, bill, and feet as in 
the normal bird. The distinguishing feature is the bright coppery brown mantle, which is very conspicuous. 
The outer tail-feathers are much abraded and worn. 
Mr. Cheeseman showed me a very finely coloured specimen shot by himself in the neighbourhood of 
Auckland. In this bird all the colours were highly iridescent, even the tail-feathers having a fine edging 
of metallic blue *. 
* Mr. T. W. Kirk gives the following description of another remarkable variety shot by Mr. Greville in the Seventy-mile 
