Lord Howe Island, a Riddle of the Pacific. Part II 
S. J. Paramonov 1 
In THE FIRST part of this work (Paramonov, 
1958), the general features of this island were 
dealt with. Now a summary of our knowledge 
about the fauna of the island is given. We will 
discuss the different groups separately. 
MAN 
Up to the present date no trace of aboriginal 
man has been found on the island, which indi- 
cates that the isolation of the island was very 
strong, and that it was not part of a sunken con- 
tinent once inhabited by man. Probably even the 
canoes of Polynesian people never visited this 
island, because once being visited it would have 
been populated, as excellent conditions exist 
there for maintaining human life. 
MAMMALIA 
There are practically no mammals in the 
natural fauna of the island. Only some bats 
are reported: the little brown bat (Ves padelus 
pumilus Gray), and Scotophilus mono Gray 
= ( Chalinolobus tuberculatus Forst.) . Doubtless 
more species of migrating bats occur on the 
island but they have not yet been recorded, or 
have been recorded (for example, the flying 
fox) without support of preserved specimens. 
In any case, there are no endemic species of bats 
on the island, and there is no ground for ex- 
pecting them. Generally these animals are rare 
on the island. Etheridge (1889) wrote: "We 
anticipated meeting with bats in the coral-rock 
caves at North Bay, one of the most favourable 
habitats for them on the whole island, but not 
the slightest trace was found.” This statement is 
good evidence of the rarity of the bats. 
The introduced mammal fauna consists now 
of rats, mice, goats, and pigs. The first two are 
practically domesticated, the latter two live in 
the wild state in the two high parts of the island, 
1 Division of Entomology, Commonwealth Scien- 
tific and Industrial Research Organization, Canberra, 
A.C.T., Australia. Manuscript received June 23, 1958. 
separated by the intermediate low land occu- 
pied by man. 
The absence of mammals indicates that the 
island was not part of a continent, otherwise the 
Australian marsupials would be represented in 
the island fauna. 
AVES 
The Extinct Birds 
1. The white swamp hen, Notornis or Por- 
phyrio albus Gray, the most famous of the ex- 
tinct Lord Howe Island birds: 
E. S. Hill, in 1870, wrote: "With the excep- 
tion of the skin in the Imperial collection at 
Vienna, there appears to be only one other in 
existence, which is said by Prof. A. Newton to 
be in the Derby Museum at Liverpool.” Several 
original drawings are in existence, all made soon 
after the discovery of the island. From these 
paintings we learn that the species when young 
was entirely black, becoming bluish grey and 
finally entirely white with maturity. Some of the 
adult birds were tinged with blue, especially on 
the wings. Probably sexual difference was re- 
sponsible for the different appearance of the 
birds. The feathers of the neck and breast pos- 
sessed a yellowish tinge, those of the remainder 
of the body had a delicate indication of blue. 
The legs were yellow, the bill, forehead, and the 
iris of the eyes red. 
This bird appears to have been first men- 
tioned by Callam in 1783, and afterwards in 
"Phillip’s Voyage to Botany Bay,” ( 1789: 160), 
and again under the name of Gallinula alba, by 
White in his "Voyage to New South Wales” 
(1790: 238). Further mention of this bird will 
be found in von Pelzeln’s paper, in "Ibis” (1871: 
44), where its relationship to the genus Notornis 
was first pointed out; also a good figure of it 
will be found in "Ibis,” 1873, pi. 10. 
The genus Notornis is present in New Zea- 
land, but is quite absent from Australia. This 
fact, however, does not speak in favour of a 
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