Oedee LIMICOL^.] 
[Fam. SCOLOPACIDiE. 
EECURVIEOSTEA NOV^E HOLLANDI^. 
(RED-NECKED AVOCET.) 
Recurvirostra novce hollandice, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d’Hist. Nat. iii. p. 103 (1818). 
Recurvirostra rubricolUs, Temm. Man. d’Orn. ii. p. 592 (1820). 
Avocetta novae zealandice, Ellman, Zool. 1861, p. 7470. 
Ld, pulchre niveus, scapularibus imis nigricantibus : capite cum collo postico et lateral! guttureque toto saturate 
ferrugineis : pileo aiitico et vertice cinerascentibus, gul4 etiam albido varia : teetricibus alarum minimis 
albis, mediauis nigris, majoribus albis : remigibus nigricanti-brunneis, pennis minoribus et secundariis 
exterioribus albis: cauda alba, pennis eentralibus pallide cinereis ; subtiis niveus: rostro nigro : pedibus 
plumbescenti-nigris : iride rubra. 
Adult. Head and about two thirds of the neck dark rufous, paler on the crown, and inclining to greyish brown 
towards the base of the bill ; the inner scapulars, the first six primaries, and the longer secondaries, with 
their coverts, black, the latter tinged with brown ; the effect produced in the closed wing being that of a 
black surface, with a narrow longitudinal bar of white j tail pale ash-grey j the rest of the plumage pure 
white. Irides red j bill black ; legs and feet bluish black. Length 17-25 inches ; wing, from flexure, 9 ; 
tail 4j bill, along the ridge, following the curvature, 3'75; bare tibia I'S; tarsus S'S ; middle toe and 
claw 1-75 ; hind toe and claw I’d. 
Young. The young of the first year has the black of the upper surface deeply tinged with brown ; across the 
shoulders, when the wings are closed, there is a horse-shoe mai-k of blackish grey ; head and neck pale ashy 
brown, darker on the throat, and inclining to rufous on the nape and sides of the neck. 
Ohs. The sexes are exactly alike in plumage. 
Tins beautiful Australian Avocet, to which I have restored Vieillot’s original name of Recurvirostra 
novae hollandice, is an occasional visitant to our shores. In the summer of 1859-60 I saw a small 
flock of them far up the course of the Ashburton river, and again in a small lagoon near the township 
of Timaru, but, not having a gun with me, I was unable to secure any. In the same season a 
specimen was shot by Mr. French on the tidal flats near the mouth of the Kaiapoi river ; and this, 
unfortunately, was allowed to perish. Three years later I met with a flock numbering flve or six on 
the south-west coast of the Wellington Province. They were very shy, rising high in the air on my 
attempting to approach them, and taking their course for the opposite side of Cook’s Strait. Two 
specimens have been shot on the ocean-beach near Dunedin ; and Dr. Pichardson received another 
from the Whakatipu Lake, in the interior of the Otago Province. A solitary one was shot on the 
mud-flats near Whangarei some years ago ; and the skin was preserved by Mr. George Burnett, who 
forwarded it to Europe. The specimen from which my description of the adult is taken was killed on 
the mud-flats near Christchurch in 1864. 
From the same locality Mr. Sparkes afterwards obtained the young bird described above (which 
is now in the Canterbury Museum) ; also two more adults, in full plumage, one of which is now in 
my possession, and the other in Mr. Silver’s collection at Letcomb Manor. 
