309 
Adult. Headj neck, and fore part of breast dark greyish brown, the produced filaments of the feathers black, 
inclining to grey towards the base of the bill ; general plumage of the upper parts dark rufous streaked with 
blackish brown j lower part of breast, abdomen, and inner side of thighs pale greyish brown. The streaky 
appearance of the upper surface is produced by each feather having the centre pale rufous-brown, darker 
towards the tip, and the long hair-like filaments on both sides black ; the fiuffy basal portion of the feather 
is of a uniform light grey. The long straggling hairs or feelers which beset the fore part of the head and 
angles of the mouth are jet-black. Irides black; bill clear white horn-colour; tarsi and toes pure whitish 
or pale brown to dark brown ; claws blackish brown, that of the middle toe whitish towards the base. 
Male. Extreme length, following the curvature of the back 33 inches ; bill, along the ridge 4'25, along the edge 
of lower mandible 4-85; tarsus 3-75; inner toe and claw 3‘35 ; middle toe and claw 3'9; outer toe and 
claw 3'1 ; hallux or hind tarsal claw ’5. 
Female. Extreme length, following the curvature of the body, 37'5 inches ; bill, along the ridge 6, along the edge 
of lower mandible 6’6 ; tarsus 3'5 ; inner toe and claw 3’6 ; middle toe and claw 3’4 ; outer toe and claw 3'2 ; 
hallux or hind tarsal claw '75. 
Obs. As will be at once apparent from the above measurements, the male is considerably smaller than the 
female. It is moreover usually of a brighter rufous, inclining to chestnut-brown, although the tone of the 
colouring in different examples is somewhat variable. 
The males have pale brown legs and feet, sometimes whitish, and occasionally marked with blackish 
brown on the hind part of the tarsus. The females have occasionally the same, but generally their tarsi and 
toes are dark brown, and sometimes (in very old birds) uniform brownish black. 
Young male. A young male which I received from the Upper Wanganui, in October 1870, had the general tints 
of the plumage lighter than in the adult female, but not so bright as in ordinary examples of the adult 
male ; the sides of the head whitish grey, with a dark ear-spot ; the bill 3 inches long and of a white horn- 
colour ; tarsi in front and toes whitish or fiesh-eoloured ; the edges of the metatarsal scutella margined with 
pale brown, hind part of tarsi and soles darker, and the claws blackish brown. In this bird the feathers of 
the back were far less rigid than in the full-grown bird ; the rudimentary wings were furnished with a deli- 
cate sharp-pointed spur of an arched form, half an inch in length, brown in its basal portion and yellowish 
towards the tip. The tubes of the quills were extremely small, narrow, and fiexible, the feathery shaft being 
far more ample in proportion than in the adult bird. 
In another example of the young bird (in a more advanced condition, judging by the greater strength of 
the quills) the tarsi and toes were of a dark greyish-brown colour. 
Younger state. In the very young bird the plumage is soft and fluffy, and of a uniform dull blackish brown, with 
the rigid tips of the shafts and the prodneed hair-like filaments black ; paler or greyer on the head and 
throat. Bill shining ivory-white ; tarsi and toes delicate grey ; claws black, 
Obs. To show how much individuals of both sexes vary in size, I will give here the measurements of two fully 
adult birds captured by myself in the Pirongia ranges : — 
. Length (measured as above) 33 inches ; bill, along the ridge 3'75, along the edge of lower man- 
dible 4’35 ; tarsns 3'5 ; middle toe and claw 3. 
? . Length 25-35 inches ; bill, along the ridge 6-3, along the edge of lower mandible 5-75 ; tarsus 3-75 ; 
middle toe and claw 3-75. 
In the last-mentioned bird the plumage is in excellent order (in spite of the breeding-season, which is 
destructive to most specimens), and the legs and feet are of an almost uniform blackish brown, the scutella, 
which are very regular and distinct, having the centre somewhat lighter. 
Another female, from Kawhia, gives the following measurements : — Length 36 inches ; bill, along the 
ridge 5-5, along the edge of lower mandible G ; tarsus 3 ; middle toe and claw 3. 
Varieties. There is much individual variety in the shade of the plumage, some being of a lighter and brighter 
rufous-brown than others, and some being entirely blackish brown on the upper surface ; but on a general 
view the species is decidedly darker than Apteryx australis of the South Island. As mentioned above, the 
