7 
ilie following is the description of a specimen shot near Christchurch in the summer of 1885 : — Crown 
of the head, hind neck, mantle, back, rump, and long inner secondaries brownish black, marked all over with 
spots of golden yellow, which diminish in size but become narrower on the head and neck, presenting on 
t esc parte a mottled appearance; on the upper wing-coverts the yellow markings are absent, the feathers 
eing variegated with greyish white ; a broad band of white crosses the forehead and, passing over the eyes, 
extends down the sides of the neck and expands on the sides of the breast. Sides of the head, fore neck, 
and centre of breast slaty black, which becomes mixed with white towards the throat (in which respect alone 
it differs from a specimen in summer dress from Sweden, with which I compared it); the whole of the 
abdomen slaty black, variegated with white ; sides of the body white, irregularly barred and marked with 
ac ^ , the feathers near the insertion of the wings narrowly margined with yellow ; the entire inner lining 
of wings delicate ash-grey; wing-feathers brownish black with white shafts; the tail-feathers blackish brown 
o scuiely barred with greyish white. Bill black; tarsi and toes greyish black. Total length 11 inches; 
vfiiij,, fioin flexure, 6'75 ; tail 2'5 ; bill, along the ridge 1, along the edge of lower mandible 1'25; bare 
tibia '75 ; tarsus 1-75 ; middle toe and claw 1-25. 
Obs. The sexes aie alike, except that in the adult female the golden spots are less conspicuous than in the male, 
the neck-markings are less distinct, and there is a faint wash of yellow on the breast. 
The above description of the winter plumage is taken from a New-Zealand example presented to the 
British Museum by Miss R. Stone. 
In the Colonial Museum there is a fine specimen obtained at Worser Bay, near Wellington, and first 
recoided by Mr. 1. W. Kirk*. In this bird there is a slight wash of yellow over the throat, sides of the 
ead, and fore neck ; the yellow spots on the mantle and long inner secondaries are very distinct, and the 
daik mottling on the fore neck and breast is very pretty. 
In the Auckland Museum there are two specimens and $ ) shot together at Manukau harbour early 
m December 1880. Both of these are in winter plumage, although they show signs of being about to 
assume the summer dress. Mr. Cheeseman states that ten or twelve were observed at the time these were 
killed t. 
I have before me two birds (both marked ? ) obtained by Mr. Robson on Portland Island in September 
and November respectively. The larger of the two gives the following measurements : — Total length 10 
inches, wing, from flexure, 7’25 ; tail 2'75 ; bill, along the ridge ‘95, along the edge of lower mandible 1 ; 
bale tibia 75 ; tarsus 1’6 ; middle toe and claw 1‘25. One of these is in unmistakable summer plumage, the 
ac of the upper surface being pronounced and the yellow spots round and bright ; the fore neck, breast, 
domen, and flanks irregularly marked with blotches of black, intermixed or softly blended with the greyish 
giound colour and slightly suffused on the breast with yellow ; lining of wings and axillary plumes smoky 
§ 7} upper surface ot wings blackish brown, vandyked and varied with white, but without any yellow 
1 ®^cept on the long inner secondaries ; wing-feathers and tail blackish brown, the latter handsomely 
and their coverts vandyked with greyish white. Bill black ; legs greyish brown (probably tinged with 
g in the flesh bird). The other has much less yellow on the upper surface, the spots being small and 
istinct , thei e is an absence of dark markings on the underparts ; the fore neck and breast ai’e pale fulvous 
brown varied with grey ; and the abdomen is yellowish white. 
an, d ^ I^resser s Birds of Europe, where the above synonymy has already appeared, there is 
east ■ ^ exhaustive account of this species, which appears to have a very wide range in the 
author World, but only rarely makes its appearance in Europe. The above-named 
Palmarlt'^^-^ enumerated the localities in which it has occurred within the limits of the Western 
name If ^ express their belief that this is the bird mentioned by Pallas, under the 
flocks alon ^ being exceedingly common in Siberia, whence it migrates in the autumn in 
g with other species, to more southern latitudes. Steller observed it in Kamtschatka in 
Ivans. R.-Z. Inst_ 
t Of. also Cheesoman, Trans. K.-Z. Inst. vol. xiv. p. 204. 
