Oeder STEGANOPODES.] 
[Eam. PELECANID^. 
PHALACEOCOEAX PEATHEESTONI. 
(CHATHAM-ISLAND SHAG.) 
Graculus africanus, Hutton, Ibis, 1872, p. 249 (nec Gm.). 
Phalacrocorax feather stoni, Buller, Ibis, 1873, p. 90. 
Ad. pileo et collo undique indigotico-nigris, fronte et occipite conspicue cristatis, collo postico filamentis albis 
paullo dilatatis ornato : dorso suramo cum scapularibus et tectricibus alarum olivascenti-brunneis, plumis 
nigro conspicub apicaliter maculatis, tectricibus minimis sordide indigotico-nigris : dorso postico, uropygio 
ct supracaudalibus indigotico-nigris : rcmigibus nigricanti-brunneis, sccundariis cxtus canescentibus : cauda 
nigra ; subtus pulchre canescens, abdomine imo cum subcaudalibus subalaribusque indigotico-nigris ; rostro 
saturate brunneo : pedibus aurantiacis : iride cani viridi reticulata. 
Adult. Head, upper portion o£ neck, and the whole of the nape, with the vertical and occipital crests, shining 
indigo-black ; sides and hind part of neck ornamented with scattered filamentous white feathers, having the 
tips produced and somewhat spatulate ; the shoulders, mantle, and upper surface of wings olivaceous brown 
glossed with green, each feather marked with a conspicuous terminal spot of black ; back, rump, and upper 
tail-coverts, as well as the small wing-coverts, dull indigo-black ; quills blackish brown, the secondaries 
greyish on their outer webs ; tail black ; lower part of fore neck, breast, and middle portion of abdomen 
beautiful greyj sides of the body, flanks, under surface of wings, lower abdomen, and under tail-coverts 
indigo-black. Irides grey, streaked with green ; bill dark brown ; legs and feet orange-yellow. Length 22 
inches; wing, from flexure, 9; tail 4; bill, along the ridge 2' 2, along the edge of lower mandible 2 6; 
tarsus 1'6; longest toe and claw 3‘25. 
This beautiful addition to the ornithology of our country was one of the novelties bi ought from the 
Chatham Islands by Air. Henry Travers on his return from the exploratory visit mentioned on a 
former page. Professor Hutton had referred it {1. c.) to Graculus africanus (Gmelin), but the 
original specimen having been courteously forwarded to me by Sir James Hector, through the Colonial 
Office, I saw at a glance that we had a new species to record, and was therefore glad of the oppor- 
tunity thus afforded me of describing and figuring it in my former edition. 
I had already associated the name of Air. Henry Travers with one of the new species discovered 
by him ; and, in assigning a distinctive title to this bird, I desired to pay a slight tribute to one who, 
having originally assisted in founding a colony at the Antipodes, had devoted more than thirty years 
of his life to its political affairs, and at that time filled the important office of its Agent General in 
Great Britain — the late Hr. Featherston. 
Several further examples haAm been received at the Colonial Museum, and Air. Walter Hood 
informs me that it is a comparatively common bird on the rocks lying off the Chatham Islands, and 
that he found it breeding there in the months of October and ^November. On Pitt Island these birds 
were so tame that he knocked over two of them with a small stone. 
As Avill be at once apparent from the figures, this sjiecies bears a general resemblance to P. 
punctatus'. like that bird it has a vertical as well as an occipital crest, and the distribution of the 
colours is somewhat similar, although the plumage altogether is much darker. It is readily 
distinguished, however, by its black head and neck, and by the absence of the white stripes which are 
so conspicuous in the other species. 
