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diff --git a/40000.txt b/40000.txt deleted file mode 100644 index a230163..0000000 --- a/40000.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10570 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Extinct Birds, by Walter Rothschild - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Extinct Birds - An attempt to unite in one volume a short account of those - Birds which have become extinct in historical times. - -Author: Walter Rothschild - -Release Date: June 15, 2012 [EBook #40000] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EXTINCT BIRDS *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Keith Edkins and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive. Plate 4a, which is missing from -the I.A. copy, was taken from Wikimedia Commons, where it -is stated to be in the public domain.) - -Transcriber's note: A few typographical errors have been corrected: they -are listed at the end of the text. - - * * * * * - - - EXTINCT BIRDS. - - An attempt to unite in one volume a short account of - those Birds which have become extinct in historical - times--that is, within the last six or seven - hundred years. To which are - added a few which still - exist, but are on - the verge of - extinction. - - BY - - The Hon. WALTER ROTHSCHILD, - Ph. D., F.Z.S. - - With 45 Coloured Plates, embracing 63 subjects, and - other illustrations. - - LONDON. - Hutchinson & Co., Paternoster Row, E.C. - 1907 - - LONDON: - A. CHRIS. FOWLER, PRINTER, - TENTER STREET, - MOORFIELDS, - E.C. - - * * * * * - - - PREFACE. - -When I decided to read a paper before the Ornithological Congress of 1905 -on Extinct and Vanishing Birds, I found it necessary to illustrate my paper -by a number of drawings. These drawings roused special interest among those -who listened to my lecture, and I was asked by many if I could not see my -way to publish the lecture and drawings, in book form, as these plates were -far too numerous for the proceedings of the Congress. After some hesitation -I determined to do this, greatly owing to the persuasion of the late Dr. -Paul Leverkuhn. The preparation of a book required considerably more -research than the lecture, and therefore my readers will find, in the -following pages, a totally different account to that in the lecture, as -well as corrections and numerous additions. The lecture itself has been -published in the "Proceedings of the IVth International Ornithological -Congress." - -I wish to thank very heartily all those of my ornithological friends, who -have kindly helped me with the loan of specimens or otherwise, and -especially Dr. H. O. Forbes, Dr. Scharff, Professor Dr. K. Lampert, Dr. O. -Finsch, Professor Dr. A. Koenig, Dr. Kerbert, Mr. Fleming, Dr. von Lorenz, -and others. - - WALTER ROTHSCHILD. - - * * * * * - - -{vii} - - INTRODUCTION. - -The study of the forms of life no longer existing on the earth, from the -scanty remains preserved to us, has provoked a very great interest almost -from the commencement of historical times. The very small portion of this -vast field I am treating of in the following pages has a special -attraction, as it deals to a great extent with forms familiar in a living -state to our immediate forefathers and even to some of ourselves. Although -I have here arranged the species systematically, they fall into two -distinct categories, namely those known externally as well as internally, -and those of which we know bones and egg-shells only. Under the former -category might be included those merely known from descriptions or figures -in ancient books, as well as those of which specimens exist. In the present -work several plates have been reconstructed from such descriptions in order -to give some idea of their probable appearance. There is considerable -difference of opinion as to the approximate date of the disappearance of -many of the species known from bones dug from deposits which have been -variously determined as pleistocene and post-pleistocene. It seems to me -that this problem can never be entirely solved, but the significant fact -remains, that while many bones of these species in one locality have been -collected in the kitchen-middens of the former inhabitants, in other -localities the same bones occur in what seem to be much older formations. - -In view of this and kindred facts, I have mentioned many species which some -ornithologists will probably consider outside the range of the present -treatise, viz., birds which have become extinct in the last seven- or -eight-hundred years. Taking my first category, viz., those species whose -exterior is more or less known, our knowledge is very variable in scope; -about some we have a very full and even redundant literature, such as the -Great Auk, the Labrador Duck, and Notornis, while of others, such as most -of the extinct Parrots from the West Indies, the "Giant" of Mauritius, the -"Blue Bird" of Bourbon, and so forth, we have the very scantiest knowledge. -Even in the times of Leguat and Labat there must have been many species, -now extinct, of which no mention has ever been made, for {viii} these old -writers only mentioned such species which impressed themselves on their -memories either from their size, peculiar shape, beauty of plumage, or -excellence and usefulness for food--in fact the culinary property of the -various birds seems to have been their principal interest. One of the most -interesting phenomena connected with recently extinct birds is the -resemblance of the fauna of the Mascarene Islands and that of the Chatham -Islands in the possession of a number of large flightless Rails, though the -significance of this fact has been much exaggerated. - -On the whole, this book is confined to species actually known to be -extinct, but a few are included of which a small number is still known to -exist, because firstly there seems no doubt that they will vanish soon, and -secondly, as in the case of _Notornis_, it was necessary to clear up -certain misconceptions and contradictory statements. In the case of a few -species believed to be quite extinct, it is possible that some individuals -may still exist in little known parts of their range, while on the other -hand it is more than likely that several of the species referred to in my -lecture (Proc. Orn. Congress pp. 191-207, 1907) as threatened with -destruction, have already ceased to live. This may also be the case with -some birds not alluded to at all. - -In several instances I have treated of extinct flightless species under -genera including existing species capable of flight. This may appear to be -inconsistent, seeing that I maintain _Notornis_ separate from _Porphyrio_, -but, while not considering flightlessness in itself a generic character, -the great development of the wing-coverts and the modification of the toes -appear of sufficient generic value in this case. I know that several of the -most eminent ornithologists of the day, among them Dr. Sharpe, differ from -me, and are convinced that the loss of the power of flight is so profound a -modification, that it is imperative that we should treat it as sufficient -for generic distinction. - -While agreeing that many genera are founded on much less striking -modifications, I cannot concur in this opinion, for, unless the loss of the -power of flight is also accompanied by other changes, in some cases it is -difficult to find at first sight even specific differences other than the -aborted wings. - -The cause of recent extinction among birds is in most cases due directly or -indirectly to man, but we also have instances of birds becoming extinct for -no apparent reason whatever. - -Man has destroyed, and is continually destroying species directly, either -for {ix} food or for sport, but also in many other ways he contributes to -their destruction. Some species have been exterminated by the introduction -of animals of prey, such as rats, cats, mongoose, etc., and we know that -also the acclimatisation of other birds, such as the mynah, etc., has -proved to be harmful to the native birds. Again we find that the -introduction of domestic creatures or others kept as pets has brought -diseases which may prove fatal to the indigenous fauna. Another means by -which man causes immense destruction, is by destroying the natural habitat -of various species. By cutting down or burning the forests, prairies, or -scrub, and by bringing the land under cultivation, man indirectly kills off -a species through starvation, from extermination of certain insects or -plants on which it depends for food. Many species, such as the Moas, were -evidently greatly reduced in numbers by cataclysms of Nature, such as -volcanic outbreaks, earthquakes, floods, bush fires, etc., and then died -out from what appears only explicable by the natural exhaustion of their -vitality. The chief cause of the extermination of the Moas was undoubtedly -their slaughter by the Maoris for food, but in several inaccessible parts -of the interior large numbers of Moa remains have been found which -undoubtedly had died for no apparent reason. - -This cause also seems to be the only explanation of the dying out of such -birds as _Aechmorhynchus_, _Chaetoptila_, _Camptolaimus_ and others. - -The melancholy fact however remains that man and his satellites, cats, -rats, dogs, and pigs are the worst and in fact the only important agents of -destruction of the native avifaunas wherever they go. - -I have not included in the body of this work the fossil species from the -pleistocene of Europe, Asia, Australia and America, as I believe that these -belonged to an avifauna of an epoch considerably anterior to those -attributed to the pleistocene of New Zealand and the adjacent islands, as -well as that of the Mascarenes and Madagascar. I, however, give here the -list of the species described from the above mentioned regions which I have -been able to find in our literature, to serve as a guide to those who may -think I ought to have included them in the work itself. - - _Strix melitensis_ Lydekker Malta. - _Vultur melitensis_ Lydekker Malta. - _Pelecanus proavus_ De Vis Queensland. - _Phalacrocorax sp._ Lydekker New Zealand. - _Aythya robusta_ De Vis Queensland. - _Anas elapsa_ De Vis Queensland. - _Anas benedeni_ Sharpe Belgium. - _Alopochen pugil_ Winge Brazil. - {x} - _Dendrocygna validipennis_ (De Vis) Queensland. - _Branta hypsibata_ Cope Oregon. - _Branta propinqua_ Schufeldt Oregon. - _Anser scaldii_ Van Beneden Belgium. - _Anser sp._ Lydekker England. - _Anser coudoni_ Schufeldt Oregon. - _Cygnus sp._ Lydekker Malta. - _Cygnus falconeri_ Parker Malta. - _Palaeopelargus nobilis_ De Vis Queensland. - _Prociconia lydekkeri_ Ameghino Brazil. - _Platibis subtenuis_ De Vis Queensland. - _Grus proavus_ Marsh New Jersey. - _Grus melitensis_ Lydekker Malta. - _Grus turfa_ Portis Italy. - _Grus primigenia_ Milne Edwards France. - _Fulica prior_ De Vis Queensland. - _Fulica pisana_ Portis Italy. - _Porphyrio mackintoshi_ De Vis Queensland. - _Gallinula strenuipes_ De Vis Queensland. - _Gallinula peralata_ De Vis Queensland. - _Microtribonyx effluxus_ De Vis Queensland. - _Progura gallinacea_ De Vis Queensland. - _Columba melitensis_ Lydekker Malta. - _Lithophaps ulnaris_ De Vis Queensland. - _Gallus sp._ Lydekker New Zealand. - _Gallus sp._ Lydekker Central Germany. - _Phasianus sp._ Lydekker Germany. - _Perdix sp._ Issel Italy. - _Tetrao sp._ Issel Italy. - _Metapteryx bifrons_ De Vis Queensland. - _Dromaius queenslandiae_ (De Vis) Queensland. - _Dromaius gracilipes_ (De Vis) Queensland. - _Dromaius patricius_ (De Vis) East Australia. - _Genyornis newtoni_ Sterling & Zeitz South Australia. - _Casuarius lydekkeri_ nom. nov. - -"The distal extremity of the tibio-tarsus is narrow, without a semilunar -pit on the lateral surface of the ectocondyle, and with a very deep -extensor groove" (Lydekker, Cat. Fossil B. Brit. Mus., p. 353). {xi} - -Type, a caste of the distal portion of the right tibio-tarsus, in the -British Museum. The original is preserved in the Museum at Sydney and was -obtained from the pleistocene cavern-deposits in the Wellington Valley in -New South Wales. - -A bird usually stated to be extinct is _Monarcha dimidiata_, from -Rara-Tonga, but in March, 1901, two specimens, male and female, were -procured by the Earl of Ranfurly. Doubtless this is a species which will -one day vanish entirely, but at present it hardly comes within the scope of -this work. - -The birds known to be more or less on the verge of extinction which I have -not thought advisable to give in the main part of this book might, for -convenience of reference and to avoid possible controversy as to my having -omitted any species, be given here, but it must be understood that of these -species I only know the fact that their numbers have been greatly reduced -and mostly almost to vanishing point. I have already mentioned before that -some of them may already have disappeared, but in many cases recent -investigations are wanting, and all, therefore, that can be said of them is -that they are threatened and may soon become extinct, if they still exist. - - _Myadestes sibilans_ St. Vincent. - _Myadestes genibarbis_ Martinique. - _Cinclocerthia gutturalis_ Martinique. - _Rhamphocinclus brachyurus_ Martinique. - _Ixocincla olivacea_ Mauritius. - _Phedina borbonica_ Mascarene Islands. - _Trochocercus borbonicus_ Mascarene Islands. - _Oxynotus typicus_ Mauritius. - _Foudia newtoni_ Bourbon. - _Drymoeca rodericana_ Rodriguez. - _Cyanorhamphus cooki_ Norfolk Island. - _Cyanorhamphus erythrotis_ Antipodes Island. - _Cyanorhamphus unicolor_ Antipodes Island. - _Turnagra tanagra_ North Island, New Zealand. - _Sceloglaux albifacies_ Middle Island, New Zealand. - _Miro albifrons_ North Island, New Zealand. - _Miro australis_ Middle Island, New Zealand. - _Clitonyx albicilla_ North Island, New Zealand. - _Pogonornis cincta_ North Island, New Zealand. - _Hypotaenidia mulleri_ Auckland Island. - _Mergus australis_ Auckland Island. - {xii} - _Nesonetta aucklandica_ Auckland Island. - _Ocydromus? sylvestris_ Lord Howe's Island. - _Puffinus newelli_ Hawaiian Islands. - _Telespiza flaviceps_ Hawaii. - _Nesochen sandvicensis_ Hawaii. - _Pareudiastes pacificus_ Samoa. - _Nesomimus trifasciatus_ Charles? and Gardener - Island, Galapagos Islands. - _Phalacrocorax harrisi_ Galapagos Islands. - _Meleagris americana_ United States. - _Conurus carolinensis_ Southern United States. - _Pseudgryphus californianus_ California. - _Amazona guildingi_ St. Vincent. - _Campephilus principalis_ Southern United States. - _Pyrrhula pyrrhula murina_ Azores. - _Stringops habroptilus_ New Zealand. - _Anthornis melanocephala_ Chatham Islands. - _Gallinago pusilla_ Chatham Islands. - _Thinornis novaezealandiae_ Chatham Islands. - _Amazona augusta_ Dominica. - _Amazona bouqueti_ St. Lucia. - _Amazona versicolor_ Dominica. - _Hemignathus lanaiensis_ Lanai, Sandwich Islands. - -Many of my readers will, I fear, find fault with me for having bestowed -names on a number of forms, known only from fragments of bones, single -bones, or two or three bones. Especially will they, I fear, blame me for -doing this when these forms have been described by other authors who have -refrained from giving names. My reasons for doing so are very simple: in -such cases as Dr. Parker's species which are fully described, but quoted -under the formula _Pachyornis species A_ or _Anomalopteryx species B_, the -danger lies in different authors using the same formula for quite other -species. In the case of others, where an author fears to name a form, but -gives the distinctive characters and quotes only _Casuarius species_ or -_Emeus sp._, unless the author and page are quoted, confusion must arise, -and so in both cases I have thought it easier for reference and also more -concise to name all these forms which have been described or differentiated -without a binomial or trinomial appellation. I have, however, refrained -from doing so in the foregoing list of Pleistocene species in the {xiii} -following eight cases as I was not able to decide anything about them with -the material or literature at my disposal, viz.:-- - - _Phalacrocorax sp._ Lydekker New Zealand. - _Anser sp._ Lydekker England. - _Cygnus sp._ Lydekker Malta. - _Gallus sp._ Lydekker New Zealand. - _Gallus sp._ Lydekker Central Germany. - _Phasianus sp._ Lydekker Germany. - _Perdix sp._ Issel Italy. - _Tetrao sp._ Issel Italy. - - * * * * * - - -{xv} - - LITERATURE REFERRING TO EXTINCT BIRDS. - -No attempt has been made to quote all books in which extinct birds have -been mentioned; not only would that mean a tedious, long work, and a book -in itself, but, the repetitions being so numerous, it would have been of -very little use. On the other hand, I have tried to quote the most -important literature referring to Extinct Birds, and I have specially been -anxious to cite and verify the principal ancient literature. Well known -general works on birds in which extinct species have, of course, also been -mentioned, are, as a rule, not quoted; such as: The 27 volumes of the -Catalogue of Birds; Brisson's Ornithology; Daubenton's, Buffon's and -Montbeillard's works; Latham's Ornithological Writings; Linnaeus' Systema -Naturae in all its editions; Vieillot's writings; popular natural histories -and school books; Brehm's Thierleben in its various editions; Finsch's -Papageien; Gray's and Sharpe's Hand-lists; Dubois' Synopsis Avium, lists of -specimens in Museums, and many others, in which extinct birds are as a -matter of course mentioned. - -Three most complete detailed bibliographies must be named: The -"Bibliography of the Didinae," forming Appendix B. of Strickland's "Dodo -and its Kindred" (1848), the Bibliography of _Alca impennis_ by Wilhelm -Blasius in the new Edition of Naumann, vol. XII, pp. 169-176 (1903), and -the Bibliography referring to the Moas by Hamilton, in the Trans. New -Zealand Institute XXVI and XXVII (1894, 1895). - -Most of the books and pamphlets quoted hereafter are in my library at the -Zoological Museum at Tring, in the ornithological part of which Dr. Hartert -and I have been specially interested for many years. Those books that are -not in my library are marked with an asterisk, but several of these I have -been able to consult in other libraries. - -The chronological order appeared to be best suited to the particular -subject treated of. {xvi} - - 1580 or 90. COLLAERT, ADRIAN. Avium vivae icones, in aes incisae & - editae ab Adriano Collardo. - - (On one of the plates is figured the "Avis Indica." This figure - seems to have been the original of the representations in Dubois' - and Leguat's works.) - - 1601. JACOB CORNELISZ NECK. Het tweede Boek, Journael oft - Dagh-register, inhoudende een warachtig verhael, etc., etc. - Middelburch, Anno 1601. - - (On picture No. 2, page 7, the Dodo is figured and described as - follows: "Desen Voghel de is soo groot als een Swaen, gaven hem de - naem Walchvoghel, want doen wy de leckere Duyfkens ende ande cleyn - ghevoghelte ghenoech vinghen, doen taelden wy niet meer naer desen - Voghel." This appears to be the first mention of the Dodo in - literature.) - - 1605. CLUSIUS. Caroli Clusii Atrebatis ... Exoticorum libri decem: - Quibus Animalium, Plantarum, Aromatum historiae describuntur. Ex - Officina Plantiniana Raphelengii, 1605. - - (On p. 100 van Neck's Dodo is reproduced, on p. 103 the Great Auk, - sub nomine "Mergus Americanus.") - - 1606. DE BRY. Achter Theil der Orientalischen Indien, begreiffend - erstlich ein Histor. Beschr. d. Schiffahrt, so der Adm. Jacob von Neck - ausz Hollandt, etc., etc. Frankf. 1606. - - (Figure and mention of the Dodo.) - - 1619. JACOB CORNELISZ NECK. Historiale Beschryvinghe, Inhoudende een - waerachtich verhael vande veyse ghedaen met acht Schepen van Amsterdam, - etc., etc. Amsterdam, 1619. - - (Evidently another edition of Neck's voyage of 1601. On page 5 and - on Picture No. 2 (page 7), which is the same as in the other - editions of Neck's voyage, the Dodo is described. There is also a - French edition of 1601.) - - 1625. CASTLETON. Purchas his Pilgrimes. In five books. - - (On p. 331, in chapter XV., first mention of the Reunion Dodo.) - - 1626. SIR THOMAS HERBERT. A relation of some years' Travaile. - - (First mention of _Aphanapteryx bonasia_.) - - 1635. NIEREMBERG. Joannis Evsebii Nierembergii ... Historia Naturae, - maxime peregrinae, libris XVI distincta. In quibus rarissima Naturae - arcana, etc., etc., etc. Antverpiae MDCXXXV. - - (Clusius' account and figure of the Dodo reproduced on pp. 231, - 232. On p. 237 the Great Auk ("Goifugel") mentioned). - - *1638 and 1651. CAUCHE. Relations veritables et curieuses de l'isle de - Madagascar. (Two editions.) - - (See _Aphanapteryx bonasia_.) - - 1640. PERE BOUTON. Relation de l'etabl. des Francais dep. 1635, en - l'ile Martinique, l'vne des antilles de l'Amerique. - - (Describes, among other birds, the Aras and Parrots of the island - of Martinique.) - - 1646. BONTEKOE. Journ. of te gedenckw. beschr. van de Ost. Ind. Reyse. - Haarlem 1646. - - (On p. 6 mention of the Reunion Dodo.) - - 1655. WORM. Museum Wormianum. - - (On pp. 300, 301, lib. III, description and figure of a Great Auk - from the Faroe Islands.) - - 1658. HISTOIRE NATURELLE ET MORALE DES ILES ANTILLES DE L'AMERIQUE. - Enrichie de pleusieurs belles figures des Raretez les plus - considerables qui y sont d'ecrites. Avec un vocabulaire caraibe. - Rotterdam 1658. - - (The title-page has no author's name, but according to Pere du - Tertre the author is "Le Sieur de Rochefort, Ministre de - Rotterdam." Contains important notes on former bird-life on the - Antilles.) - - 1665. The same. Second Edition. Rotterdam 1665. {xvii} - - 1658. BONTIUS. Gulielmi Pisonis Medici Amstelaedamensis de Indiae - Utriusque re naturali et medica libri quatuordecim. Third Part: Jacobi - Bontii, medici civitatis Bataviae Novae in Java Ordinarii, Historiae - Natur. et Medici Indiae Orientalis libri sex. - - (On p. 70 an excellent figure of the Dodo. Caput XVII. Appendix: De - Dronte, aliis Dod-aers.) - - 1667. DU TERTRE. Histoire generale des Antilles habitees par les - Francois. Tome II, contenant l'Histoire Naturelle. Paris 1667. - - (On p. 246. Traite V. Des animaux de l'air. s. I, Les Arras. s. II, - Des Perroquets. s. III, Des Perriques.) - - 1668. HISTORISCHE BESCHREIBUNG DER ANTILLEN INSELN IN AMERICA GELEGEN. - In sich begreiffend deroselben Gelegenheit, darinnen befindl. naturl. - Sachen, sampt deren Einwohner Sitten und Gebrauchen. Von dem Herrn de - Rochefort, zum zweiten mahl in Franzosischer sprach an den Tag gegeben, - nunmehr aber in die Teutsche ubersetzet. Frankfurt 1668. - - (Translation of the second edition of Rochefort's book.) - - *1668. CARRE, Voyage des Indes Orientales. - - (Page 12 the "Solitaire." Cf. _Didus solitarius_.) - - 1668. J. MARSHALL. Memorandums concerning India. - - (In the article on Mauritius occurs a mention of Geese.) - - 1674. PERE DUBOIS. Les Voyages faits par le Sieur D.B. aux Isles - Dauphine ou Madagascar, et Bourbon, ou Mascarenne, es annees - 1669-70-71-72. - - (Of this extremely rare work I possess a beautiful copy, together - with the map of Sanson belonging to it.) - - (On p. 168 we find "Description de quelques Oyseaux de l'Isle de - Bourbon," with figures of the "Geant" and "Solitaire.") - - 1696. THEVENOT, M. MELCHISEDEC. Relations de divers voyages curieux qui - nont point este' publie'es. Nouvelle Edition. Vol. I, II, 1696. - - (A very interesting collection of ancient voyages, translated into - French. In Vol. II is a translation of Bontekoe's travels to the - "East Indies," with figures of the Dodo and other interesting - notes.) - - 1707. LEGUAT, FRANCOIS. Voyages et Avantures de Francois Leguat, et de - ses Compagnons, en deux Isles desertes des Indes Orientales. Londres - 1707. - - 1708. LEGUAT, FRANCIS. A New Voyage to the East Indies by Francis - Leguat and his companions. Containing their adventures in two desert - islands. London 1708. - - (Valuable notes on the birds of Rodriguez and Mauritius.) - - 1707. SLOANE, HANS. A Voyage to the islands Madera, Barbados, Nieves, - S. Christofers and Jamaica, with the Natural History of the Herbs and - Trees, four-footed Beasts, Fishes, Insects, Birds, Reptiles, etc. Vol. - I, 1707; vol. II, 1725. - - (Gives most valuable notes on the birds, including the Goatsucker, - _Aestrelata_ and Parrots.) - - 1722. LABAT, JEAN BAPTISTE. Nouveau Voyage aux Iles de l'Amerique - contenant l'histoire naturelle de ces pays. Paris 1722. 6 vols. - - (In Vol. II, chapter VIII, the different species of Parrots are - described, and it is stated that each island had three kinds, viz., - an "Aras," a "Perroquet" and a "Perrique," evidently meaning a - Macaw, an Amazona and a Conurus.) - - 1742. Nouvelle Edition. 8 vols. - - {xviii} 1752. MOEHRING. Avium Genera. - - (In this ominous work, which, through an article by Poche in Zool. - Anz. 1904, has recently caused so much quite unnecessary - disturbance among nomenclatorists--cf. Hartert, Zool. Anz. 1904, p. - 154, and Proc. IV. Int. Orn. Congress, pp. 276-283. The Dodo is - mentioned under the name "Raphus.") - - 1763. L'ABBE DE LA CAILLE. Journal Historique du Voyage fait au Cap de - Bonne-esperance. - - (Some birds from Mauritius mentioned, but no descriptions.) - - 1773. VOYAGE A L'ISLE DE FRANCE, a l'isle de Bourbon, au Cap de Bonne - Esperance, etc. Avec des observations nouvelles sur la nature et sur - les hommes. Par un officier du roi. Neuchatel 1773. - - 1775. A voyage to the island of Mauritius, etc. By a French Officer. - (Translation of the above). - - (Lettre IX, page 67, treats of the "Animals natural to the isle of - France.") - - 1782. SONNERAT. Voyage aux iles orientales et a la Chine. Two volumes, - 1782. - - (In Volume II, on plate 101, opposite page 176, the extinct - _Alectroenas nitidissima_ is figured, under the name of "Pigeon - hollandais.") - - *1783 (?) CALLAM. Voyage Botany Bay. - - (According to Gray _Notornis alba_ is mentioned under the name of - "White Gallinule.") - - 1786. SPARRMANN. Museum Carlsonianum I. - - (On pl. 23 _Pomarea nigra_ Sparrm.) - - 1789. G. DIXON. Voyage round the World. - - (On p. 357 is note and figure of the extinct _Moho apicalis_, under - the name of the "Yellow-tufted Bee-eater.") - - 1789. BROWNE, PATRICK. The Civil and Natural History of Jamaica. - - 1789. THE VOYAGE OF GOVERNOR PHILLIP to Botany Bay, etc. London 1789. - - (Among other interesting birds _Notornis stanleyi_ is figured on - the plate opposite p. 273.) - - 1790. J. WHITE. Journal of a Voyage to New South Wales with sixty-five - Plates of Nondescript Animals, Birds, Lizards, Serpents, etc. London - MDCCXC. - - (I have a copy with black and white, and another with coloured - plates. _Notornis alba_.) - - 1804. HERMANN. Observationes Zoolog. - - (On page 125 the extinct Bourbon _Palaeornis_ is described as - _Psittacus semirostris_.) - - 1807. M. F. PERON. Voyage de decouvertes aux terres australes, execute - par ordre de Sa Majeste l'Empereur et Roi, etc., etc. 2 vols. 1807 and - 1816 and Atlas. - - (On p. 467 is described the Little Emu from Kangaroo Island, which - I have named _Dromaius peronii_, in honour of its discoverer, - Francois Peron. A memoir of this extraordinary and admirable man's - short and brilliant life will be found in Vol. VI of the - "Naturalist's Library," Edinburgh, 1843.) - - 1810. ANDRE PIERRE LEDRU. Voyage aux iles de Teneriffe, la Trinite, - Saint-Thomas, Sainte-Croix et Porto-Ricco, execute par ordre du - Gouvern. francais, etc., etc. Two volumes, 1810. - - (In Vol. II, page 39, are mentioned various birds as occurring on - the Danish West-Indian Islands, which are not found there at - present. "Un todier, nomme vulgairement perroquet de terre" and - seven species of Humming-Birds!) - - *1826. BLOXAM. Voyage of the Blonde. - - (See _Phaeornis oahensis_, _Loxops coccinea rufa_. Also interesting - notes on other Sandwich-Islands Birds.) - - 1827. PALLAS. Zoogr. Rosso-Asiat. II p. 305: _Phalacrocorax - perspicillatus_, the now extinct Cormorant from Bering Island. - - {xix} 1830. QUOY ET GAIMARD. Voy. Astrolabe, Zool. I p. 242 pl. 24. - - (_Coturnix novaezealandiae_ described.) - - 1830. KITTLITZ. Memoires Acad. Sc. Petersburg I. - - (Kittlitz describes _Turdus terrestris_ and _Fringilla papa_.) - - *1838. POLACK. New Zealand. - - (First mention of Moas.) - - *1838. DON DE NAVARETTE. Rel. Quat. voy. Christ. - - 1838. LICHTENSTEIN. Abhandl. K. Akademie d. Wissenschaften p. 448, - plate V. - - (_Hemignathus ellisianus_--sub nomine _obscurus_--and _Hemignathus - lucidus_ described.) - - 1843. DIEFFENBACH'S Travels in New Zealand, 1843. Appendix, Birds, by - J. E. Gray. On page 197 _Rallus dieffenbachii_ described. - - 1843. OWEN. P.Z.S. 1843, p. 1., letter read from Rev. W. C. Cotton, - mentioning remains of gigantic birds in New Zealand, p. 8 the name - _Dinornis novaezealandiae_ given to the first Moa-bones exhibited. - - 1846. In the "VOYAGE OF EREBUS AND TERROR," Birds, Gray describes and - figures _Nesolimnas dieffenbachii_. - - 1847. GOSSE. Birds of Jamaica. - - (Cf. _Ara erythrocephala_, _Siphonorhis americanus_ and other - Jamaican birds.) - - 1848. EDM. DE SELYS-LONGCHAMPS. Resume concern, les Oiseaux brevipennes - mentionnes dans l'ouvrage de M. Strickland sur le Dodo. - - In Rev. Zool. 1848, pp. 292-295. - - 1848. STRICKLAND AND MELVILLE. The Dodo and its kindred; or the - history, affinities, and Osteology of the Dodo, Solitaire, and other - extinct birds of the islands Mauritius, Rodriguez and Bourbon. London - 1848. - - (141 pages and 15 plates.) - - *1848. PEALE. U.S. Expl. Exp. Birds. - - (On p. 147, pl. XL, is described and figured the extinct - _Chaetoptila augustipluma_, under the name of _Entomiza - augustipluma_. This work is not available, as only 3 or 4 copies - exist of it, but see: - - CASSIN. U.S. Expl. Exp. Mamm. and Orn. p. p. 148 pl. XI (1858). - - 1851. IS. GEOFFROY-SAINT-HILAIRE. Notice sur des ossements et des oeufs - trouves a Madagascar dans les alluvions modernes, et provenant d'un - oiseau gigantesque. - - In Annales des Scienc. Naturelles, 13 serie. Zoologie, tome 40. - - (This volume is dated "1850," but the above article is said to have - been read before the Academy on January 27, 1851, therefore the - date of publication must be rather 1851 than 1850.) - - 1854. H. SCHLEGEL. Ook een woordje over den Dodo en zijne verwanten. - - In: Verslagen en Mededeelingen der Koninglijke Akademie der - Wetenschappen, Afdeel. Naturkunde, Deel II, p. 254. - - 1857. JAPETUS STEENSTRUP. Bidrag til Geirfuglens Naturhistorie, etc. - - In: Naturh. Forening. Vidensk. Meddel. for 1855, Nos. 3-7. - - (The first history and bibliography of the Great Auk.) - - 1858. H. SCHLEGEL. Over eenige uitgestorvene reusachtige Vogels van de - Mascarenhas-eilanden. (Een tegenhanger tot zijne geschiedenis der - Dodo's.) - - In: Verslagen en Mededeelingen der Koninglijke Akademie van - Wetenschappen, Afdeel. Naturkunde, Deel VII, pp. 116-128. - - (_Leguatia gigantea_, _Porphyrio (Notornis?) caerulescens_.) - - {xx} 1860. A. V. PELZELN. Zur Ornithologie der Insel Norfolk. - - In: Sitzungsberichte der Mathemat. Naturwiss. Cl. Akademie Wien Bd. - XLI, No. 15, pp. 319-332. (Mit 1 Tafel.) - - (Lengthy account of _Nestor norfolcensis_, from Bauer's Manuscript, - _Notornis alba_, etc.) - - 1861. ALFRED NEWTON. Abstract of Mr. Wolley's Researches in Iceland - respecting the Gare-fowl. - - In Ibis, 1861, pp. 374-399. - - 1862. W. J. BRODERIP. Notice of an Original Painting, including a - figure of the Dodo. - - In Trans. Zool. Soc. London IV, p. 197. - - 1862. WILLIAM PREYER. Ueber _Plautus impennis_. - - In Journ. f. Orn. 1862, pp. 110-124, 337-356. - - 1865. ALFRED NEWTON. The Gare-fowl and its Historians. - - In Natural Hist. Review XII (1865), pp. 467-488; id. in Encylcl. - Britannica Ed. IX, Vol. III; id. Dict. Birds, p. 220-221. - - 1866. OWEN. _Psittacus mauritianus_ named, in Ibis p. 168; also - mentioned in Trans. Zool. Soc. VI, p. 53, 1866. - - (See _Lophopsittacus_.) - - 1866-1873. ALPH. MILNE-EDWARDS. Recherches sur la Faune Ornithologique - Eteinte des iles Mascareignes et de Madagascar. Paris 1866-1873. - - (With 37 plates. This volume consists of reprints of the author's - articles on the subject in French periodicals, though not a word of - this is mentioned. To the plates originally issued with the - articles, several new ones are added.) - - 1867. ALFRED NEWTON. On a Picture supposed to represent the Didine Bird - of the Island of Bourbon (Reunion). - - In Trans. Zool. Soc. London VI, pp. 373-376. Plate 62. - - 1867. GEORGE DAWSON ROWLEY. On the Egg of _Aepyornis_, the Colossal - Bird of Madagascar. - - In Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1867, pp. 892-895. - - 1868. FRAUENFELD, GEORGE RITTER VON. Neu aufgefundene Abbildung des - _Dronte_ und eines zweiten kurzflugligen Vogels, wahrscheinlich des - poule rouge au bec de becasse der Maskarenen, in der Privatbibliothek - S.M. des verstorbenen Kaisers Franz. Wien 1868. Mit 4 Tafeln. - - 1868. SCHLEGEL & POLLEN. Mammiferes et Oiseaux, in: Pollen et von Dam, - Recherches sur la faune de Madagascar et de ses dependances. Leyde - 1868. - - 1868. OWEN, on Moas in Trans. Zool. Soc. London, VI. - - (_Dinornis maximus_ established.) - - *1868. H. C. MILLIES. Over eene nieuw ontdekte afbeelding van den Dodo. - - In: Verhandelingen der Koningl. Akad. d. Wetenschappen, Deel XI, - Amsterdam 1868. - - 1869. OWEN. On the osteology of the Dodo. - - In: Trans. Zool. Soc. London VI, 1869, p. 70. - - 1869. ELLIOT. New and heretofore unfig. sp. N. American Birds. - - (In Vol. II, part 14, No. 3, the now extinct _Carbo perspicillatus_ - from Bering Island figured.) - - {xxi} 1872. F. W. HUTTON. On the Microscopical structure of the - Egg-shell of the Moa. - - In Trans. & Proceed. New Zealand Inst. IV, pp. 166-167, with - illustrations. - - 1872. F. W. HUTTON. Notes on some Birds from the Chatham Islands, - collected by H. H. Travers, Esq. - - In Ibis 1872, pp. 243-250. - - (_Miro traversi_ and _Sphenoeacus rufescens_ (_Bowdleria rufescens_ - of this book) only found on Mangare. First description of "_Rallus - modestus_" (_Cabalus modestus_), "_Rallus dieffenbachi_" already - extinct.) - - 1872. J. HECTOR. On Recent Moa Remains in New Zealand. - - In Trans. and Proc. N. Zealand Inst. IV, p. 110. - - 1872. JULIUS HAAST. Notes on Harpagornis Moorei. - - In Trans. and Proc. N. Zealand Inst. IV, p. 192. - - 1873. A. V. PELZELN. On the Birds in the Imperial Collection at Vienna - obtained from the Leverian Museum. - - In Ibis 1873, pp. 14-54, 103-124. - - (Most important notes on some of Latham's types. Cf. _Drepanis - pacifica_, _Platycercus ulietanus_, _Notornis alba_.) - - 1873. CHRISTMANN UND OBERLANDER. Ozeanien. - - (On pages 138-144 a popular account and wood cuts--from Brehm's - Thierleben--of Moas and other Gigantic Birds.) - - 1873. BULLER. The Birds of New Zealand. - - 1874. A. MILNE-EDWARDS. Recherches sur la faune ancienne des iles - Mascareignes. - - In Ann. Sciences naturelles ser. V, Tome XIX, article 3 - (_Erythromachus_, _Strix murivora_, _Columba rodericana_, etc.) - - 1875. ROWLEY. _Porphyrio Stanleyi_. - - In Ornith. Miscell. I, pp. 37-48, plate. - - 1875. HUTTON. Description of the Moa Swamp at Hamilton. - - In Trans. & Proc. N. Zealand Inst. VII, p. 123, pl. V. - - 1875. HUTTON & COUGHTREY. Description of some Moa Remains from the - Knobby Ranges. - - In Trans. & Proc. N. Zealand Inst. VII, p. 266, pl. XIX. - - 1875. ALFRED NEWTON. P.Z.S. 1875, p. 350: the name _Lophopsittacus_ - established. - - 1875. HUTTON. On the Dimensions of Dinornis bones. - - In Trans. & Proc. N. Zealand Inst. VII, p. 274. - - 1875. JULIUS VON HAAST. Researches and Excavations on, in and near the - Moa-bone Point Cave, Sumner Road, in the year 1872. - - In Trans. and Proceed. New Zealand Institute VII, pp. 54-85, pls. - I, II. - - *1875. VAN BENEDEN. Journ. Zool. IV, p. 267. - - (Description of _Anas finschi_.) - - 1876. A. & E. NEWTON. On the Psittaci of the Mascarene Islands. - - In Ibis 1876, pp. 281-288, plate VI. - - 1876. TOMMASO SALVADORI. Nota intorno al _Fregilupus varius_. - - In: Atti della Reale Accademia delle Scienze di Torino, Vol. XI, - pp. 482-488. - - 1877. G. D. ROWLEY. On the Extinct Birds of the Mascarene Islands. - - In Orn. Miscell. II, pp. 124-133, plates LII, LIII. - - {xxii} 1878. G. D. ROWLEY. Remarks on the Extinct Gigantic Birds of - Madagascar and New Zealand. - - In Ornith. Miscell. III, pp. 237-247, pls. CXII-CXV. - - 1879. DOLE. List of Birds of the Hawaiian Islands. Corrected from the - Hawaiian Almanack. - Reprint: Ibis 1881, p. 241. - - (_Pennula millsi_, _Ciridops anna_.) - - 1879. OWEN, RICHARD. Memoirs on the Extinct Wingless Birds of New - Zealand; with an Appendix on those of England, Australia, Newfoundland, - Mauritius and Rodriguez. - - (Memoirs on the _Dinornithidae_, their bones, eggs, integument and - plumage, _Notornis_, _Aptornis_, _Cnemiornis_, _Alca impennis_, - _Didus_ and _Pezophaps_. With many wood-cuts and plates.) - - (See also Owen's articles in Trans. Zool. Soc. London III, IV, VI, - X, XI.) - - 1879. GUNTHER AND E. NEWTON, on _Aphanapteryx leguati_ in Philosophical - Transactions. Vol. 168, pp. 431-432, pl. XLIII. - - 1879. W. A. FORBES. On the systemat. position and scientific name of - "Le Perroquet mascarin" of Brisson. - - In Ibis 1879, p. 303. - - 1884. WILHELM BLASIUS. Zur Geschichte von _Alca impennis_. - - In Journ. f. Orn. 1884, pp. 58-176. - - (The most accurate and complete list--till 1884--of specimens of - _Alca impennis_.) - - 1885. A. B. MEYER. _Notornis hochstetteri_. - - In: Zeitschr. ges. Orn. II, p. 45, pl. I. - - 1885. SYMINGTON GRIEVE. The Great Auk or Garefowl. Its History, - Archaeology, and Remains. London 1885. - - 1897. Id.: Supplementary note on the Great Auk; in Trans. Edinburgh - Field Nat. Soc. 1897, pp. 238-273. - - 1886. December. JULIUS VON HAAST. On _Megalapteryx hectori_, a new - Gigantic Species of Apterygian Bird. - - In Trans. Zool. Soc. London XII, p. 161, pl. XXX. - - 1887. HENRY SEEBOHM. The Geographical Distribution of the family - _Charidriidae_. - - (Plates of _Prosobonia leucoptera_ and _Aechmorhynchus - cancellata_.) - - 1888. BULLER. A History of the Birds of New Zealand. - - In two volumes. Second Edition. (See 1873.) - - 1889. SIR EDWARD NEWTON. Presidential address. - - In Trans. Norfolk and Norwich Natural. Society IV, pp. 540-547. - - 1889. A. DE QUATREFAGES. Nouvelle Preuve de l'Extinction recente des - Moas. - - In: Le Naturaliste 1889, p. 117. - - 1889. F. C. NOLL. Die Veranderung in der Vogelwelt im Laufe der Zeit. - - In: Bericht uber die Senckenberg. Naturf. Gesellsch. in - Frankf.-a.-M. 1887-1888, pp. 77-142. - - 1890. STEJNEGER AND LUCAS. Contributions to the History of Pallas' - Cormorant. With plates II-IV. - - In Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. XII, pp. 83-94. - - 1890-99. SCOTT B. WILSON & EVANS. Aves Hawaiienses: The Birds of the - Sandwich Islands. With numerous plates. - - 1891. RICHARD LYDEKKER. Catalogue of the Fossil Birds in the British - Museum. London 1891. - - (Pages I-XXVII, 1-368. With 75 figures in the text.) - - {xxiii} - - 1891. FREDERIC A. LUCAS. Animals recently extinct or threatened with - extermination, as represented in the collection of the U.S. National - Museum. - - In Report of the Smithson Inst. (U.S. Nat. Mus.) 1889 (1891!), pp. - 609-649, pls. XCV-CV. - - (An account of some of the larger animals which have become extinct - within historic times, or are threatened with extinction, with - reasons suggested for their disappearance.) - - 1891. HARTERT. Katalog der Vogelsammlung im Museum der Senchenberg. - Naturf. Ges. Frankfurt-a-M. - - (_Alca impennis_, _Turdus terrestris_, _Chaunoproctus - ferreorostris_, _Hemiphaga spadicea_ mentioned.) - - 1891. WILL. DUTCHER. The Labrador Duck. A revised list of the extant - specimens in North America, with some historical notes. - - In Auk 1891, pp. 301-316, pl. 2. - - 1894. WILL. DUTCHER. The Labrador Duck. With additional data respecting - extant specimens. - - In Auk 1894, pp. 4-12. - - 1892. FORBES, H. O. Preliminary Notice of Additions to the Extinct - Avifauna of New Zealand (Abstract). - - In Trans. and Proceed. New Zealand Inst. Vol. XXIV, pp. 185-189. - - (The editors say that the paper is published in abstract, as it had - been impossible to prepare the drawings for its illustrations in - time.--It is a most pitiful and unscientific proceeding to publish - such preliminary abstracts containing insufficiently founded names - and complete "nomina nuda" without publishing a fuller account; - such, as far as I know, has never appeared.) - - 1892. H. O. FORBES. _Aphanapteryx_ and other remains in the Chatham - Islands. - - In Nature, Vol. XLVI, p. 252. - - (Short notes on avian remains which, unfortunately, were never - properly studied afterwards.) - - 1892. HUTTON. The Moas of New Zealand. - - In Trans. and Proceed. New Zealand Institute Vol. XXIV, pp. 93-172, - pls. XV-XVII. - - 1892. HAMILTON. Notes on Moa Gizzard-stones, t.c. p. 172. - - 1892. HAMILTON. On the genus _Aptornis_, t.c. pp. 175-184. - - 1892. HARTLAUB. Vier seltene Rallen. - - In: Abhandl. d. Naturwiss. Vereins zu Bremen XII. - - 1893. H. O. FORBES. A List of the Birds inhabiting the Chatham Islands. - - In Ibis 1893, pp. 521-546. - - (Notes on the living and extinct forms. The genus _Palaeolimnas_ - established. Egg of _Cabalus modestus_ figured, etc.) - - 1893. W. W. SMITH. Notes on certain species of New Zealand Birds. - - In Ibis 1893, pp. 509-520. - - (Methods of colonization and their disastrous results to the birds - described.) - - 1893. MILNE-EDWARDS & OUSTALET. Notice sur quelques especes d'oiseaux - actuellement eteintes qui se trouvent representees dans les collections - du museum d'histoire naturelle. In: Centenaire de la fondation du - museum d'histoire naturelle. Volume commemoratif publie par les - professeurs du Museum. Pp. 189-252, pls. I-V. - - (Only 6 species: _Mascarinus mascarinus_, _Alectroenas - nitidissima_, _Alca impennis_, _Fregilupus varius_, _Camptolaemus - labradorius_, _Dromaius_ "_ater_," but these beautifully figured - and masterly described and discussed.) - - 1893. SIR E. NEWTON AND GADOW. On additional Bones of the Dodo and - other Extinct Birds of Mauritius obtained by Mr. Theodore Sauzier. - - In Trans. Zool. Soc. London XIII, pp. 281-302. Pls. XXXIII-XXXVII. - - (_Strix sauzieri_, _Astur alphonsi_, _Butorides mauritianus_, - _Plotus nanus_, _Sarcidiornis mauritianus_, _Anas theodori_, etc.) - - {xxiv} 1893. A. DE QUATREFAGES. The Moas and Moa-hunters. - - In Trans. and Proceed. New Zealand Inst. XXV, pp. 17-49. - - (Translation of the French article which appeared in the Nos. for - June and July of the "Journal des Savants" by Laura Buller.) - - 1893. PARKER. On the classification and mutual relations of the - _Dinornithidae_. By T. J. Parker. - - In Trans. and Proc. New Zealand Inst. XXV, pp. 1-6, pls. I-III. - - 1893. F. W. HUTTON. New Species of Moas. - - In Trans. and Proc. New Zealand Inst. Vol. XXV, pp. 6-13. - - (_Dinornis strenuus_, _Anomalopteryx fortis_, _Euryapteryx - compacta_, _Pachyornis inhabilis_, _P. valgus_.) - - 1893. F. W. HUTTON. On _Anomalopteryx antiqua_. T.c. p. 14, pl. IV. - - *1893. R. BURCKHARDT, in Palaontolog. Abhandl. VI, Heft 2, pp. 127-145, - Taf. 1-4. - - (_Aepyornis_.) - - 1893. H. O. FORBES. The Moas of New Zealand. - - In Natural Science II, pp. 374-380. - - 1893. A. HAMILTON. On the Fissures and Caves at the Castle Rocks, - Southland; with a description of the remains of the Existing and - Extinct Birds found in them. - - (In Trans. and Proceed. New Zealand Inst. XXV, pp. 88-106; with - figures.) - - 1893. A. NEWTON. "Extermination." In A Dictionary of Birds. - - (See also in Encyclopaedia Britannica.) - - 1893-1900. WALTER ROTHSCHILD. The Avifauna of Laysan and the - Neighbouring Islands: with a complete history to date of the Birds of - the Hawaiian Possessions. London 1893-1900. With numerous plates. - - (Account and coloured plates of the extinct birds of Oahu and - Hawaii.) - - 1894. MILNE-EDWARDS ET GRANDIDIER. Observations sur les _Aepyornis_ de - Madagascar. - - In: Comptes Rendus hebd. des Seances de l'Acad. d. Sciences, Paris, - Vol. CXVIII, Part I, pp. 122-127. - - 1894. J. PARKER. Notes on Three Moa-Skulls. - - In Trans. and Proc. N. Zealand Inst. XXVI, p. 223. - - 1894. HAMILTON. On Avian Remains in Southland. - - In Trans. and Proc. N. Zealand Inst. XXVI, p. 226. - - 1894. HAMILTON. Materials for a Bibliography of the _Dinornithidae_. - - In Trans. and Proc. N. Zealand Inst. XXVI, pp. 229-257. - - (A careful list to which I refer my readers.) - - 1895. C. W. ANDREWS. On some remains of Aepyornis in the Hon. Walter - Rothschild's Museum at Tring. - - In: Novitates Zoologicae II, pp. 23-25. - - 1895. HAMILTON. Further contributions towards a Bibliography of the - Moas. - - In Trans. and Proc. N. Zealand Inst. XXVII, p. 228-232. - - 1895. JEFFERY PARKER. On the Cranial Osteology, Classification, and - Phylogeny of the Dinornithidae. - - In Trans. Zool. Soc. London Vol. XIII, pp. 373-431, pls. LVI-LXII. - - {xxv} 1895. HAMILTON. On the Feathers of a small Moa. - - In Trans. and Proc. N. Zealand Inst. XXVII, pp. 232-238. - - *1895. C. W. ANDREWS. On Aepyornis bones, etc., in Geological Magazine - 1895. - - 1896. HUTTON. On a deposit of Moa-bones at Kapua. - - In Trans. and Proc. N. Zealand Inst. XXVIII, p. 627. Id. On the - Moa-bones from Enfield, t.c. p. 645. - - 1896. C. W. ANDREWS. On the Extinct Birds of the Chatham Islands. - - In Novit Zoolog. III, p. 73-84 and 260-271. - - (_Diaphorapteryx hawkinsi_, _Palaeolimnas chathamensis_, - _Nesolimnas dieffenbachii_.) - - 1896. G. HARTLAUB. Ein Beitrag zur Geschichte der ausgestorbenen Vogel - der Neuzeit, sowie derjenigen, deren Fortbestehen bedroht erscheint. - - In: Abhandl. d. Naturwiss. Vereins gn. Bremen XIV Band, 1 Heft. - - (Also: Second edition of the same, printed as manuscript, with a - few alterations and additions.) - - (The most useful, comprehensive pamphlet on recently extinct - birds.) - - 1897. ANDREWS. On some fossil remains of Carinate Birds from Central - Madagascar. - - In Ibis 1897, pp. 343-359, pls. VIII and IX. - - 1897. H. O. FORBES. On an apparently new, and supposed to be now - extinct, species of Bird from the Mascarene Islands, provisionally - referred to the genus _Necropsar_. With plate. - - In Bull. Liverpool Museums, I, p. 34, pl. Sturn. I (_Necropsar - leguati_). - - 1897. FORBES AND ROBINSON. Note on Two Species of Pigeon, t.c. p. 35. - - (_Hemiphaga spadicea_.) - - (On pl. I of the same vol. is figured _Nestor norfolcensis_. See p. - 5.) - - 1900. W. WOLTERSTORFF. Ausgestorbene Riesenvogel. Vortrag, gehalten im - Naturwissenschaftlichen Verein zu Magdeburg. Mit zwei Abbildungen. - Stuttgart. Verlag von E. Nagele. - - 1900. A. MERTENS. Die Moas im Naturwissenschaftl. Museum zu Magdeburg. - Mit 2 Abbildungen. - - In: Jahresbericht Naturwiss. Vereins zu Magdeburg fur 1898-1900. - (Pp. 1-24 in separate copy.) - - 1901. W. A. BRYAN. Key to the Birds of the Hawaiian group. - - 1902. WALTER ROTHSCHILD AND ERNST HARTERT. Further notes on the fauna - of the Galapagos Islands. - - In Nov. Zool. 1902, pp. 381-418; cf. also Nov. Zool. 1899, pp. 154, - 163. - - (_Geospiza magnirostris_ and _dentirostris_.) - - 1902. H. W. HENSHAW. Birds of the Hawaiian Islands, being a complete - list of the Birds of the Hawaiian Possessions, with notes on their - habits. Honolulu 1902. - - 1903. GRAHAM RENSHAW. The Black Emu. - - In: Zoologist 1903, pp. 81-88. - - 1903. WILHELM BLASIUS. Der Riesenalk, _Alca impennis_ L. In the New - Edition of Naumann called "Naumann, Naturgeschichte der Vogel - Mitteleuropas" (sic), vol. XII, pp. 169-208, pls. 17, 17A-17D, 1903. - - (Among others the most complete bibliography and very detailed - descriptions.) - - 1903. FLEMING, J. H. On the Passenger Pigeon. - - In Auk 1903, p. 66. - - {xxvi} - - 1903. M. GUILLAUME GRANDIDIER. Contribution a l'etude de l'Epiornis de - Madagascar. - - In: Comptes Rendus des Seances de l'Acad. Sc., Paris 1903 (pp. 1-3 - in separate copy.) - - 1903. G. GRANDIDIER. Note au sujet du squelette de l'_Aepyornis - ingens_. - - In Bull. Mus. Paris 1903, pp. 318-323, with figures. - - 1903. PAUL CARIE. Observations sur quelques oiseaux de l'ile Maurice. - - In Ornis XII, p. 121-128. - - (We are informed that neither _Palaeornis echo_--sub nomine - _eques_--nor _Nesoenas mayeri_ are extinct.) - - 1905. A. H. CLARK. Extirpated West Indian Birds. - - In Auk 1905, pp. 259-266. - - 1905. A. H. CLARK. The Lesser Antillean Macaws. - - In Auk 1905, pp. 266-273. - - 1905. A. H. CLARK. The West Indian Parrots. - - In Auk 1905, pp. 337-344. - - 1905. A. H. CLARK. The Greater Antillean Macaws. - - In Auk 1905, pp. 345-348. - - 1905-1906. SIR WALTER BULLER. Supplement to the "Birds of New Zealand." - Two volumes. - - (Though containing very interesting notes on extinct and threatened - birds, these two volumes are rather disappointing. They contain - very little that is new, and are mainly composed of quotations from - other people's writings or letters. Buller's former great book on - the Birds of New Zealand was a most important and creditable work, - though not without shortcomings. Our knowledge of New Zealand Birds - might have been brought up to date in his supplement, but we cannot - say that this has been done properly, and errors are frequent.) - - 1906. BALDWIN SPENCER. The King Island Emu. - - In The Victorian Naturalist XXIII (1906), pp. 139, 140. - - (_Dromaius minor_ described.) - - 1907. WALTER ROTHSCHILD. On Extinct and Vanishing Birds. A short Essay - on the Birds which have presumably become extinct within the last 500 - years, and also of those birds which are on the verge of extinction, - including a few which, though not yet so far gone, are threatened with - extinction in the near future. - - In Proceed, of the IV Intern. Ornith. Congress, London 1905, pp. - 191-217. - - * * * * * - - -{xxvii} - - LIST OF PLATES. - - 1. _Fregilupus varius_. From the plate in the "Volume Centenaire," - Mus. Hist. Naturelle, Paris. - - 2. 1. _Foudia bruante_. From the figure in Daubenton's work. - - 2. _Necropsar rodericanus_. Made up from description. - - 3. _Necropsar leguati_. From the type specimen in Liverpool. - - 3. 1. _Geospiza magnirostris_. From the type specimen in London. - - 2. _Geospiza strenua_. Head. From specimen at Tring. - - 3. _Nesoenas mayeri_. From specimen in the British Museum. - - 4. _Chaunoproctus ferreorostris_ [male] [female]. From the pair in - the British Museum. - - 4. 1. _Hemignathus ellisianus_. After a drawing from the type in the - Berlin Museum. - - 2. _Heterorhynchus lucidus_. From a specimen in the Paris Museum. - - 3. _Psittirostra psittacea deppei_. From the type in the Tring - Museum. - - 4. _Ciridops anna_. From a specimen in the Tring Museum. - - 4A. 1. _Moho apicalis_. From specimen in the Tring Museum. - - 2. _Chaetoptila angustipluma_. From specimen in the Tring Museum. - - 5. 1. _Miro traversi_. From skin in the Tring Museum. - - 2. _Traversia lyalli_ [male] and [female]. From the type specimens - in the Tring Museum. - - 3. _Bowdleria rufescens_. From a skin in the Tring Museum. - - 5A. _Siphonorhis americanus_. From skin in the British Museum. - - 6. 1. _Nestor norfolcensis_. From the plate in the Bulletin of the - Liverpool Museum. - - 2. Head of _Nestor productus_. From a specimen in the Tring Museum. - - 7. _Lophopsittacus mauritianus_. From ancient drawing and description. - - 8. _Necropsittacus borbonicus_. From a description. - - 9. _Mascarinus mascarinus_. From the drawing in the Volume - commemoratif, Centenaire Mus. Paris. - - 10. _Ara tricolor_. From specimen in the Liverpool Museum. {xxviii} - - 11. _Ara gossei_. From Gosse's description. - - 12. _Ara erythrocephala_. From Gosse's description. - - 13. _Anadorhynchus purpurascens_. From description. - - 14. _Ara martinicus_. From description. - - 15. _Ara erythrura_. From description. - - 16. _Conurus labati_. From description. - - 17. _Amazona violaceus_. From description. - - 18. _Amazona martinicana_. From description. - - 19. _Palaeornis exsul_. From the plate in the "Ibis." - - 20. _Palaeornis wardi_. From the plate in the "Ibis." - - 21. _Hemiphaga spadicea_. From the specimen in the Tring Museum. - - 22. _Alectroenas nitidissima_. From the plate in the Volume - commemoratif du Centenaire, Mus. Paris. - - 23. _Pezophaps solitaria_. Made up from descriptions and ancient - drawings. - - 24. _Didus cucullatus_. From drawings. - - 24A. _Didus cucullatus_. See explanation, page 172. - - 24B. _Didus cucullatus_. See explanation, page 172. - - 24C. _Didus cucullatus_. See explanation, page 172. - - 25. _Didus solitarius_. From a picture supposed to be taken from a - living specimen in Amsterdam, but beak and wing restored. - - 25A. _Didus solitarius_. After Dubois' description. - - 25B. 1, 2, 3. _Pezophaps solitarius_. Reproduction of ancient figures, - see page 177. - - 4, 5, 7, 8. _Didus solitarius_. Reproduction of ancient figures, - see page 177. - - {xxix} 26. 1. _Hypotaenidia pacifica_. From Forster's unpublished - drawing in the British Museum. - - 2. _Pennula sandwichensis_. From the unique specimen in the Leyden - Museum. - - 3. _Pennula millsi_. From skin in the Tring Museum. - - 27. _Nesolimnas dieffenbachi_. From the unique specimen in the British - Museum. - - 28. 1. _Cabalus modestus_. From skin in the Tring Museum. - - 2. _Coturnix novaezealandiae_. From skin in the Tring Museum. - - 29. _Aphanapteryx bonasia_. From ancient drawing. - - 30. _Erythromachus leguati_. Made up from ancient outline figure and - description. - - 31. _Leguatia gigantea_. Made up from ancient figures and descriptions. - - 32. _Apterornis coerulescens_. From description. - - 33. _Notornis alba_. From the plate in "Ibis," 1873. - - 34. _Notornis hochstetteri_. From the plate in the Zeitschr. f.d. ges. - Ornithologie. - - 35. 1. _Aechmorhynchus cancellatus_. From the plate in Seebohm's - "Charadriidae." - - 2. _Prosobonia leucoptera_. After the unpublished drawings in the - British Museum, but the artist has not shown the white patch on the - shoulder. - - 36. _Camptolaimus labradorius_. From the two specimens in the Tring - Museum. - - 37. _Aestrelata caribbaea_. From the type specimen in the Dublin - Museum. - - 38. _Alca impennis_. From the stuffed specimen in the Tring Museum. - - 39. _Carbo perspicillatus_. From a specimen in the British Museum. - - 40. _Dromaius peroni_. From the type of the species in the Paris - Museum. - - 41. _Megalapteryx huttoni_. Restored from osteological remains and - feathers. - - 42. _Dinornis ingens_. Restoration from skeleton and some feathers. - - * * * * * - -{1} - - - - PALAEOCORAX FORBES. - -This genus is founded on cranial characters: Basipterygoid processes of -parasphenoid present but rudimentary. The vomer broad, flat, and -three-pointed in front. Maxillaries anchylosed to the premaxillaries, the -latter anchylosed to the expanded ossified base of the nasal septum. The -ossified mesethmoid stretches backward and is lodged in the concavity of -the upper surface of the vomer, so that it presents a form intermediate -between the complete aegithognathous forms, such as _Corvus_, and the -compound aegithognathous forms, such as _Gymnorhina_, in which -desmognathism was superadded by "anchylosis of the inner edge of the -maxillaries with a highly ossified alinasal wall and nasal septum" -(Parker). - - - - PALAEOCORAX MORIORUM (FORBES). - - _Corvus moriorum_ Forbes, Nature XLVI p. 252 (1892). - - _Palaeocorax moriorum_ Forbes, Bull. B.O.C. I p. XXI (1892). - -Dr. Forbes says this bird is of about half the size again of a _Corvus -cornix_. The principal characters are cranial, and the same as those of the -genus. - -Habitat: Chatham Islands, and possibly the Middle Island, New Zealand. - -Many skulls and bones in the Tring Museum. - - - - PALAEOCORAX ANTIPODUM FORBES. - - _Palaeocorax antipodum_ Forbes, Ibis 1893, p. 544. - -This is said to be distinguished from _P. moriorum_ by its considerably -smaller size. Habitat: North Island, New Zealand. - -{3} - - - - FREGILUPUS LESSON. - -Huge crest, bill long and curved. One species, extinct. - - - - FREGILUPUS VARIA (BODD.) - - (PLATE 1.) - - _Huppes ou Callendres_, Voyages du Sieur D.B. (Dubois) aux Iles - Dauphine ou Madagascar, et Bourbon ou Mascarenne, etc., p. 172 - (1674--Bourbon). - - _Huppe du Cap de Bonne Esperance_ Daubenton, Pl. Enl. 697. - - _Huppe noire et blanche du Cap de Bonne Esperance_ Montbeillard, Hist. - Nat. Ois. VI, p. 463 (1779). - - _Madagascar Hoopoe_ Latham, Gen. Syn. B. II pt. I, p. 690 (1783). - - _Upupa varia_ Boddaert, Tabl. Pl. Enl. p. 43 (1783--ex Daubenton). - - _Upupa capensis_ Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, p. 466 (1788--ex Montbeillard). - - _La Huppe grise_ Audebert et Vieillot, Ois. Dor., "Promerops" p. 15 pl. - III (1802). - - _Le Merops huppe_ Levaillant, Hist. Nat. Promerops, etc., p. 43, pl. 18 - (1806). - - _Upupa madagascariensis_ Shaw, Gen. Zool. VIII, pt. I, p. 140 (1812). - - _Coracia cristata_ Vieillot, Nouv. Dict. d'Hist. Nat. VIII, p. 3 - (1817). - - _Pastor upupa_ Wagler, Syst. Avium, Pastor, sp. 13 (1827). - - _Fregilupus borbonicus_ Vinson, Bull. Soc. d'Acclimat 1868, p. 627. - - _Fregilupus varius_ Hartlaub, Vog. Madagasc. p. 203 (1877); Sharpe, - Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XIII p. 194 (1890); Milne-Edwards & Oustalet, - Centenaire Mus. Hist. Nat., p. 205, pl. II (1893). - -As long ago as 1674 a note about the "Huppe" exists, by "Le Sieur D.B.," -_i.e._, Dubois. He says, when describing the birds of Reunion (translated): -"Hoopoes or 'Callendres,' having a white tuft on the head, the rest of the -plumage white and grey, the bill and the feet like a bird of prey; they are -a little larger than the young pigeons; this is another good game (_i.e._, -to eat) when it is fat." - -This description has generally been accepted as referring to the -_Fregilupus_, though that of the bill and feet is then due to an error of -the author, for _Fregilupus_ has the bill and feet of a member of the -_Sturnidae_ or family of Starlings. - -Good descriptions and representations of the "Huppe" have been given in -many places (see literature), but whether they were taken from males or -females is generally not known. The sexes seem to be alike in colour, but -the female is smaller, and has a shorter and straighter bill than the male. -At least, this is the conclusion of Dr. Hartert, who saw the four examples -in the museum at Troyes. As far as he could see through the glass all four -{4} seemed to be adult birds, but two were larger with longer and more -curved bills, two smaller and with shorter and straighter beaks, so that -they are evidently two pairs. - -This bird seems to have become extirpated about the middle of the last -century. The late Monsieur Pollen wrote in 1868 (translated): "This species -has become so rare that one did not hear them mentioned for a dozen years. -It has been destroyed in all the littoral districts, and even in the -mountains near the coast. Trustworthy persons, however, have assured us -that they must still exist in the forests of the interior, near St. Joseph. -The old creoles told me that, in their youth, these birds were still -common, and that they were so stupid that one could kill them with sticks. -They call this bird the "Hoopoe." It is, therefore, not wrong what a -distinguished inhabitant of Reunion, Mr. A. Legras, wrote about this bird -with the following words: "The Hoopoe has become so rare that we have -hardly seen a dozen in our wanderings to discover birds; we were even -grieved to search for it in vain in our museum." - -We are certain that _Fregilupus_ existed still on Reunion in 1835, as -Monsieur Desjardins, living on Mauritius, wrote in a manuscript formerly -belonging to the late Professor Milne-Edwards: "My friend, Marcelin -Sauzier, has sent me four alive from Bourbon in May, 1835. They eat -everything. Two have escaped some months afterwards, and it might well -happen that they will stock our forests." - -It seems, indeed, that specimens were killed in 1837 on Mauritius, where -they did not originally exist. Verreaux shot an example in Reunion in 1832. - -The names "La Huppe du Cap" and "_Upupa madagascariensis_" arose out of the -mistaken notions that this bird lived in South Africa or Madagascar, but we -know now that its real home was Reunion or Bourbon. - - WE ARE AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING SPECIMENS PRESERVED IN COLLECTIONS. - - 2 stuffed ones, one in good, one in bad condition, and two in spirits, - in the Paris Museum. - - 4 stuffed in Troyes. - - 1 stuffed, from the Riocour collection, in the British Museum. - - 1 in the Florence Museum. - - 1 in Turin. - - 1 in Pisa. - - 1, rather poor and old, in Leyden. - - 1 in Stockholm. - - 1 in the Museum at Port Louis, on the island of Mauritius. - - 1 in the collection of the late Baron de Selys Longchamps. - - 1 in Genoa. - -{5} - - - - NECROPSAR GUNTHER & NEWTON. - -The authors state that this genus was very closely allied to _Fregilupus_, -and, besides some minor differences, give as the principal difference the -shorter and less curved bill. - - - - NECROPSAR RODERICANUS GUNTH. & NEWT. - - (PLATE 2, FIG. 2.) - - _Necropsar rodericanus_ Gunther & Newton, Phil. Trans. vol. 168, p. - 427, pl. XLII, figs. A-G (1879). - -The original description given by the anonymous author of the "Relation de -l'Ile Rodrigue" is as follows:--"These birds are a little larger than a -blackbird, and have white plumage, part of the wings and the tail black, -the beak and the legs yellow, and make a wonderful warbling." Our author -also says they inhabited the Islet au Mat, and fed on seabirds' eggs and -dead turtle. - -The bird evidently became extinct on Rodriguez before 1730, and lingered a -little longer on the outlying islets. Only known from bones, mostly -collected by the Rev. H. H. Slater, and the above description. - -Habitat: Rodriguez and neighbouring islets. - -There is one tibia in the Tring Museum. - -The figure is coloured according to the description, while the shape of the -bird is evident from its bones and relation. {6} - - - - NECROPSAR LEGUATI FORBES. - - (PLATE 2, FIG. 3.) - - _Necropsar leguati_ Forbes, Bull. Liverp. Mus. I, p. 34, pl. - _Sturnidae_ I (1897-1898). - -Dr. Forbes' description is as follows:--"General colour white everywhere, -except on the outer webs of distal half of the primaries and secondaries -and the outer webs of the newly moulted and both webs of the unmoulted -rectrices, which are marked with lighter or darker ferruginous." - -Dr. Forbes then gives an exhaustive description of the structure, to which -I refer my readers, and the following measurements:-- - - Culmen 32 mm. - Wing 109 " - Tail 98 " - Tarsus 31.5 " - -I should have been inclined to consider this bird an albinistic specimen of -the bird described in "Relation de l'Ile Rodrigue," but for the fact that -the tibia of _Necropsar rodericanus_ is 52-59 mm. in length, while this is -only 46 mm. in length, while the metatarsus measures 31.5 mm. as opposed to -36-41 mm. in _N. rodericanus_. I cannot accept the theory that this is the -Islet au Mat bird, and therefore different from _N. rodericanus_, as the -islet is too close to Rodriguez to have had a different starling. I -therefore believe this bird to have been an albinistic specimen of the -Mauritius species of _Necropsar_, for there can be little doubt that it is -albinistic, as the ferruginous colour is much stronger on one wing than on -the other; and I conclude that the colour in the wings and tail in normal -specimens was black like the Rodriguez bird, and that _N. leguati_ was a -close ally of _N. rodericanus_, from which it differed principally in its -much smaller size. - -Habitat doubtful.--The type specimen bears Lord Derby's Museum number, -1792, and a label of Verreaux giving Madagascar as the habitat, which is -certainly erroneous. - -{7} - - - - FOUDIA BRUANTE (P.L.S. MULL.) - - (PLATE 2, FIG. 1.) - - _Bruant de l'isle de Bourbon_ Daubenton, Pl. Enl. 321. - - _Le Mordore_, Montbeillard, Hist. Nat. Ois., Quarto Edition IV., p. 366 - (1778--Bourbon). - - _Fringilla bruante_ P.L.S. Mull., Natursyst., Suppl. p. 164, No. 51 - (1776--ex Daubenton Pl. enl). - - _Emberiza fuscofulva_ Boddaert, Table Pl. Enl. p. 20 (1783--based on - Pl. Enl. 321 and Montbeillard's "Mordere"). - - _Emberiza borbonica_ Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I p. 886 (1788--ex Daubenton - and Montbeillard). - - _Foudia bruante_ Newton, Trans. Norf. and Norw. Nat. Soc. IV., pp. 543 - and 548 (1889). - - _Nesacanthis fusco-fulvus_ Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XIII p. 484 - (1890). - -We know absolutely nothing about this bird, except Daubenton's figure and -the description by Montbeillard. In the plate the whole body, including the -back, is uniform red, about the same red as in other species of _Foudia_, -while the wings and tail are dark brown with yellowish-brown borders. In -the description the body plumage is described as rufous ("mordere") and the -wings, wing-coverts and tail as more or less bright rufous ("d'un mordore -plus ou moins clair"). The size is said to be about that of a Bunting, but -the tail shorter and the wings longer. - -According to Dr. Sharpe (Cat. B. XIII, p. 484) "it has generally been -considered identical with _Foudia madagascariensis_," but the latter has -the back marked with longitudinal black spots, while both the figure and -description of _F. bruante_ represent a uniform red upperside; moreover the -locality of the latter is expressly stated, and as we know other forms of -_Foudia_ from the Seychelles, Mauritius, Comoros, Aldabra and Madagascar, -we have no reason to doubt the statement. We are not aware of any specimen -existing of this doubtless extinct bird, though it would be worth while to -search the Paris Museum for this treasure. - -Habitat: Reunion or Bourbon. - -{9} - - - - CHAUNOPROCTUS BP. - - _Chaunoproctus Bonaparte_, Consp. Av. I p. 526 (1850). - -The genus _Chaunoproctus_ contains only one species, which is characterized -by its enormous bill, the depth of the mandible being greater than the -distance between the nasal apertures. The cutting-edge of the maxilla is -nearly straight, and there is no tooth in the posterior half of the -maxilla. The total length is about seven to eight inches. The adult male -has red in the plumage, the female is brown, above and below. - -Dr. Hartert (Vogel pal. Fauna I, p. 115) is of opinion that this bird is -connected with _Carpodacus_ and allies, and not with the Greenfinches and -Hawfinches, among which it is placed in the Catalogue of Birds in the -British Museum. - - - - CHAUNOPROCTUS FERREOROSTRIS (VIG.) - - (PLATE 3, FIG. 4.) - - _Coccothraustes ferreorostris_ (_sic_) Vigors, Zool. Journ. IV p. 354 - (1828); id. in Beechey's Voy. Blossom, p. 22, pl. 8 (1839). - - _Fringilla papa_ Kittlitz, Mem. Acad. Imp. Sc. Petersbourg I p. 239, - pl. 15 (1830); id. Kupfertaf. Vog. p. 24, pl. 32, 2 (1832). - - _Chaunoproctus papa_ Bonaparte, Consp. I p. 526 (1850); Bp. and - Schlegel, Monogr. Loxiens p. 32 pls. 37, 38 (1850). - - _Chaunoproctus ferreirostris_ Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XII p. 31 - (1888). - -Vigors' original description, translated from the Latin, is as follows: -"Dark brown; head, breast and upper part of abdomen scarlet. Bill very -strong, feet plumbeous. Length of body 8-1/2, bill 7/8, at gape 1-3/16, -height 7/8; wings from the carpus to the third quill 4-1/2; tail 3, tarsus -7/8 inches." - -In the "Catalogue of Birds," XII, p. 31, both sexes are carefully -described. - -It appears that only one pair, now in the British Museum, was obtained -during Captain Beechey's voyage. Curiously enough, Vigors suggested that -the brilliantly coloured adult male might be the young, the female the -adult bird, "as is the case in the Pine-Grosbeak" (_Sic!_). - -Kittlitz, who visited the largest of the Bonin Islands in May, 1828, -obtained a number of specimens, of which some are in St. Petersburg, two in -Frankfurt-a.-M., one or two in Leyden, and, I believe, in Paris. {10} These -seem to be all the specimens known in European museums. Mr. Seebohm's -collector, the late Holst, failed to obtain it, and Mr. Alan Owston's men, -who several times went to the Bonin group to obtain it, and who were -promised good prices for specimens, did not get one. I am therefore -convinced that for some unknown reason this bird became extinct, though -there is still the possibility that the recent collectors did not collect -on the main island of the group, which alone was visited by Kittlitz. - -Kittlitz tells us that he found it in the woods along the coast, but not -numerous. That it keeps concealed, is very phlegmatic, and is so little shy -that one is obliged to go back for some distance, before shooting, if one -wishes to preserve the specimen. Kittlitz saw it but seldom on high trees, -mostly on the ground. Its frequently heard note is a very fine piping -sound. In the crop and stomach small fruit and buds of one kind of tree -were found. - -Habitat: The largest of the Bonin Islands, south of Japan. - -{11} - - - - GEOSPIZA MAGNIROSTRIS GOULD. - - (PLATE 3, FIG. 1.) - - _Geospiza magnirostris_ Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1837, p. 5 - (Galapagos Islands); Rothschild & Hartert, Nov. Zool. 1899 p. 154, 1902 - p. 388; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XII, pp. 6, 7 (Fig.); Ridgway, B. - North and Middle America I, p. 495 (1901). - -As explained in Nov. Zool. 1899, p. 154, it is uncertain where Darwin -obtained the type specimens of Gould's _G. magnirostris_, as -"Unfortunately, most of the specimens of the finch-tribe were mingled -together," as Darwin tells us in his "Journal of Researches" (New Edition -1890, p. 420), and he had only "strong reasons to suspect that some of the -species of the sub-group _Geospiza_ are confined to separate islands." We -are, however, convinced that the types of _G. magnirostris_ can only have -come from Charles Island, where it is, probably, the representative of _G. -strenua strenua_. It seems, however, that _G. magnirostris_ exists no -longer, for all subsequent collectors have failed to obtain specimens, -unless an immature specimen in the U. S. Nat. Mus., from Charles Island -(No. 115,905), is a young _magnirostris_ (cf. Nov. Zool. 1902, p. 388). - -The dimensions of the three black specimens in the British Museum are as -follows: Culmen 26.5, 27, 27; height of bill at base 23.5-24; wing 91, 91, -95; tarsus 25 mm. These measurements--a culmen of over 26.5 and a wing of -91 mm. combined--do not occur among our large series of _strenua_, and -therefore it is hardly possible that _G. magnirostris_ is composed of huge -examples of _strenua_ only. - -As Charles Island has been inhabited for many years it is not at all -unlikely that a bird became extinct on that place. On plate 3 is figured -_G. magnirostris_ and a head of _G. strenua_ for comparison. {12} - - - - GEOSPIZA DENTIROSTRIS GOULD. - - _Geospiza dentirostris_ Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1837, p. 6; - Rothschild & Hartert, Nov. Zool. 1899 p. 163, 1902 p. 396. - -This curious form differs from _G. fortis fortis_ (Charles Island!) in its -bill, which is bowed in towards the end of the upper mandible, and slightly -"toothed" on its cutting edge. The one specimen in the British Museum -certainly came from Charles Island, and we may, therefore, conclude that -the other also came from there, and there is certainly no reason to think -that it came from Chatham Island. As the skins in the British Museum -slightly differ from each other, there is some reason to suspect that they -are both aberrations of _G. fortis fortis_. Otherwise it must have become -extinct, as, in spite of special attention being paid to it, none of the -recent collectors met with _G. dentirostris_. - -{13} - - - - POMAREA NIGRA (SPARRM.) - - _Muscicapa nigra Sparrmann_, Mus. Carlson. I, pl. 23 and text - (1786--Society Islands). - - _Pomarea nigra_ Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. IV, p. 434 (1879--Full - synonymy, description, etc., Society Islands, Marquesas group). - -In the list of birds now fully extinct, in the Proceedings of the Fourth -Intern. Orn. Congress, I enumerated _Pomarea nigra_, on the strength of E. -L. Layard's statement, P.Z.S. 1876, p. 501, who says: "This bird has -undoubtedly become extinct. Large sums have been offered by Messrs. -Godeffroy's collectors for the acquisition of a single specimen, but in -vain! The very old natives say they remember the bird and call it "Moho." - -I, however, overlooked the fact that this note of Layard's referred to the -Friendly Islands only, and that this bird has afterwards been obtained in -numbers on the Marquesas group. It would, nevertheless, be very interesting -to compare specimens from the various islands, viz.: the Society group, -Marquesas and Tongatabu, to see if they are perfectly similar. - -{15} - - - - MIRO TRAVERSI BULLER. - - (PLATE 5, FIG. 1.) - - _Miro traversi_ Buller, B. New Zealand, Ed. I p. 123 (1873--Chatham - Islands). - - _Petroeca traversi_ Hutton, Ibis 1872, p. 245. - - _Myiomoira traversi_ Finsch, Journ.-f.-Orn. 1874, p. 189. - - _Miro traversi_ Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. IV p. 236 (1879). - - _Miro traversi_ (partim) Buller, Suppl. B. N. Zealand II p. 125? pl. - XII (October, 1906). - -The late Sir Walter Buller described, in 1873, _Miro traversi_ as follows: -"Adult male. The whole of the plumage black, the base of the feathers dark -plumbeous; wing-feathers and their coverts tinged with brown, the former -greyish on their inner surface; tail-feathers black, very slightly tinged -with brown. Irides dark brown; bill black; tarsi and toes blackish brown, -the soles of the feet dull yellow. Total length 6 inches; wing, from -flexure, 3.4; tail 2.6; bill 0.5, tarsus 1.1; middle toe and claw 0.1, hind -toe and claw 0.8 inch." - -"Female. Slightly smaller than the male, and without the brown tinge on the -wings and tail." - -It may be added that _Miro traversi_ is not pure black, but of a somewhat -brownish slaty black. - -_Miro traversi_ is only known from the Chatham Islands, where it was -formerly very common, but, according to a letter from the late W. Hawkins, -the cats, which have been introduced to destroy rats and rabbits, have -exterminated it. It seems to have disappeared from Warekauri, the main -island of the Chatham group, long ago, for H. O. Forbes (Ibis 1893, p. 524) -and Henry Palmer found it, in 1890 and 1892, only on the outlying islets of -Mangare and Little Mangare. - -The bird from the Snares is quite different, being deep glossy black and -having a shorter and narrower first primary. I named it _M. dannefaerdi_. -It is to be feared that a similar fate will one day befall it as has, -apparently, already befallen its congener from the Chatham Islands. - -Sir Walter Buller (Suppl. B.N.Z. II, p. 125) has confounded _M. traversi_ -and _dannefaerdi_, and the figure he gave on his plate looks so black, that -I do not doubt it represents rather the latter than the former. Of course -_M. dannefaerdi_ alone occurs on the Snares, and Buller's _traversi_ from -the Snares were all dannefaerdi. Dr. Finsch's statement (Ibis 1888, p. 308) -that Reischek's specimen from the Snares "agreed in every respect with -specimens from the Chatham Islands" is entirely wrong, for, even if {16} -one prefers unscientifically to lump allied forms, one cannot say that a -_Miro_ from the Chathams agrees in every respect with one from the Snares. -Buller's doubts about the distinctness of the latter might easily have been -removed, if he had taken the trouble to compare them, for it does not -require any genius to see the differences. I admit that with my present -views on geographical forms I would regard the two _Miro_ as sub-species, -and call them _M. traversi traversi_ and _M. traversi dannefaerdi_, but -most ornithologists would still consider them to be "good species." - -I may add that Buller, l.c., p. 125, has not quoted my description -correctly, for in his rendering are several disturbing misprints, and in -the fourth line from the bottom occurs a "not" which ought not to be there, -and which makes the sentence incomprehensible. Also the name itself is -spelt incorrectly. - -I have a series from Mangare and Little Mangare, taken by Henry Palmer in -1890. The egg seems to be unknown. - -Habitat: Chatham Islands. - -{17} - - - - TURDUS TERRESTRIS KITTL. - - _Turdus terrestris_ Kittlitz, Mem. Acad. Sc. Petersburg I p. 245, pl. - 17 (1830--Boninsima). - - _Geocichla terrestris_ Bonaparte, Consp. Av. I, p. 268 (1850); Seebohm, - Cat. B. Brit. Mus. V, p. 183 (1881); Hartert, Kat. Vogels. Senckenb, p. - 6 (1891); Sharpe, Monograph Turdidae, I p. 107, pl. 33 (1902). - - _Cichlopasser terrestris_ Bonaparte, C.R. XXXVIII, p. 6 (1854). - -The following is Dr. Sharpe's description from a specimen in the Leyden -Museum: "General colour of the upper parts olive-brown, shading into -chestnut-brown on the rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail; the inside web of -each feather much darker, approaching black on the back; lores dark brown; -eye-stripe very obscure; lesser wing-coverts brown, darkest on the inside -web; median coverts dark brown, with large olive-brown tips; greater -coverts nearly black, broadly tipped, and narrowly margined towards the -base with olive-brown; primary coverts black, with a broad olive-brown -patch on the outer webs; tertials dark brown on the inner web, and -olive-brown on the outer web; secondaries brown, margined with olive-brown -on the outer webs; primaries brown, with the basal half of the outer webs, -and a spot where the emargination begins, olive-brown; tail-feathers -chestnut-brown; ear-coverts brown; underparts olive-brown, shading into -white on the chin, throat, and centre of belly; under tail-coverts dark -brown, with irregular diamond-shaped white tips; axillaries brown; under -wing-coverts brown. Geocichline markings on inner webs of quills dirty -white. Wing 3.8 inches, tail 2.6, culmen 0.85, tarsus 1.07, bastard primary -0.8." - -The only person who ever collected this short-tailed Ground-Thrush was -Kittlitz, who obtained four specimens, one of which is in St. Petersburg, -one in Frankfurt, one in Vienna, and one in Leyden. Neither Holst, nor Alan -Owston's Japanese collectors obtained specimens, though their special -attention was called to it. Therefore, unless these recent collectors left -unvisited the most important island of the group, we must suppose that it -became extinct. - -Habitat: Bonin Islands, south-east of Japan. - -{19} - - - - PHAEORNIS OAHENSIS WILSON & EVANS. - - _Phaeornis oahensis_ Wilson & Evans, Aves Hawaiienses, Introd. p. XIII - (1899--Based on _Turdus sandwichensis_ var. Bloxam, Voy. "Blonde" App. - p. 250 (1826--Oahu) and _Turdus woahensis_ Bloxam M.S.) - -Nothing is known about this evidently extinct bird, which formerly existed -on the island of Oahu, except Bloxam's short description, which is as -follows:--"Length 7-1/2 inches; upper parts olive-brown, extremities of the -feathers much lighter colour; tail and wings brown; bill bristled at the -base." - -The corresponding description of _Phaeornis obscura_ in Bloxam's M.S. notes -is:--"Length 8 inches; belly light ash; back, tail and wings an ash-brown; -bill slender, 3/4-in. long, bristled at the base. A beautiful songster." - -It is thus evident that Bloxam considered both forms to be distinct, and -Messrs. Wilson and Evans were perfectly justified in naming the extinct -Oahu form. - -We are not aware of any specimens being preserved in any Museum, though -Bloxam obtained a skin. Messrs. Wilson and Evans (l.c.) write:--"All the -specimens obtained by Mr. Andrew Bloxam, properly prepared and labelled, -were placed at the disposal of the Lords of the Admiralty, as shewn by a -copy of the letter he wrote to their Secretary, and probably all were sent, -as some certainly were, to the British Museum; but no other trace of this -unique specimen of a vanished species, which may be properly called -_Phaeornis oahensis_, is now forthcoming." - -{21} - - - - BOWDLERIA RUFESCENS (BULLER). - - (PLATE 5, FIG. 3.) - - _Sphenoeacus rufescens_ Buller, Ibis 1869, p. 38. - - _Megalurus rufescens_ Gray Hand-l. B. I, p. 206. No. 2913. (1869.) - -Buller's original description is as follows: "Upper parts, sides, and tail -dark rufous brown, brightest on the crown and hind-neck; the feathers of -the shoulders and sides centred with black. Quills dusky black, margined -with rufous brown. Streak over the eye, throat, breast and abdomen pale -fawn colour; sides of the head and ear-coverts marked with black. Bill -light brown with the ridge black, feet dark brown." Buller's type probably -had been preserved in spirit, as the colouration of fresh specimens is very -different to his description. The general colour above and on the flanks -chestnut rufous, most feathers with darker or black centres; chin, throat, -breast and abdomen pure white; crissum and under tail-coverts whity buff or -buffy brown. Wing 2.6 inches, tail 3.9 inches, culmen 0.65 inch. - -Habitat: Chatham Islands. - -Cats, rats and weasels have exterminated this fine species, which is now -quite extinct. Messrs. Travers and Dannefaerd have supplied the specimens -in most colonial museums, while Henry Palmer collected the 14 at Tring. A -few in Liverpool and two in the British Museum are all known to me in -Europe, in addition to those at Tring. - -{23} - - - - TRAVERSIA ROTHSCH. - -See description below. Only one species known. - - - - TRAVERSIA LYALLI ROTHSCH. - - (PLATE 5, FIG. 3.) - - _Traversia lyalli_ Rothschild, Bull. B.O.C. IV p. X (December 29th, - 1894); Nov. Zool. 1895, p. 81. - - _Xenicus insularis_ Buller, Ibis 1895, p. 236, pl. - - _Traversia insularis_ Buller, Suppl. B.N.Z. II p. 109, pl. X (1906). - -In 1894 I described this remarkable little bird as follows: "_Traversia_, -gen. nov. _Xenicidarum_. Differs in several important points both from -_Xenicus_ and _Acanthidositta_. Bill much larger and stouter, very little -shorter, if at all, than the tarsus; the latter about as long as middle toe -without claw, or the hind toe and claw, while in _Xenicus_ and -_Acanthidositta_ it is about twice as long as the hind toe. The principal -difference, however, is the weakness of the wing, which suggests -flightlessness, as does also the very soft and loose character of the -entire plumage, and the very Ralline aspect of the bird. There are only ten -tail-feathers, and the scutellation of the tarsus is like that of -_Xenicus_. These two points determine its position in the _Xenicidae_ at -once (cf. Sclater, Cat. B. XIV, p. 450). - -"The type is: _Traversia lyalli_, sp. nov. - -"Male. Above dark brownish olive-yellow, each feather with a brownish-black -border. A narrow distinct yellow superciliary line. Wings and tail -umber-brown, the inner webs darker; wing-coverts like back. Chin, throat, -and breast chrome-yellow, each feather slightly edged with greyish brown. -Flanks, abdomen, and vent pale brown, centre of feathers paler. - -"Female. Upper surface umber-brown, each feather bordered with very dark -brown; wings and tail similar. Under surface buffy grey, the feathers edged -with pale brown. Total length about 4 inches, culmen 0.6, wing 1.8 to 1.9, -tail 0.8, but much concealed, tarens 0.75, middle toe 0.65, hind toe -without claw 0.5. {24} - -"Habitat: Stephens Island, New Zealand. Discovered by Mr. Dr. Lyall, -lighthouse-keeper, and sent to me by Mr. Henry H. Travers." - -I received nine specimens of this new bird, and was not aware that any -others had been taken at that time. As I was unable to attend the December -meeting, 1894, of the British Ornithologists Club, I asked Dr. Hartert to -exhibit the birds in my name. When he had done so and had read the -description, the Chairman, Dr. P. L. Sclater, said that the bird had also -been received for illustration and description in the Ibis, from Sir Walter -Buller, and he asked Dr. Hartert if I would not withdraw my description. -Dr. Hartert said that this was unfortunate, but he had no authority to -withdraw my description, and he and Dr. Sharpe thought that the proceedings -of the meeting should be printed without consideration of any manuscripts -which might refer to the same bird. No doubt this was hard luck on Sir -Walter Buller, but it would have been equally hard luck for me if he had -forestalled me with the new bird. He had only one specimen, I had nine, of -both sexes, and I had paid a high price for them, as types of a new bird. -My type is in Tring, and, as everybody knows, available for study by any -competent ornithologist, while Buller's type was not in any museum, and it -was uncertain to whom he would sell it afterwards. I suppose it is now in -the Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, to which Buller's third collection, 625 -specimens, was sold for a thousand pounds, as Buller himself tells us in -his Supplement II, p. 167, under the heading of _Glaucopis wilsoni_! On the -same page Sir Walter Buller also tells us that his "second collection" was -sold to me, but he makes a mistake about the price, as I certainly did not -pay a thousand pounds for it. - -I mentioned these unimportant details, because Buller rather bitterly and -severely complained about my describing the Stephens' Island Wren, on p. -111 of his supplement. I may only add that of course my name, being -published in December, 1894, has the priority over his, which was not -published before April, 1895. - -The history of _Traversia lyalli_ is perhaps the most extraordinary of any -bird known. All the specimens I am aware of, viz., the eight now in my -collection, the type of "_Xenicus insularis_" in Buller's former -collection, one in the late Canon Tristram's collection, one in the British -Museum (ex Tring), and two or more offered some years ago by Mr. Travers, -were brought in by the lighthouse-keeper's cat. Evidently this feline -discoverer has at the same time been the exterminator of _Traversia -lyalli_, and many may have been digested by that unique cat, as in letters -received from Mr. Travers I {25} have been told that no more specimens -could be obtained, and Buller (l.c.) says: "Very diligent search has been -made on Stephen Island for further specimens of the Island Wren, but -without success, and there is too much reason to fear that this species has -almost immediately after its discovery become extinct." - -Habitat: Stephen Island, a small, partly wooded islet, about a square mile -in extent, in Cook Strait. It is almost impossible that this bird has only -existed on Stephen Island. It must have been overlooked on d'Urville Island -or the "mainland," where it probably became extinct--through rats and cats, -and similar pests--long ago. - -{27} - - - - MOHO APICALIS GOULD. - - (PLATE 4A, 1.) - - _Yellow-tufted Bee-eater_ (non Latham!), Dixon, Voyage round the World, - p. 357, plate (1789). - - _Moho apicalis_ Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. London 1860, p. 381 (? Hawaii). - - _Acrulocercus apicalis_ Wilson & Evans, Av. Hawaii, pt. V text and - plate (1894). - - _Moho apicalis_ Rothschild, Avif. Laysan, etc., p. 223 and plate - (1900). - -This rarest species of the Mohos formerly inhabited the island of Oahu, -where specimens were obtained in 1837, near Enero, by Herr Deppe. The -localities of the specimens figured by Dixon and that of the type of Gould -are uncertain, but they must have been obtained on Oahu. Since 1837 we have -no further traces of _Moho apicalis_. - -The only specimens known are those in Berlin, collected by Deppe, two in -the British Museum, and one in my Museum at Tring. The latter, which I -obtained in exchange from the British Museum, is the one brought home from -the Sandwich Islands by Capt. Lord Byron. There is no specimen of _Moho -apicalis_ in the Vienna Museum. - -Habitat: Oahu. - -{29} - - - - CHAETOPTILA SCL. - - _Chaetoptila_ Sclater, Ibis 1871 p. 358. - -Dr. Sclater justly proposed a new generic term for the "_Entomyza_" or -"_Moho_" _angustipluma_ of former authors. This bird belongs doubtless to -the family of _Meliphagidae_ or Honey-eaters, and the genus is sufficiently -distinct from all others. There are no fleshy wattles anywhere. The tail is -long and strongly graduated; all the rectrices are obliquely pointed at -their tips. The plumage of the body is very soft, that of the head, throat -and chest almost fluffy; the feathers of the chin, throat and forehead end -in hair-like bristles. - -We know only one species. - - - - CHAETOPTILA ANGUSTIPLUMA (PEALE). - - (PLATE 4A, FIG. 2.) - - _Entomiza angustipluma_ Peale, U.S. Expl. Exp., Birds p. 147 pl. XL - fig. 2 (1848--Hawaii). - - _Mohoa angustipluma_ Cassin, Proc. Acad. Philad. 1855 p. 440. - - _Moho angustipluma_ Cassin, U.S. Expl. Exp., Mamm. & Orn. p. 148 pl. XI - fig. 1 (1858--Hawaii). - - Wilson & Evans, Aves. Hawai. pt. II and plate (1891--Hawaii). - - Rothschild, Avif. Laysan, etc., p. 215 and plate (1900). - -This remarkable bird, belonging to the family _Meliphagidae_, used to -inhabit the island of Hawaii in the Sandwich Archipelago. It has been said -by Mr. Dole to inhabit Molokai, but this is evidently an error. At present -nobody on the island of Hawaii has any recollection of its presence, and -its former native name is unknown--the name "Kiowea" erroneously quoted by -Mr. Dole being that of _Numenius tahitiensis_. The bird is extinct, though -we do not know the reason why it disappeared. - - THE ONLY SPECIMENS WE KNOW OF ARE THE FOLLOWING:-- - - 1. The type in the Museum at Washington, U.S.A. - - 2. One in the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in Honolulu. - - 3. One in the Museum of the University at Cambridge, obtained in - exchange from Honolulu by Mr. Scott Wilson. - - 4. One in my Museum at Tring, obtained in exchange from the Honolulu - Museum. - -The type was obtained by Peale, the three others by the late Mr. Mills on -the island of Hawaii. - -{30} - - - - STRIGICEPS LEUCOPOGON LESS. - - _Strigiceps leucopogon_ Lesson, Echo du Monde Savant 1840 (?); Rev. - Zool. 1840, p. 266; Suppl. aux oeuvres compl. de Buffon, Descr. de - Mammif. & Ois, recemm. decouverts, p. 277 (1847--Nouvelle Hollande); - Hartlaub, Beitrag Gesch ausgest Vogel, in Abhandl. Naturw. Ver. Bremen, - 2te Ausgabe, als M.S. gedr., p. 40 (1896). - -Nobody has hitherto identified the curious bird described by Lesson, l.c., -under the above name. From the generic characters he gives it is evident -that it was a bird with a long, curved bill, lanceolate feathers on the -head and throat, and long, strongly graduated tail, doubtless belonging to -the _Meliphagidae_. The description of the colouration is as follows:-- - -"Back, wings and tail bright greenish-olive; quills brown inside; shafts of -the rectrices canary-yellow from below, glossy brown-red from above; top of -head and neck chestnut, each feather being narrow and streaked with white, -then with fawn-colour on the top; the feathers of the throat are elongated -and fringed out on their edges, very narrow and lanceolate, grey at base, -white at the tips; cheeks, sides of neck and chest ferruginous, some white -streaks on the feathers of the chest and in the middle of the throat; -flanks and belly clear rufous, passing into canary-yellow on the under -tail-coverts. Tail from below greenish-yellow; tarsi horn-colour, bill -above brownish, below yellowish with brown tip. Length about eight french -inches and a half (0.23 centimetres)." (_Translated._) - -This bird was said to have come from Australia. I have made enquiries, but -the type seems to have disappeared. There is something in the description -reminding us of _Chaetoptila angustipluma_. Unless the description is -faulty, this bird came probably not from Australia, but from one of the -Pacific Islands. It has not been observed since, and is possibly extinct. - -{31} - - - - DREPANIS TEMM. - - _Drepanis_ Temminck, Man. d'Orn. Ed. II, I p. LXXXVI (1820--"Especes: - _Certhia pacifica--obscura--vestiaria_ et probablement _falcata_, que - je n'ai pas vu.") Type by elimination: _Drepanis pacifica_. - -The name _Drepanis_ is now restricted to the practically extinct "Mamo" of -the natives of the Sandwich Islands. _Drepanis pacifica_ has a very -striking black and yellow colouration; the somewhat loose-webbed under -tail-coverts cover about three-quarters of the tail. The bill is long, -curved, non-serrated, the upper mandible a few millimetres longer than the -lower jaw. Nostrils large, covered by an operculum. First primary -rudimentary, hidden by its covert. There is a silky, soft and fluffy -axillary patch of feathers. The tail is slightly rounded. The metatarsus is -covered with large, partly fused scutes. - -Only one species known. - - - - DREPANIS PACIFICA (GM.) - - _Great Hook-billed Creeper_ Latham, Gen. Synops. I p. 703 (1782). - - _Certhia pacifica_ Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I p. 470 (1788--ex Latham). - -Both Mr. Scott Wilson and myself have at length discussed this beautiful -bird in our books on the Hawaiian Avifauna. Of the actual status of this -bird in former times we know nothing. Latham described it first (Gmelin -named this species after Latham's description) from a pair in the Leverian -collection, which is now preserved in the Vienna Museum. About half a -century ago several specimens were collected by the late W. Mills near -Hilo, on the island of Hawaii, the only island where it existed. Nothing -certain was heard of the "Mamo" until, in 1892, my collector Henry Palmer -obtained a fine male, which was caught before his eyes by a native -birdcatcher. In July, 1898, Mr. H. W. Henshaw saw "at least a pair, -possibly a whole family," in the woods of Kaumana, and in 1899 a native -heard the, to him, well-known call near the same place. This brings the -existence of the Mamo down to the year 1898 or 1899. In view of the futile -efforts of Messrs. Henry Palmer, {32} Perkins, Henshaw and others to -observe this rare bird again, we may well suppose that this species is -either extinct, or will very soon vanish if any are left. - -In former times the Mamo was probably more or less common. Its golden -yellow feathers were of great value, and, though the majority of the famous -war-cloaks are composed of the feathers of _Moho nobilis_, a few such -cloaks are known to consist of Mamo feathers. It is supposed that it took -generations to complete such a cape. - -I only know of specimens of this bird in Vienna, Leyden, Paris, Honolulu, -Cambridge and Tring. - -The two examples in the Vienna Museum were obtained by Fichtel at the sale -of the Leverian collection. One is perfect, the other has the upper portion -of the bill wanting. - -{33} - - - - HEMIGNATHUS OBSCURUS ELLISIANUS GRAY. - - (PLATE 4, FIG. 1.) - - _Hemignathus obscurus_ Lichtenstein (non Gmelin!), Abh. Akad. Wiss. - Berlin, 1838, p. 440 pl. 5 fig. 1 (Oahu). - - _Drepanis_ (_Hemignathus_) _ellisiana_ Gray, Cat. B. Trop. Is. Pac. Oc. - p. 9 (1859--based on Lichtenstein's _H. obscurus_ from Oahu). - - _Hemignathus lichtensteini_ Scott Wilson, Ann. & Mag. N. H. ser. 6, - vol. IV, p. 401 (1889--Oahu, based on the Berlin specimen). - - _Hemignathus ellisianus_ Rothschild, Avif. of Laysan, etc., p. 87 - (1893) p. 310 (1900). - -We know only of one single specimen, the type of the names _ellisianus_ and -_lichtensteini_, figured and described by Lichtenstein, in 1838, under the -name of _Hemignathus obscurus_. It is true that Lichtenstein says, that -Herr Deppe procured several specimens, but there is only one in the Berlin -Museum, and we have no knowledge where the others may be, if they are still -in existence. - -There can hardly be any doubt that _H. obscurus ellisianus_ is extinct on -Oahu, where it was discovered by Deppe. All recent collectors, from Wilson -and Palmer to this day, have failed to find a trace of it. Although -collecting in the dense forests and rugged mountains of Oahu is most -difficult, we may suppose that at least one of these collectors would have -come across it, if it still existed. - -The following is the description made by Dr. Hartert of the type in -Berlin:-- - -"Above greenish olive-brown, more greenish on the back and rump, and -somewhat more greyish on the head and hind-neck; the dark bases of the -feathers on the head showing through, lores deep brown. A distinct yellow -superciliary stripe. Chin, throat, and middle of abdomen dull brownish -white (apparently somewhat faded). Upper breast olive-greenish, sides of -breast and flanks dull olive-greenish, more olive-brown on the flanks. -Wings and tail deep brown, bordered with yellowish green. Under-wing -coverts dull white. Bill brown, somewhat horn-brown, but not blackish, as -in the other forms of _Hemignathus_. - -It is not probable that the bill and feet are faded, as in specimens of -_Heterorhynchus lucidus_ collected and stuffed at the same time and kept -side by side with _H. o. ellisianus_, the bill and feet are still blackish -and not brown. - -Wing 83.5, tail 53, culmen 56, bill from gape to tip in a straight line -47.5, lower mandible from mental apex to tip 40 mm." - -{35} - - - - HETERORHYNCHUS LUCIDUS (LICHT.) - - (PLATE 4, FIG. 2.) - - _Hemignathus lucidus_ Lichtenstein, Abh. d. Kon. Akad. Wissensch. - Berlin 1838 p. 451, pl. V figs. 2 [male] 3 [female] (1839--Oahu). - - _Heterorhynchus olivaceus_ Lafresnaye, Mag. de Zool. 1839 pl. X. and - text (Oct. 1839). - -The Oahu form of _Heterorhynchus_ is now extinct, and specimens are only, -as far as we know, preserved in the Museums of Berlin (types of _H. -lucidus_), Boston (type of _H. olivaceus_), Francfort, Paris, Leyden, -London, Cambridge, Liverpool. - -In 1838 Deppe saw this bird in great numbers flying round the flowers of -the banana plantations. As the bird was apparently common, it is quite -possible that specimens are preserved in several other collections, and it -would be most welcome if the officials of continental Museums would give -information in case they should find specimens of this interesting extinct -bird. - -Habitat: Oahu. - -{37} - - - - PSITTIROSTRA PSITTACEA DEPPEI ROTHSCH. - - (PLATE 4, FIG. 3.) - - _Psittirostra olivacea_ Rothschild, Avifauna of Laysan p. 193 - (1900--Oahu, ex Lichtenstein nomen nudum & M.S.) - - _Psittirostra psittacea deppei_ Rothschild, Bull. B.O.C. XV. p. 45 - (1905--new name for the above, the name _olivacea_ being preoccupied by - Ranzani). - -_Psittirostra psittacea psittacea_ is still one of the commoner birds on -most of the Hawaiian Islands, except Oahu, where it was formerly replaced -by a closely allied form, _P. p. deppei_, distinguishable by slightly -smaller dimensions, more whitish abdomen in the male, and somewhat more -olivaceous upperside. Specimens have been collected on Oahu by Prof. Behn -and Herr Deppe, and besides a pair in my collection, I only know of -examples in the museums of Berlin and Vienna. There is no trace left of -this species in Oahu, and in spite of great efforts Mr. Palmer and all -other recent collectors did not come across it. This form has thus shared -the fate of _Hemignathus ellisianus_, _Heterorhynchus lucidus_, _Moho -apicalis_ and _Phaeornis oahensis_, which have all disappeared from Oahu, -while _Loxops rufa_ may still exist in a few pairs, or has possibly -followed suit already. - -{39} - - - - LOXOPS COCCINEA RUFA BLOXAM. - - _Fringilla rufa_ Bloxam, Voy. "Blonde" p. 250 (1826). - - _Loxops wolstenholmei_ Rothschild, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club I, p. LVI - (1893--Oahu). - - _Loxops rufa_ Wilson, Aves Hawaiienses part VI, plate and text (1896); - Rothschild, Avif. of Laysan, etc., p. 177 (1900). - -This form of _Loxops_ is only found on Oahu, where it is doubtless very -rare now, if not already extinct. The last known specimen was shot on April -20th, 1893, in the mountains of the Wailua district, on Oahu, and is in my -collection. This is the only specimen obtained by the efforts of recent -collectors, and, if any should still exist, we may suppose that their fate -is sealed. - -_L. c. rufa_ differs from _L. coccinea coccinea_ of Hawaii by its smaller -size and more brownish, somberer coloration. - -We know of specimens in the British Museum, including the type of Bloxam's -_Fringilla rufa_, in Liverpool, Philadelphia, Berlin, Berlepsch Castle, -Vienna and Tring. - -{41} - - - - CIRIDOPS WILSON. - - _Ciridops_ Wilson, Nature 1892, p. 469. - -Though formerly supposed to belong to the _Fringillidae_, it is now -generally acknowledged to belong to the family _Drepanidae_, a peculiar -family of different forms restricted in its distribution to the Hawaiian -Islands. The genus _Ciridops_ seems to stand nearest to _Loxops_, from -which, however, it is easily distinguished by the form of the bill, the -pattern of colouration, stronger feet, and the structure of its plumage, -which is somewhat stiff and scanty, while it is soft and rich in _Loxops_. -The feathers of the crown and throat are pointed. - -We only know one species belonging to this genus. - - - - CIRIDOPS ANNA (DOLE). - - (PLATE 4, FIG. 4.) - - _Fringilla anna_ Dole, Hawaiian Almanac 1879, p. 49 (Hawaii); reprint - in Ibis 1880. - - _Ciridops anna_ Wilson & Evans, Aves Hawaienses, Part IV, text and - plate; Rothschild, Avifauna of Laysan, p. 183. - -The "Ulaaihawane" of the natives of Hawaii is one of the rarest birds -known, only three specimens being on record--one, the type, in the Bernice -Pauahi Bishop Museum in Honolulu, and two in my collection. One of these -was brought home by Mr. Scott Wilson, who obtained it from Mr. Bishop in -Honolulu, the other was shot by a native for my former collector, Mr. -Palmer. No other examples have been obtained. As there are still a good -many hawane palms in elevated districts of Hawaii, there is, of course, a -possibility that a few examples still exist there; but to all intents and -purposes _Ciridops anna_ may be looked upon as extinct. - -{43} - - - - SIPHONORHIS SCL. - - _Siphonorhis_ Sclater, P.Z.S. 1861, p. 77. Type: _Caprimulgus - americanus_ L. - -"The bill is extremely broad at base, the tip strong and heavily decurved; -nostrils tubular and very prominent; rictal bristles strongly developed. -Wing pointed, third primary longest; tail rounded, almost graduated. Tarsi -long and naked. The sexes differ slightly in coloration. (Hartert.)" - - - - SIPHONORHIS AMERICANUS (L.) - - (PLATE 5A.) - - _Small Wood-Owle_ Sloane, Voy. Jamaica II, p. 296, pl. 255, fig. 1 - (1725). - - _Caprimulgus americanus_ Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., Ed. X, p. 193 (1758--Ex - Sloane. "Habitat in America calidiore"). - - _Chordeiles americanus_ Bonaparte, Consp. Av. I, p. 63 (1850). - - _Siphonorhis americanus_ Sclater, P.Z.S. 1861, p. 77; id. P.Z.S. 1866, - p. 144; Cory, B. W. Indies, p. 139 (1889); Hartert, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. - XVI, p. 592 (1892). - -The whole diagnosis of Linnaeus is "Caprimulgus narium tubulis -eminentibus," but the prominent tubular nostrils are just the character -which distinguishes _S. americanus_ most strikingly from all the other -goatsuckers, and I think that Sloane's figure and description are -sufficient to indicate this bird. Sloane says as follows:-- - -"This was seven Inches from the end of the Bill to that of the Tail, and -ten from the end of Wing to Wing expanded, it had a quarter of an Inch long -crooked black bill, with two _Tubuli_ about one eight Part of an Inch long -for the Nostrills, along the upper Mandible were several bristly Hairs in a -Line, like those of a Cat's Mustachoes of a black Colour, the _Aperture_ of -Chaps or Swallow was extraordinary large. The Feathers on the Head and -under the Chaps were many, the Tail was four Inches long, the Head and Back -were cover'd with Feathers of a mixt Colour of _Feuille Morte_, grey and -black, the Wings and Tail were of the same Colour only Lighter under the -Chaps, Breast and Belly was also of the same, the Legs and Feet were an -Inch and half cover'd with brown Scales, the Toes four, three before, that -in the middle three-quarters of an Inch long, and one behind. {44} - -"Its Stomach was not very muscular, it was fill'd with Scarabei, &c. The -rest of the Bowells agreed in everything with those of the greater Sort, -concerning which see the description above. - -"They feed on _Scarabei_ and other Insects of that Kind. - -"They are found with the former." - -Specimens of this Goatsucker are very rare in collections, and I am only -aware of the existence of examples in American museums and of the pair -obtained by Osburn in Jamaica about half a century ago, and now in the -British Museum. Recent collectors have failed to procure it, and it is -therefore to be feared that, like _Aestrelata caribbaea_, it has been -exterminated by the introduced mongoose and other animals. - -Habitat: Jamaica. - -{45} - - - - NESTOR PRODUCTUS (GOULD.) - - (PLATE 6, head.) - - _Wilson's Parrakeet_ Latham, Gen. Hist. B. II, p. 170 (1822). - - _Plyctolophus productus_ Gould, P.Z.S. 1836, p. 19. - - _Nestor productus_ Gould, Syn. Austr. B. and adj. Isl. pt. I, pl., fig. - 1 (183--?). - - _Centrurus productus_ Bp., Naumannia 1856, Consp. Psitt. No. 265. - -Latham's original description is as follows: "Length thirteen inches. Bill -very long and hooked, and upper mandible measuring almost two inches, the -under three-quarters, colour dusky; plumage in general greenish ash, -inclining to brown, and clouded here and there with orange as in the -'Crossbill,' but the edges of the feathers of the back dun colour; all the -under parts of the body mixed yellow and dull orange; rump dull red; under -wing coverts dull yellow; thighs brown; the quills reach almost to the end -of the tail, which is somewhat, but not greatly, cuneiform; both quills and -tail are brown, the former marked on the inner webs with five or six -whitish bars; legs dusky, toes very long. Inhabits New South Wales. I met -with a fine specimen of it in the collection of Thomas Wilson, Esqre." - -It has long been a question whether _Nestor productus_ of Gould and _Nestor -norfolcensis_ of Pelzeln were really distinct or only individual varieties -of one species. I had for a long time considered them to be merely -individual varieties, for I could not persuade myself that a small island -like Philip Island, almost contiguous to Norfolk Island, could have a -different species of _Nestor_ to that found on the larger island. Since -commencing to write this book, however, I have come to somewhat different -conclusions. In the first place no special locality is given for _N. -productus_ by the earlier authors, in the same way as in the case of -_Notornis alba_, which, like the _Nestor_, was said to come from N. S. -Wales. This fact is easily explained, as N. S. Wales and Norfolk Island -were both penal settlements in the early days, and there was intercourse by -regular vessels plying between these colonies and Lord Howe's Island. Now -we find in the case of several other birds that distinct local forms occur -on Norfolk and Lord Howe's Islands, while as far as I know there is no -other record of a distinct bird from Philip Island. I therefore believe -that _Nestor productus_ inhabited both Norfolk and Philip Islands, and that -all specimens extant are from Philip Island, where it lingered some years -longer than on the main island, while the specimens of Ferdinand Bauer and -Governor Hunter, and possibly the supposed _N. norfolcensis_ of {46} Canon -Tristram's collection, now in Liverpool, had been brought from Lord Howe's -Island in cages and were kept as pets in Norfolk Island; and then, as the -value of exact data in those early days of our science was unknown, the -references were made to the place whence the specimens were seen or -brought. One thing however is certain, the bill in Ferdinand Bauer's sketch -is evidently a monstrous growth produced by captivity, for Latham expressly -describes the bill of Governor Hunter's bird as ending in a long thin -point. The differences of _N. norfolcensis_ are the dull crimson sides of -face, chin, and throat; dull green head and hind neck, and the total -absence of bars on the tail. The plate given herewith is a reproduction of -the Liverpool bird, with the bill of Ferdinand Bauer's sketch added, as -this is wanting in that bird, and in the corner a head of the specimen of -_N. productus_, purchased for the Tring Museum, when the late Mr. Wallace's -Museum at Distington, Cumberland, was dispersed. - -I have carefully examined the three fine specimens of _Nestor productus_ in -the British Museum, and the conclusion I have come to is that the bird -described by Gould as the adult of his _N. productus_ was an abnormal -specimen, and was in relation to normal _N. productus_ what the aberrations -called "_superbus_" and "_esslingi_" are to _N. meridionalis_. The bills of -the British Museum specimens are very different. The one from the Bell -collection has the long, thin bill, but it is at least half-an-inch to -three-quarters shorter than those in the Tring and Florence specimens. - -Habitat: Philip Island and probably Norfolk Island. - -One in Tring, three in London, one in Florence, two in Vienna, one in -Prague, two in Leyden, one in Amsterdam, are known to me. - -The two specimens in the Vienna Museum were both bought in 1839. One from -Ward, with a short bill, brown chest and throat, and a very wide yellow -breast-band. The other from Baron von Hugel, which has a long bill and very -red cheeks and chin. {47} - - - - NESTOR NORFOLCENSIS PELZELN. - - (PLATE 6, full figure.) - - _Long-billed Parrakeet_ Latham, Gen. Hist. II, p. 171 (1822). - - _Nestor norfolcensis_ Pelzeln, Sitzb. k. Akad. Wiss. XLI, pp. 322-325, - pl.--(1860--detailed description from the manuscript of the late - botanist, Ferdinand Lucas Bauer, and figure of head with an evidently - abnormally developed bill. The specimen was from Norfolk Island; it had - disappeared before Pelzeln's time). - -Latham's original description is as follows: "Length above 12 inches. Bill -very long and curved, thick halfway from the base, but tapering quite to a -point at the tip, and under mandible truncated at the end, colour of both, -dusky; head and neck dull green; sides under the eyes, chin and throat pale -crimson; upper parts of the body, wings and tail dusky; breast yellowish; -belly, thighs and vent more or less crimson; tail cuneiform; legs brown." - -"One of these was in possession of Governor Hunter, who brought it from -Norfolk Island; from the bill it seems related to the other, but the tail -is cuneiform in a much greater degree, without any bars across it." - -The only bird of this species extant is the one in Liverpool, from the -Tristram collection. - -Governor Hunter's specimen and Bauer's bird were both brought from Norfolk -Island, but as they were cage-birds, and differed so markedly from _N. -productus_, I, for reasons given under _N. productus_, believe this bird -came from Lord Howe's Island. - -Habitat: Lord Howe's Island (?). - -{49} - - - - LOPHOPSITTACUS NEWTON. - -The huge bill and peculiar shaped crest, together with the--apparently, -_i.e.,_ if the figure is correct--very short wings are characteristic of -this genus. (P.Z.S. 1875, p. 350.) - - - - LOPHOPSITTACUS MAURITIANUS (OWEN). - - (PLATE 7.) - - _Broad-billed Parrot_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. VI, p. 53 (1866). - - _Psittacus mauritianus_ Owen, Ibis, p. 168 (1866). - - _Psittacus (Lophopsittacus) mauritianus_ A. Newton, P.Z.S. (1875), pp. - 349, 350. - - _Lophopsittacus mauritianus_ Newton, Enc. Brit. (ed. 9) III, p. 732, - ff. 44, 46 (1875). - -This extraordinary parrot was first described and made known to science by -Professor Owen in 1866. He described it from 2 lower mandibles, much -damaged, which were dug up from the Mare aux Songes. Except a few further -osseous remains, mostly collected by Sir Edward Newton, nothing more of -importance was found relating to this bird till Professor Schlegel -discovered in the Library of Utrecht the manuscript journal kept during the -voyage to Mauritius in A.D. 1601-1602 of Wolphart Harmanszoon, in which -among other items of natural history there is a sketch of _Lophopsittacus_ -from life, and the statement that it was wholly of a grey-blue colour. From -the fact that this bird is not mentioned by the voyagers who visited -Mauritius in the 2nd and 3rd decades of the 18th century, it is probable -that it was one of the first of the Mascarene birds to become extinct. This -is easily understood when we consider that the bird was apparently unable -to fly, and would like all big parrots prove excellent eating. - -Only known from osseous remains and the above-quoted drawing and notes. - -35 tarsi and tibiae, and 60 complete and incomplete lower mandibles and -fragments of palatine bones in the Tring Museum. - -Habitat: Mauritius. - -{51} - - - - ARA TRICOLOR BECHST. - - (PLATE 10.) - - _Le petit Ara_ D'Aubenton, Pl. Enl. 641. - - _L'Ara tricolor_ Levaill., Perr. I p. 17, pl. 5 (1801). - - _Psittacus tricolor_ Bechst., Kurze Ueb. p. 64, pl. I (1811). - - _Sittace? lichtensteini_ Wagl., fide Bp., Naumannia 1856, Consp. Psitt. - -Bechstein's description, taken from Levaillant, is (translated) as follows: -"This _Aras_, which others have held to be only a variety of _Macao_, is -according to Vaillant a distinct species. It is one third smaller than the -red-fronted species, or 1 ft. 10 in. long, of which the tail takes 11 -inches and the bill 18 lines. The latter is of a black colour and has the -upper mandible less curved, and the sides of the lower mandible more -swollen than is the case in the other _Ara_ species. The cheeks are naked -and white, with three lines of red feathers. Head, front and sides of the -neck, breast, belly and thighs red; back of the neck pale yellow; back, -shoulders and smaller wing coverts brownish red bordered with yellow or -green; flanks yellowish, primaries above dark azure blue, below coppery -red. Crissum violet blue, undertail coverts pale blue with green and -brown-red borders; under-wing coverts red, the larger yellow, and brownish -green. Two centre tail feathers all red with blue tips, the outer ones blue -on outer webs and tips, red on the rest of the feather." - -Of this bird I know only of two in the British Museum, one in Paris, one in -Leyden, one in Liverpool. The specimen in the Paris Museum bears the -inscription "Macrocercus tricolor (Bechst.) M. E. Rosseau. Cuba. Menagerie -1842." Probably, however, there are more specimens in other museums. - -Apparently the last specimen was shot in 1864 at La Vega (Bangs, Americ. -Nat. XXXIX, p. 200). - -Like all the extinct West Indian Macaws, Amazons and Conures, it became -extinct through its persecution by the inhabitants for food. - -Habitat: Formerly Cuba and Isle of Pines. {52} - - - - ARA GOSSEI ROTHSCH. - - (PLATE 11.) - - _Yellow-headed Macaw_ Gosse, Birds of Jamaica, p. 260 (1847). - - _Ara gossei_ Rothsch., Bull. B.O.C., XVI, p. 14 (1905); Proc. IV, Orn. - Congr., p. 201 (1907). - - _Ara tricolor_ (non Bechstein) Clark, Auk 1905, p. 348. - -Mr. Gosse's description is as follows:--"Basal half of upper mandible -black; apical half, ash coloured; lower mandible, black, tip only ash -coloured; forehead, crown, and back of neck, bright yellow; sides of face, -around eyes, anterior and lateral parts of the neck, and back, a fine -scarlet; wing coverts and breast deep sanguine red; winglet and primaries -an elegant light blue. The legs and feet are said to have been black; the -tail, red and yellow intermixed (Rob.)" - -Mr. Gosse also remarks, "If this is not the _tricolor_ of Le Vaillant, -which is the only Macaw I am aware of marked with a yellow nape, it is -probably new." - -In spite of the evident differences in the description, the Jamaican _Ara_ -has always been united with the Cuban _A. tricolor_, even as lately as -October, 1905, by Mr. Austin H. Clark (Auk, 1905, p. 348), though he -queries it in a footnote. The specimen described by Dr. Robinson, here -quoted by Gosse, was shot about 1765, by Mr. Odell, in the mountains of -Hanover parish, about ten miles east of Lucea. - -Habitat: Jamaica. - -The specimen described no longer exists, and there are none in any -collection known. - -There was a third member of the _tricolor_ group of Macaws found on the -large island of Haiti, which Mr. Clark has also united under _A. tricolor_, -but I believe it must have been different, just as the Jamaica bird. {53} - - - - ARA ERYTHROCEPHALA ROTHSCH. - - (PLATE 12.) - - _Ara militaris_ Gosse, Birds of Jamaica, p. 261 (1847). - - _Ara erythrocephala_ Rothsch., Bull. B.O.C., XVI, p. 14 (1905); Proc. - IV Orn. Congr., p. 201 (1907). - -Gosse says the description given to him in a letter, just received from Mr. -Hill, was as follows:--"Head red; neck, shoulders, and underparts of a -light and lively green; the greater wing coverts and quills, blue; and the -tail scarlet and blue on the upper surface, with the under plumage, both of -wings and tail, a mass of intense orange yellow." - -"The specimen here described was procured in the mountains of Trelawny and -St. Anne's by Mr. White, proprietor of the Oxford estate." No specimen now -known. - -Habitat: Jamaica. - -Mr. Gosse also relates that the Rev. Mr. Coward, in 1842, saw two large -Macaws flying near the foot of the mountains in the parish of St. James, -near the centre of the island. These birds were said to have been blue and -yellow; if so, probably they were my _Ara erythrura_, whose precise island -home is unknown. - - - - ARA MARTINICUS (ROTHSCH.) - - (PLATE 14.) - - _Les Aras_ Pere Bouton, Rel. de l'etab. d. Francais dep. 1635, en l'ile - Martinique pp. 71. 72 (1640). - - _Anadorhynchus martinicus_ Rothsch. Bull. B.O.C. XVI, p. 14 (1905); - Proc. IV Orn. Congr., p. 202 (1907). - -Pere Bouton says, "Les Aras sont deux ou trois fois gros comme les -Perroquets et ont un plumage bien different en couleur. Ceux que j'ai vus -avaient les plumes leleucs et orangees." - -No specimen preserved. - -Habitat: Martinique. {54} - - - - ARA GUADALOUPENSIS CLARK. - - _Les Arras_ Du Tertre, Hist. gen. des Antilles Vol. II p. 248 (1667). - - _Ara Rouge_ D'Aubenton, Pl. Enl. 12 (1779). - - _Ara guadaloupensis_ Clark, Auk, XXII, p. 272 (1905). - -Du Tertre gives the following description:--"The Arras is a sort of Parrot -bigger than all the others. This is proved because those of Guadaloupe are -larger than all the other Parrots, both those from the Islands as well as -from the Mainland; while this Arras is larger than these by one third. It -has the head, the neck, the belly and the back of the colour of fire; its -wings are a mixture of yellow azure, and crimson feathers; while the tail -is entirely red and a foot-and-a-half long." - -Macaws of this colouration are mentioned by Du Tertre, De Rochefort, and -others of the older authors as being found on Guadaloupe, Dominica and -Martinique, and Mr. Clark has united them under one name. This I feel sure -is wrong, and I believe each of the three islands had a distinct species of -Red Macaw, so I confine this name to the Guadaloupe form. - -Habitat: Guadaloupe. - -No specimen existing. - - - - ARA ERYTHRURA NOM. NOV. - - (PLATE 15.) - - De Rochefort, Histoire Nat. & Mor. des Iles Antilles, &c. (1658), p. - 154, Art. IX (Des Arras). - - _Anadorhynchus coeruleus_ (non Gmelin) Rothsch., Bull. B.O.C., XVI, p. - 15 (1905). - -In the Bull. B.O.C. XVI, p. 15 (1905), I unfortunately described this bird -under the name of _Anadorhynchus coeruleus_ (Gm.), having misread his -description, and also said it came from Jamaica. Professor Salvadori, in -the Ibis (1906) Series 8, Vol. VI, "Notes on Parrots," p. 451, calls -attention to my double error, but failed entirely to realise what bird I -really meant. The original description is (translated) as follows:-- - -"Among them are some which have the head, the upper side of the neck, and -the back of a satiny sky blue; the underside of the neck, the belly, and -undersurface of the wings, yellow, and the tail entirely red." - -No specimen existing. - -Habitat: One of the West Indian Islands. - -{55} - - - - ANODORHYNCHUS PURPURASCENS ROTHSCH. - - (PLATE 13.) - - _Le gros Perroquet de la Guadaloupe_ Don de Navarette, Rel. Quat. voy. - Christ. p. 425 pl. II (1838). - - _Anadorhynchus purpurascens_ Rothsch. Bull. B.O.C. XVI, p. 13 (1905); - Proc. IV Orn. Congr., p. 202 (1907). - -The original description of this bird says it was entirely deep violet. -Native name _One couli_. No specimen extant. I have placed this species in -the genus _Anodorhynchus_ on account of its uniform bluish colour. - -Habitat: Guadaloupe. - -{57} - - - - AMAZONA VIOLACEUS (GM.) - - (PLATE 17.) - - _Perroquet de la Guadeloupe_ Du Tertre, Hist. Nat. Antill. II, p. 250, - fig. p. 246 (1667). - - _Perroquets_ Labat, Voy. aux iles de l'Amer., vol. II p. 214 (1742). - - _Psittacus violaceus_ Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, p. 337 (1788). - -Labat's translated original description is as follows:--"Those of -Guadaloupe are a little smaller than the _Aras_; they have the head, the -neck, and the belly slate colour with a few green and black feathers, the -back is entirely green, and the wings are yellow and red." - -Gmelin's description reads thus:--"Ps. violaceus viridi et nigro admisto -varius, dorso ex fusco viridi, remigibus majoribus nigris, reliquis ex -luteo, viridi, et rubro variis, tectricum macula rosea. Rostrum et orbitae -incarnata." - -Du Tertre's description is as follows:--"He is about as big as a fowl, has -the beak and eyes bordered with red. All the feathers of the head, neck and -belly are of a violet colour, a little mixed with black and green, shot -like the throat of a pigeon. All the upper part of the back is green, -strongly washed with brown. Outer primaries black, rest yellow, green and -red." - -No specimens in collections. - -Habitat: Guadaloupe. - - - - AMAZONA MARTINICANA CLARK. - - (PLATE 18.) - - _Perroquets_ Labat's Voy. aux iles de l'Amer. II p. 214 (1742). - - _Amazona martinicana_ Clark, Auk. XXII, p. 343 (1905). - -Labat's description reads thus:--"Those of Dominica have some red feathers -on the wings, under the throat, and in the tail; all the rest is green -(Amazona bouqueti, W.R.). Those of Martinique have the same plumage as the -last mentioned, but the top of the head is slate colour with a small amount -of red." - -No specimen now known. - -Habitat: Martinique. - -{59} - - - - CONURUS LABATI ROTHSCH. - - (PLATE 16.) - - _Perriques_ Labat, Voy. aux iles de l'Amer. II p. 218 (1742). - - _Conurus labati_ Rothsch. Bull. B.O.C. XVI, p. 13 (1905); Proc. IV Orn. - Congr., p. 202 (1907). - -Labat's translated description of this bird is as follows:--"Those of -Guadaloupe are about the size of a blackbird, entirely green, except a few -small red feathers, which they have on their head. Their bill is white. -They are very gentle, loving, and learn to speak easily." - -No specimens known. - -Habitat: Island of Guadaloupe. - -{61} - - - - NECROPSITTACUS MILNE-EDW. - - _Necropsittacus_ Milne-Edwards, Ann. Sc. Nat. (5) XIX, Art. 3, p. 18 - (1874). - -Milne-Edwards considered _Necropsittacus_ closely allied to the genus -_Palaeornis_, and at the same time to show affinities with the _Loriidae_. -At the same time the two mandibles were sufficient, in his opinion, to show -that this bird belonged to a little generic group standing near -_Palaeornis_. - - - - NECROPSITTACUS RODRICANUS (MILNE-EDW.) - - _Psittacus Rodricanus_ A. Milne-Edw., Ann. Sc. Nat. (5) VIII, pp. - 151-155, pl. 7, ff. 1, 2 (1867). - - _Necropsittacus rodericanus_ A. Newt., P.Z.S. p. 41 (1875). - -This parrot was described from a portion of the upper mandible by Professor -Milne-Edwards, and then was more fully described by Dr. Gunther and Sir -Edward Newton, who examined a nearly complete skull and other bones. - -A manuscript discovered in the Archives of the Ministry of Marine in Paris -proves that this bird only became extinct at a not very distant date, it -having been seen alive by the writer of the manuscript about the year 1731. -In this manuscript the bird was said to have a body considerably larger -than a pigeon, with a _very_ long tail and a _very_ large head and bill. -Unfortunately the writer does not mention the colour, but adds that the -smaller green and blue parrot (_Palaeornis exsul_) was much handsomer; so -we can safely assume that our bird was of sombre colouration. It was -undoubtedly closely allied to the genus _Palaeornis_. The two following, -though much brighter coloured and but scantily described, apparently belong -to the same genus. - -Habitat: Rodriguez. {62} - - - - NECROPSITTACUS(?) BORBONICUS NOM. NOV. - - (PLATE 8.) - -This parrot is described by the Sieur D.B. (Dubois) in the following -terms:--"Body the size of a large pigeon, green; head, tail and upper part -of wings the colour of fire." As he compares it with the other parrots -which are true _Palaeornis_, it is evident that this bird must have been a -_Necropsittacus_. - -This description is the sole evidence we have of the existence of this -bird. - -Habitat: Bourbon or Reunion. - - - - NECROPSITTACUS(?) FRANCICUS ROTHSCH. - - _Necropsittacus francicus_ Rothsch., Proceedings Int. Ornith. Congress - 1905, p. 197 (1907). - -Original description:--"Head and tail fiery red, rest of body and wings -green." We only know this bird from the descriptions in the various -"Voyages" to Mauritius in the 17th and early 18th centuries. - -Habitat: Mauritius. - -{63} - - - - MASCARINUS LESSON. - - _Mascarinus_ Lesson, Traite d'Orn. p. 188 (1831--A mixture of forms. By - elimination the name _Mascarinus_ has been restricted to the Mascarine - Parrot). - -The generic affinities of this bird have been discussed by various authors. -Wagler, Gray, Pelzeln, Hartlaub (1877) and Messrs. A. and E. Newton united -it with the Vaza Parrots in the genus _Coracopsis_, Finsch included it, -together with the Vazas and the Grey Parrot (_Psittacus erithacus_), in the -genus _Psittacus_. Recent authors--Oustalet 1893, W. A. Forbes 1879, and -Salvadori (Cat. B. XX, p. 421, 1891)--have admitted a separate genus, -_Mascarinus_. This is evidently the proper course, and I agree with W. A. -Forbes, Oustalet and Salvadori that its nearest affinities appear to be the -genus _Tanygnathus_ rather than _Coracopsis_, and that the place of -_Mascarinus_ is among the _Palaeornithinae_ of Salvadori. - -The large red bill, with distinctly ridged gonys, concealed nostrils and -moderately long, strongly rounded tail, are peculiar characters. The -colouration is unique. Only one species is known. {64} - - - - MASCARINUS MASCARINUS (L.) - - MASCARINE PARROT. - - (PLATE 9.) - - "_Perroquets un peu plus gros que pigeons, ayant le plumage de couleur - de petit gris, un chaperon noir sur la teste, le becq fort gros, & - couleur de feu_" Le Sieur D.B, (Dubois), Voyages aux Iles Dauphine ou - Madagascar, et Bourbon ou Mascarenne. p. 172 (1674--"Bourbon ou - Mascarenne"). - - _Psittacus Mascarinus_ Brisson, Orn. IV., p. 315 (1760); Hahn, Orn. - Atlas, Papageien p. 54, pl. 39 (1835). - - _Psittacus mascarin._ Linnaeus, Mantissa Plantarum, regni animalis - appendix p. 524 (1771--"Habitat in Mascarina." Ex Brisson). - - _Perroquet Mascarin_ Levaillant, Perroquets II, p. 171, pl. 189 - (1805--"Madagascar," errore). - - _Mascarinus madagascariensis_ Lesson, Traite d'Orn, p. 189 - (1831--"Madagascar," ex Levaillant). - - _Coracopsis mascarina_ Wagler, Mon. Psittac. p. 679 (1832); Pelzeln, - Verh. Zool. Bot. Ges. Wien 1863, p. 934. - - _Mascarinus obscurus_ (non _Psittacus obscurus_ L.) Bonaparte, Rev. & - Mag. de Zool. 1854 p. 154 (Linnaeus, _Psittacus obscurus_--Syst. Nat. - Ed. X, p. 97, 1758, ex Hasselquist M.S.--though identified by himself - with the Mascarine Parrot in 1766--Syst. Nat. Ed. XII, I, p. - 140--cannot be the same as _P. mascarinus_; the description disagrees - entirely, and the bird was described from a specimen probably seen - alive by Hasselquist, with uncertain locality. What Linnaeus' _P. - obscurus_ was, is difficult to say; if it was not for the long tail, - one might consider it a variety of the Grey Parrot). - - _Psittacus madagascarensis_ Finsch, Papageien II pp. 306, 955 - (1868--Finsch was not acquainted with the history of this Parrot, as he - still considered Madagascar to be its home, and wondered why it had not - been found there by recent collectors). - - _Psittacus madagascariensis_ Pelzeln, Ibis 1873, p. 32. - - _Mascarinus duboisi_ W. A. Forbes, Ibis 1879, pp. 304, 305 (figures), - 306; Milne-Edwards & Oustalet, Centenaire Mus. d'Hist. Nat. pp. - 191-205, pl. I (1893--excellent lengthy account). - - _Mascarinus mascarinus_ Salvadori, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XX, p. 421 - (1891--Reunion). - -It has been mentioned above that "Le Sieur D.B." (Dubois) described this -Parrot clearly in 1674, and that it lived on Reunion, and not on -Madagascar. Linnaeus in 1771 (see above) was the first to bestow a -scientific name on it, though Brisson had already again described it in -1760. Linnaeus' diagnosis is, as usual, rather poor, and not quite -correct[1], but his reference to Brisson leaves no doubt as to what he -meant. - -This parrot is one of the rarest of extinct birds, only two stuffed -specimens being known. One normally coloured specimen is preserved in the -Museum of Natural History in Paris, and it is evidently this which has been -figured by Daubenton and Levaillant, and in the "Centenaire du Museum -d'Historie Naturelle." From the latter plate my figure has been taken. - -The example in Vienna is unfortunately semi-albinistic, there being some -white feathers on the back, wings and tail. Another normal individual, -however, lived formerly in the Menagerie of the King of Bavaria, where it -was depicted by Hahn in 1835. Unfortunately this specimen has not been -preserved. - -{65} - - - - PALAEORNIS EXSUL NEWTON. - - (PLATE 19.) - - _Palaeornis exsul_ A. Newton, Ibis 1872, p. 33. - -Leguat was the first to mention these parrots as "Perroquets verds et -bleus," and that they were wonderfully good to eat and also delightful -pets. - -Professor Newton's description is as follows: "Female: Of moderate size. -General appearance greyish-glaucous, darker above than beneath. From the -corner of the mouth proceeds an ill-defined dull black chin stripe, which -becomes broader as it passes backward and upward, ceasing somewhat abruptly -on reaching the level of the ears. Head, nape and shoulders, upper -wing-coverts, and rectrices above dull greyish-glaucous, the blue tinge in -which predominates when the bird is seen against the light, and the green -when seen in the contrary aspect; the outer rectrices paler. Rump verditer -blue. Primaries with their outer, and most part of their inner, webs deep -greenish blue, the former with narrow, lighter edges, and the latter -broadly bordered with pitch black; shafts and lower surfaces greyish black. -Secondaries much the same as the primaries, but of a still deeper shade. -Breast dull greyish-glaucous, but lighter than the upper parts and passing -on the belly into verditer, which becomes lighter and greener on the vent. -Rectrices beneath yellowish grey, darker toward the tips of the longer -feathers. Bill black." - -The specimen was sent in spirits to Sir Edward Newton in 1871 by Mr. -Jenner, the Magistrate of Rodriguez. - -The male differs from the female in having the upper mandible crimson, -fading into horn at the tip. Top of head more glaucous. Black stripe from -nostril to eye. Black chin stripe prolonged almost to meet on nape of neck. -Most of primaries with dull black patch on inner webs. Middle secondaries -dusky black. - -The male was sent to Sir Edward Newton in 1875 by Mr. J. Caldwell. - - Total length 16 inches. - Wing 7.5 " - Tail 8.5 " - -Probably almost if not quite extinct. Recent investigations about its -status are very desirable. - -Habitat: Rodriguez Island. {66} - - - - PALAEORNIS WARDI E. NEWTON. - - (PLATE 20.) - - _Palaeornis wardi_ E. Newton, P.Z.S. 1867, p. 346 (Seychelles). - -The translation of Sir Edward Newton's diagnosis is as follows: "Similar to -_P. alexandri_, but with a stouter bill, purple red shoulder patches, and -the hind neck without a red band. - -"_Adult Male._ Crown of head and throat bluish, cheeks ochraceous green, -chin and line round base of mandible black, continued in a stripe from the -gape to the hind neck; back and wings grass green; rump brighter; a single -wide band (or patch) on the shoulders purplish red; remiges and rectrices -deep green washed with blue, the latter yellowish, the former dusky below; -belly yellowish green; bill vivid scarlet with paler tip; feet dusky. Total -length 16 inches, wings 7.75, tail 9." - -Female similar to the male but duller, and with the bill all black, and -without the black mandibular stripe. - -Formerly abundant on most of the islands in the Seychelles, especially -Mahe, but now confined to the little islet of Silhouette, where it will in -all probability become extinct. According to E. Newton its name was "Cateau -vert." - -Habitat: Seychelles Islands. {67} - - - - PALAEORNIS EQUES (BODD). - - _Psittaca borbonica torquata_ Briss., Orn. IV p. 328, pl. XXVII f. 1 - (1760). (Bourbon.) - - _Psittacus alexandri var._ [gamma] Linnaeus, S.N. p. 142 (1766). - - _Perruche a collier de l'Isle de Bourbon_ Daubenton, Pl. enl. 215. - - _Perruche a double collier_ Buff., Hist. Nat. Ois. VI, p. 143 (1779). - - _Alexandrine Parrakeet var. C. Double Ringed Parrakeet_ Latham, Syn. I - p. 326 (1781). - - _Psittacus eques_ Boddaert, Tabl. Pl. Enl. p. 13 (1783). - - _Psittacus semirostris_ Hermann, Obs. Zool. p. 125 (1804). - - _Psittacus bitorquatus_ Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. p. 92 (1820). - - Rose Ringed Parrakeet var. B. Latham, Gen. Hist. II p. 161 (1822). - - _Psittacus bicollaris_ Vieillot, Enc. Meth. III p. 1385 (1823). - - _Palaeornis bitorquatus_ Vigors, Zool. Journ. II p. 51 (1825). - - _Palaeornis borbonicus_ Bp., Rev. and Mag. Zool. 1854, p. 152. No. 140. - -There has been considerable confusion with regard to this parrot. It was -first asserted that it occurred on both Bourbon and Mauritius. Then -Professor Newton separated the Mauritius bird as _Pal. echo_. Salvadori, -however, in Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. XX, p. 442, reunited the Bourbon and -Mauritius birds, while quite unaccountably stating only Mauritius as the -habitat. - -The Abbe Dubois describes this bird as follows: "Green Parrots as large as -pigeons having a black collar." - -Now the species of _Palaeornis_ from Rodriguez, the Seychelles, and the -mainland of Africa are all distinct, and the other land birds of Mauritius -are and were different from those of Bourbon. I therefore feel quite -certain that Professor Newton is right, and that his _Palaeornis echo_ is -distinct from _P. eques_, though, unfortunately, we do not know in which -way the two forms differed. - -Habitat: Bourbon or Reunion, but now extinct. No specimens known. {68} - - - - PALAEORNIS ECHO NEWTON. - - _Palaeornis echo_ Newton, Ibis 1876, p. 284. - - _Palaeornis eques_ Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. XX, p. 442 (1891). - -Description of Male: Green, the occiput tinged with bluish; a narrow black -stripe from the nostrils to the eyes; broad black mandibular stripes -passing down and across the sides of the neck where they meet a pink -collar, which is interrupted on the hind neck; under wing-coverts yellowish -green; central tail feathers scarcely tinged with bluish; tail below dark -yellowish grey; upper mandible red, under mandible almost black with only a -brownish tinge in places. Iris yellow. Naked skin round eyes orange. Wing -7.5 inches, tail 8.75 inches, bill 9 inches. The female differs by the -absence of the collar, no bluish tint on occiput, and the bill entirely -blackish. - -It differs from _P. torquatus_ in the incomplete collar, darker green -colour and broader tail feathers. This bird is still found in the interior -of the island, but is rare and apparently on the verge of extinction. - -Habitat: Mauritius. - -Three specimens at Tring, four in the British Museum. - -{69} - - - - CYANORHAMPHUS ZEALANDICUS (LATHAM.) - - _Red Rumped Parrakeet_ Latham, Syn. I, p. 249, No. 50 (1781). - - _Psittacus novae seelandiae_ Gmelin (nec. Sparrm.), S.N. I, p. 328, No. - 83 (1788). - - _Psittacus zealandicus_ Latham, Ind. Orn. I, p. 102, No. 58 (1790). - - _Psittacus novae-zealandiae_ Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. p. 44, var. 1 (1820). - - _Psittacus erythronotus_ Kuhl, Consp. Psitt. p. 45, No. 67 (1820). - - _Psittacus pacificus_ var. No. 3, Vieillot, Enc. Meth., p. 1387 (1823). - - _Platycercus pacificus_, part. Vigors, Zool. Journ. I, p. 529 (1825). - - _Platycercus erythronotus_ Stephens, Gen. Zool. XIV., p. 129, No. 9 - (1826). - - _Conurus phaeton_ Des Murs, Rev. Zool. 1845, p. 449. - - _Platycercus phaeton_ Des Murs, Icon. Orn. pl. 16 (1845). - - _Cyanorhamphus pacificus_ Bonaparte, Rev. et. Mag. 1854, p. 153, No. - 184. - - _Cyanorhamphus erythronotus_ Gray, Hand-list II, p. 140, No. 8029 - (1870). - - _Cyanorhamphus forsteri_ Finsch, Papag. II, p. 270 (1868). - -This bird has received a variety of names owing to the adult bird being -very different to the younger and quite young birds. _Adult_, forehead -black; stripe from lores passing through eye almost to hind-neck scarlet; -rump scarlet; back and breast dull green; cheeks, head, neck, belly, -under-tail coverts and wing coverts, bright green. Flight-feathers blue on -outer, brown on inner, webs; bend of wing blue; tail feathers blue, edged -with green. - -_Young_ differs in having a dull bluish-black forehead, brownish head, back -mixed brown and green, rump and eye stripe chestnut red, and the underside -greyish green. - -This species was confined to the Society Islands, where it was obtained -during Cook's Voyage by Ellis and by Forster, and lastly by Lieutenant de -Marolles in 1844. We only know for certain at the present day of the -existence of two specimens, one in the British Museum, ex Massena -collection, whose origin is doubtful, and one in Paris, collected by -Lieutenant de Marolles. What became of the other two specimens of the -latter's collecting, and of Forster's and Ellis' specimens, I cannot say. - -Habitat: Society Islands. - -Evidently extinct. {70} - - - - CYANORHAMPHUS ULIETANUS (GM.) - - _Society Parrot_ Latham, Syn. I p. 250 (1781). - - _Psittacus ulietanus_ Gmelin, S.N. I p. 328, n. 85 (1788). - - _Platycercus ulietanus_ Vig., Zool. I p. 533, Suppl. pl. 3 (1825). - - _Cyanorhamphus ulietanus_ Bonaparte, Rev. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. - 153, n. 188. - - _Platycercus tannaensis_ Finsch, Papag. II, p. 272 (1868). - - _Psittacus fuscatus_ Pelz., Ibis 1873, p. 30. - -_Adult_: "Olive brown, the head brown-black; rump and basal upper -tail-coverts brown-red, the longest upper tail-coverts olive brown like the -back; underparts olive-yellow; quills, primary-coverts, under wing coverts -and tail-feathers grey; bill black, base of upper mandible grey; feet -brown." (Salvadori, Cat. B. XX p. 579). Wing 5.3 inches, bill 0.8 inches, -tarsus 0.8 inches, tail 5 inches. - -Habitat: Ulietea, Society Islands (fide Latham). - -The type from the Leverian Museum is in Vienna, and a specimen from -Bullock's collection is in the British Museum. These are the only two -specimens known, and as it is now more than a hundred years since anyone -has procured a specimen, we may suppose that this is an extinct species. -The specimen in Vienna, which I have recently been able to examine, has the -head, back, wings, and tail deep umber-brown, the rump dark-crimson, upper -tail-coverts olive, underside brownish yellow. - - - - CYANORHAMPHUS SUBFLAVESCENS SALVADORI. - - _Parrot from Lord Howe Island_ Phillips, Bot. Bay, p. 225 (1789). - - _Cyanorhamphus subflavescens_ Salvadori, Ann. & Mag. (6) VII, p. 68 - (1891). - -Very similar to _C. cooki_ and _C. saisseti_ and intermediate in size. -Above more yellowish than _C. saisseti_, below more greenish, tail shorter -than in either of the latter. - -This species is believed to be extinct. Last year I received some specimens -of a _Cyanorhamphus_ from an inhabitant of Lord Howe's Island, but from -subsequent letters these appear to have been collected on Norfolk or Philip -Island, and they certainly are _C. cooki_. - -Habitat: Lord Howe's Island. - -A pair in the British Museum appear to be the only known specimens. - -{71} - - - - BUBO(?) LEGUATI NOM. NOV. - - _Strix sp._ Milne-Edwards, Ann. Sci. Nat. (5) XIX p. 13 (art. 3.) 1874. - -Milne-Edwards had only a single tibio-tarsus of this form and described -this bone, but refrained from giving it a specific name, though he stated -it was probably a small _Bubo_, in the hopes of getting more material. - -As, however, we have no further specimens, I think I am justified in naming -it after Leguat, who first mentions Owls on Rodriguez. Milne-Edwards' -description of this tibio-tarsus is that it equals in length that bone in -_Asio accipitrinus_, but was distinguished from the latter by the strong -inward curvature and the great development in width of its distal -extremity. - - _Tibio-tarsus._ - - Total length 77 mm. - Length from the proximal extremity to the - top of the peronial ridge 25 " - Width at distal extremity 10.5 " - Width at proximal extremity 9 " - Width of shaft 3.7 " - -Habitat: Rodriguez. - -{73} - - - - SCOPS COMMERSONI OUST. - - _Scops commersoni_ Oustalet, Ann. Sci. Nat. (8) III, p. 35 fig. 3 - (1896). - -This owl, I believe, is not a true _Scops_, being much too big, but we must -leave it in that genus for the present, as there are no specimens or bones -extant, and only Jossigny's drawing to guide us as to its appearance. The -first mention of owls on Mauritius was in the year 1606, when Admiral -Matlief says that owls were common in the Island. Monsieur Desjardins, in -1837, gave the first accurate description of the bird, of which I here -reproduce the translation. "The digits and even the tarsi are not -feathered, only on the front portion of these latter one sees some short, -stiff feathers running down to a point nearly to the centre. The digits are -very strong, they being armed with hooked nails. - -The beak is very stout, arched from its base; the upper mandible, which is -much longer than the other and covering it, is as if cut square at the -point. The nostrils pierce the bill pretty high up in the horny portion. -The eyes, of which I could not see the colour, are round, and placed, like -in the entire family, in front. They are surrounded by a circle or disc of -stiff, thread-like feathers, which is interrupted at the sides. A sort of -collar is perceptible on the throat. Two tufts, similar to those of the -Eagle Owls and Eared Owls, and very apparent, are behind the eyes and -towards the top of the occiput. - -The wings are a little longer than the tail, the fourth and fifth primaries -being the longest, the third and sixth are shorter, and the second still -shorter, being equal to the eighth, and the first is shortest of all. The -tail reaches to the end of the digits; it is rounded and not much -lengthened: all the retrices are equal in length. The ear-tufts are brown, -with some slight buff shading, the discal plumes being white marked with -buff. All the upper side is of a dark brown colour, the feathers of the -head, the neck and the back are edged with rufous, but not very distinctly -so; this rufous colour is more apparent on the scapulars, and some of these -even have on the outer web one or two whitish patches surrounded with -brown. - -The large tail feathers are less brown and more rufous in colour, with -lighter rufous marbling mixed with brown. - -The tertials and secondaries have a darker brown bar towards the centre, -and their outer web is pleasantly marked with somewhat square ocelli or -irregular bands of white, pale buff, and brown. The large primaries or {74} -flight feathers present the same ornamentation, but more strongly -developed, and the blotches are buffy white on the inner web, which -produces a regular spotting on a brown ground colour; the tip of these -large feathers is finely stippled with brown on a fairly pale ground; and -there is a large patch of white on the wings in addition. - -The throat and abdomen are nicely adorned with dark buff feathers, which -have a black brown centre and two to four large round white spots. The -large feathers on the flanks are whitish, with a brown shaft line and -marked with buff. All the well feathered parts, underneath the feathers are -covered by a very thick black down." - -The colour of bill and feet is reddish brown. Total length, 13-1/2 inches = -345 mm. Desjardins says the specimen he described was killed at the end of -October, 1836, in the forest crowning the hills close to "Bamboo Creek." In -1837 several were still seen near "La Savane," and one was killed at -Curepipe by Dr. Dobson of the 99th Regiment. This latter is believed to -have been one of, if not the last of this species, so we have to thank that -excellent naturalist, Desjardins, and Monsieur Jossigny, the companion of -Commerson, that we know what this extinct species was like. - -Habitat: Mauritius. - -{75} - - - - ATHENE MURIVORA MILNE-EDWARDS. - - _Strix (Athene) murivora_ Milne-Edwards, Ann. Sci. Nat. (5) XIX p. 13 - (Art. 3.) (1874). - -Professor Milne-Edwards described this bird from a tibio-tarsus and a -tarso-metatarsus collected in Rodriguez by Sir Edward Newton, and says that -he considers it to belong to the genus _Athene_, because the proportions of -the tibio-tarsus and tarso-metatarsus agree with those of that genus. The -most remarkable specific characters appear to be that the ridge to which -the fibula is articulated is stout, and extends very far along the outer -edge of the bone. The diaphysis is large and nearly straight; the distal -extremity is furnished with two equal condyles separated by a deep channel. - - _Tibio-tarsus._ - - Total length 71 mm. - Length from proximal extremity to end of - peronial ridge 25 " - Width of distal extremity 10 " - Width of proximal extremity 9 " - Width of shaft 4 " - - _Tarso-metatarsus._ - - Total length 46 mm. - Width at proximal extremity 10 " - Width at distal extremity 15 " - Width of shaft 5 " - -Habitat: Rodriguez. - -{77} - - - - SCELOGLAUX RUFIFACIES BULLER. - - _Sceloglaux rufifacies_ Buller, Ibis 1904, p. 639; id. Suppl. B. New - Zealand II, p. 65, pl. VII (1906). - -Original description: "Adult female: Similar to _Sceloglaux albifacies_, -but appreciably smaller; face dull rufous brown, instead of being white; -crown and nape blackish brown; entire upper surface strongly suffused with -rufous; quills marked with regular transverse bars and a terminal edging of -rufous brown; tail-feathers uniform yellowish brown, obscurely barred with -pale brown; bill lemon-yellow; feet dull yellow." - -"Wairarapa district, near Wellington, North Island, in the summer 1868-9." - -This supposed "species" is a very doubtful one. A close examination in the -Tring Museum of the type (which was offered me for such a high price that I -did not feel justified in buying it, fond as I am of possessing extinct -forms, types and varieties) by Messrs. Hartert, Hellmayr and myself proved -beyond doubt to all three of us that the specimen was not fully adult, but -showed signs of immaturity. If I said to Sir Walter Buller that it was an -extremely young, hardly fledged _Sceloglaux_ this was certainly incorrect, -and was perhaps just an exclamation after a hasty preliminary examination, -for the bird is of course fully fledged and has passed, at least partially, -through one moult of the feathers. On the other hand, both Professor -Newton's and Dr. Sharpe's reputed statements that the owl in question is -fully adult are not correct. It certainly shows unmistakable signs of -immaturity, as noticed at once by Dr. Gadow (cf. Newton's letter on p. 66, -l.c.), by Hartert, Hellmayr and myself. Moreover Professor Newton--though -Buller says he "pronounced it to be an adult bird"--also admits that the -bird "had moulted, though not necessarily to be in adult plumage," and he -continues that he thinks the character of the markings continues to be -juvenile. - -Having thus discussed the age of this owl, the question must be considered -if it is different from _S. albifacies_ from the South Island. This is less -easily done. Buller described it as a "new species," and mentions among the -distinctive characters (see above) the colour of the tail. The tail, -however, is "skillfully" (as Buller calls it, though I should use a less -complimentary adverb) stuck in, and does not belong to a _Sceloglaux_, but -to an Australian _Ninox_, and also some feathers on the neck are foreign. -The wings being abraded, its slightly smaller length is not very -significant. Certainly, however, the colouration in general is slightly -more rufous than {78} in _S. albifacies_, though some of my specimens -approach it almost completely, and the face is more rufescent. Professor -Newton cautiously warned Sir Walter Buller, suggesting that _S. albifacies_ -might possibly have a red "phase," like _Syrnium aluco_, and this North -Island specimen represented the latter. As for myself, I do not think that -_S. albifacies_ has two phases, as I have seen too many specimens, and -found them to vary but little. I have now in my collection eight specimens -from the South Island. On the other hand, I have not seen juvenile -examples; but it is very likely that the rufous face of the North Island -specimen is a character peculiar to the North Island form, which would then -be a sub-species of _S. albifacies_ from the South Island, and should be -called _S. albifacies rufifacies_. The type from Wairapara is said to have -been killed in the summer of 1868-9, and, since no further evidence of its -existence has come forth, I presume that the North Island race of this owl -must be extinct by this time. - -{79} - - - - STRIX NEWTONI NOM. NOV. - - _Strix sp._ Newton and Gadow, Trans. Zool. Soc. XIII, p. 287 (1893). - -Messrs. Newton and Gadow give the measurements of, and describe a pair of -metatarsi procured with the remains described as _Strix sauzieri_, and -state that they do not fit in with that species. For, as they are fully -adult bones, it is impossible to attribute their much smaller size to -youth. They then add a sentence of which this is the first part: "Unless we -assume, what is unlikely, that the Island of Mauritius possessed two -different species of _Strix_, we have to conclude that the short pair of -metatarsals belonged to a small individual of _Strix sauzieri_, ----." -Evidently Messrs. Gadow and Newton, when they wrote this, did not remember -the fact that throughout a very large portion of the range of _Strix -flammea_, its various geographical races are found side by side with -another species of the group of _Strix_, namely, _S. candida_ and _S. -capensis_, popularly called "_Grass owls_"; these in nearly every case have -the legs considerably longer than in the true _Barn Owls_ (_Strix flammea_ -and its races). - -Therefore I consider it not in the least unlikely that two species of -_Strix_ inhabited Mauritius, and that _Strix sauzieri_ was the Mauritian -representative of the "Grass Owls," while these two short metatarsals -belonged to the representative of the "Barn Owls." I therefore have much -pleasure in naming this form after the collector of these bones, the late -Sir Edward Newton. - -Length of tarso-metatarsi, 56 mm. - -Habitat: Mauritius. {80} - - - - STRIX SAUZIERI NEWT. & GAD. - - _Strix sauzieri_ Newton & Gadow, Trans. Zool. Soc. XIII, p. 286, pl. - XXXIII, figs. 11-18 (1893). - -Messrs. Newton and Gadow describe this species from four metatarsi, three -tibiae, and two humeri. They state that the relative length of the tibia to -the metatarsus is very constant and characteristic of the various families -and genera of owls. In the present instance this comparison indicates a -species of _Strix_. - -The longer and higher cnemial process of the tibia and the shortness of the -humerus serve amply to justify the specific separation of this Mauritian -owl. - -The following are the measurements:-- - - Humerus, length 71 mm. - Tibia-tarsus, length 90-93 " - Tarso-metatarsus, length 63-66 " - -Habitat: Mauritius. - -{81} - - - - "CIRCUS HAMILTONI" FORBES. - - _Circus hamiltoni_ Forbes, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 186 (1892--no - proper description). - -A very large harrier, much larger than _Circus gouldi_, but not so big as -_Harpagornis_. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - - - - "CIRCUS TEAUTEENSIS" FORBES. - - _Circus teauteensis_ Forbes, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 186 (1892--no - proper description). - -Another very large harrier from Teaute, which has never yet been properly -described. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - -{83} - - - - ASTUR ALPHONSI NEWT. & GAD. - - _Astur sp._ Milne-Edwards, Ann. Sci. Nat. (5) XIX, Art. II, pp. 25, 26, - pl. 15 fig. 2. (1874). - - _Astur alphonsi_ Newton and Gadow, Trans. Zool. Soc. XIII p. 285, pl. - XXXIII, figs. 9, 10. (1893). - -Messrs. Newton and Gadow bestowed the name _Astur alphonsi_ on a pair of -tibiae, a pair of metatarsals, and the metacarpals of the left side of a -goshawk apparently of the same size and relative proportions as _A. -melanoleucus_ of South Africa. They justified their description of this -goshawk as a distinct species, first of all by the fact that most of the -Mascarene extinct species were distinct; and then because the bony ridge -for the _M. flexor digitorum communis_ was more strongly developed, the -fibula reached further down the tibia, the peroneal crest was straighter -and longer, and the cnemial crest slanted more gradually into the anterior -inner edge of the shaft of the tibia. - -Milne-Edwards gives the measurements of the solitary tarso-metatarsus of -this bird which he had for examination as follows:-- - - Total length 80 mm. - Width at proximal extremity 11 " - Width at distal extremity 13 " - Width at smallest part of shaft 6 " - -Messrs. Gadow and Newton give the length of their tarso-metatarsi as 81 -mm., of their tibiae as 117 mm., and of the metacarpals as 55 mm. - -Habitat: Mauritius. - -Seven tarsi in the Tring Museum. - -{85} - - - - HARPAGORNIS HAAST. - -Allied to _Aquila_, from which it is distinguished by the ulna being -relatively shorter and the tarso-metatarsus stouter. - - - - HARPAGORNIS MOOREI HAAST. - - _Harpagornis moorei_ Haast, Trans. N.Z. Inst. IV, p. 192 (1872). - -Description of femur (from Haast): The cylindrical shaft bent forward, and -above the distal extremity it is slightly curved back. The hollow on the -top of the head is very large and measures .42 inch across. - -The trochanteric ridge is well developed and the outer side is very rough, -showing that muscles of great strength and thickness must have been -attached to it. - -The inter-muscular linear ridges are well raised above the shaft, of which -the one extending from the fore and outer angle of the epitrochanteric -articular surface to the outer condyle is the most prominent. The pits for -the attachment of the ligaments in the inter-condyloid fossa are strongly -marked. The femur is pneumatic, the proximal orifice is large and -ear-shaped, resembling in form most closely that of the Australian Sea -Eagle. - - Total length 6.66 inches. - Circumference at proximal end 4.66 " - Circumference at distal end 5.58 " - Circumference at thinnest part of shaft 2.50 " - - Ungual phalanx (probably of left hallux): - Length 2.92 inches. - Circumference at articular end 3.17 " - - Ungual phalanx (probably of right second toe): - Length 2.75 inches. - Circumference 2.92 " - -Type locality: Glenmark Swamp. - -Habitat: New Zealand. - -Type bones: 1 left femur, 2 ungual phalanges, and 1 rib. - -For a more detailed description my readers must refer to the Transactions -of the New Zealand Institute VI, pp. 64-75 (1874). - -{87} - - - - CARBO PERSPICILLATUS (PALL.) - - (PLATE 39.) - - _Phalacrocorax perspicillatus_ Pallas, Zoogr. Rosso.-Asiat. II, p. 305 - (1827--Berings Island); Gould, Zool. Voy. Sulphur, p. 49, pl. XXXII - (1844); Stejneger, Bull. U.S. Nat. Mus., No. 29, p. 180 (1885); id. - Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. XII, pp. 83-94, pls. II-IV (1889--Osteology); - Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XXVI, p. 357 (1898). - - _Graculus perspicillatus_ Elliot, New and heret. unfig. sp. N. Amer. B. - II, part 14, No. 3, text and plate (1869). - - _Pallasicarbo perspicillatus_ Coues, Osprey III, p. 144 (1899). - -Pallas gives the first recognizable description of this bird, which, as -translated from the Latin, is as follows: "Of the size of a very large -goose. Of the shape of the former (sc. Cormorants), which it also resembles -in the white patches on the flanks. The body is entirely black. A few long, -white, narrow pendant plumes round the neck, as in Herons. Occiput with a -huge tuft, doubly crested. Skin round the base of the bill bare, red, blue -and white, mixed, as in a turkey. Round the eyes a thick, bare white patch -of skin, about six lines wide, like a pair of spectacles. Weight 12 to 14 -pounds. Female smaller, without crest and spectacles. (From Steller.)" - -Steller, who was shipwrecked on Bering Island in 1741, was the discoverer -of _C. perspicillatus_, and Pallas took his diagnosis from Steller's notes. - -The Spectacled or Pallas's Cormorant is one of the rarest of all birds. It -is generally said that four specimens are known, but five are really in -existence: Two in the St. Petersburg Museum, one in Leyden, and two in -London. One of these latter is perfect, while the other has no tail. -Probably all five have been obtained by Kuprianoff, the Russian Governor at -Sitka, who, in 1839, gave one to Captain Belcher, and sent some others to -St. Petersburg. The careful researches of Stejneger and others on Bering -Island have clearly shown that this Cormorant exists no longer. Formerly it -is said to have been numerous, but the natives were fond of its flesh, -which formed their principal diet when other meat was difficult to obtain. -Probably it would not so soon have become extinct if it had not been that -their rather short wings resulted in a certain slowness of locomotion on -land and in the air. A good description is given in the Catalogue of Birds, -and a still more detailed one by Stejneger (Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 1899, p. -86) from Brandt's manuscript. - -Habitat: Bering Island. {88} - - - - CARBO MAJOR (FORBES). - - _Phalacrocorax novaezealandiae var. major_ Forbes, Trans. N.Z. Inst. - XXIV, p. 189 (1892--no proper description). - -Dr. Forbes only informed us that this shag was of greater dimensions than -_Ph. novaezealandiae_ (a very closely allied form of _Ph. carbo_). It would -be interesting to know more about it, and, especially, if this extinct form -was incapable of flight, like _Ph. harrisi_ of the Galapagos Islands. - -Habitat: New Zealand. - -{89} - - - - PLOTUS NANUS NEWT. & GAD. - - _Plotus nanus_ Newton and Gadow, Trans. Zool. Soc. XIII p. 288, pl. - XXXIV figs 1-5. (1893). - -The humerus, the pelvis with sacrum, and the tibia were the materials on -which our authors founded this new species. They state that all the -strongly developed characters in these bones leave no possible doubt as to -its being a species of _Plotus_, and its diminutive size at once -distinguishes it from the three known species--_P. anhinga_, _P. -melanogaster_, and _P. novaehollandiae_. - -The measurements are as follows:-- - - Left humerus, length 89 mm. - Left tibia, length 61 " - -Distance from acetabular axis to anterior end of sacrum 30 mm. - -Distance between ventral inner margins of the acetabula 14.5 mm. - -Habitat: Mauritius. (Also recorded from Madagascar.) - -{91} - - - - "CHENOPIS SUMNERENSIS" FORBES. - - _Chenopis sumnerensis_ Forbes, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 188 (1892) - (Nomen nudum). - -This appears to have been a very large species, with not very great powers -of flight, if not flightless. - -Habitat: New Zealand and Chatham Islands. - -Bones from Chatham Islands in my collection. - -{93} - - - - CHENALOPEX SIRABENSIS ANDREWS. - - _Chenalopex sirabensis_ Andrews, Ibis 1897, p. 355, pl. IX, figs. 1-3. - -This species of which skull, sternum, pelvis, the bones of fore and hind -limbs, &c., are preserved, appears to be closely allied to _Chenalopex -aegyptiacus_, but has such a number of small differences that Mr. Andrews -is, I think, quite justified in separating it; I do not, however, agree -with him when he suggests that perhaps it is the same as Newton and Gadow's -_Sarcidiornis mauritianus_, although many of the bones agree. Of course, -his line of comparison was strengthened by the fact of subfossil bones of -_Plotus nanus_ occurring both in Mauritius and Madagascar; but it does not -follow that because in one family of birds the same species occurred in two -places the others must do likewise, and, therefore, one must not -necessarily regard a certain similarity of osteological characters as proof -of identity. I must here again refer my readers to Mr. Andrews' very full -description. - -Habitat: Sirabe in C. Madagascar. - -The measurements are:-- - - Coracoid 67-75 mm. - Humerus 132-147 " - Radius 126-134 " - Ulna 129-142 " - Metacarpus 76-85 " - -The smaller bones, undoubtedly, belonged to female, and the larger to male -individuals. - -{95} - - - - CENTRORNIS ANDREWS. - -Allied to _Chenalopex_ and _Chenopis_, but differs from _Chenalopex_ in the -form and proportion of its metatarsus, and from all other Anserine forms by -the extreme length and slenderness of the shaft of the tibio-tarsus and the -relative shortness of the fibular crest. From _Chenopis_ it differs in -several respects, and the very long fibular crest of the latter at once -separates them. - - - - CENTRORNIS MAJORI ANDREWS. - - _Centrornis majori_ Andrews, Ibis 1897, p. 344, pl. VIII. - -This species was discovered by Dr. Forsyth Major and Monsieur Robert in the -bed of an old lake at Sirabe, Central Madagascar, in 1896-1897. It was -similar in many respects to _Sarcidiornis_ and _Chenalopex_ but differed in -its large size and the great length of its legs. Indeed, judging from the -slenderness of the metatarsus and femur and the slight degree of inflection -of the lower end of the long tibia, it seems probable that this bird was -ill adapted for swimming, though a good runner. The wings were long and -powerful and armed with a long spur. I must refer my readers for a fuller -description to Mr. Andrews, as quoted above. - -The measurements are:-- - - _Tibia._ - - Length (exclusive of cnemial crest) 213-215 mm. - Width of upper articular surface 20-21 " - Width of middle of shaft 11-11.5 " - Thickness of shaft 8.5-9 " - Width of distal extremity 20-21 " - - _Femur._ - - Length 103-107 mm. - Width of proximal extremity 25-26 " - Width of distal extremity 26 " - Width of shaft 11 " - - {96} - _Metatarsus._ - - Length 130 mm. approx. - Width of shaft 8.5 " - Width of middle trochlea 10 " - - _Coracoid._ - - Length 31 mm. - Width of glenoidal surface 13 " - - _Scapula._ - - Width at proximal extremity 23 mm. - - _Radius._ - - Length 24 mm. - - _Ulna._ - - Width at middle of shaft 10 mm. - - _Metacarpus._ - - Greatest width at proximal extremity 31 mm. - Length of spur 26 " - Width of second metacarpal 9 " - -Habitat: Madagascar. - -{97} - - - - CNEMIORNIS OWEN. - -Skull short and massive, with beak rounded and stout. Carina of sternum -aborted. Limb-bones short and very stout, the ulna being shorter than the -humerus, and having very prominent tubercles for the secondaries; cnemial -crest of tibia greatly developed. No foramen between third and fourth -trochleae of tarso-metatarsus. Spines of dorsal vertebrae tall. The power -of flight was absent. The chief differences from _Cereopsis_ were the -presence of extra pre-sacral vertebrae, so that two only instead of three -ribs articulate with the sacrum; and an elevated pent-roof arrangement of -the _ossa innominata_, which indicate more decided cursorial habits. - - - - CNEMIORNIS CALCITRANS OWEN. - - _Cnemiornis calcitrans_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. V, p. 396 (1865). - -"The type species. Very considerably larger than the existing _Cereopsis -novaehollandiae_, with the limbs relatively much stouter and shorter" -(Lydekker). - - Height of back from ground 26 inches. - Length from beak to tail 34 " - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - -For full description see Trans. N. Z. Inst. VI, pp. 76-84, pls. X-XII -(1874). {98} - - - - "CNEMIORNIS GRACILIS" FORBES. - - _Cnemiornis gracilis_ Forbes, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 187 (1892) - (_Nomen nudum_). - -"A most elegantly moulded goose from the North Island." Unfortunately this -is all that has been published about this form! - -Habitat: North Island, New Zealand. - - - - CNEMIORNIS MINOR FORBES. - - _Cnemiornis minor_ Forbes, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 187 (1892); vide - also Trans. N.Z. Inst. VI, pp. 76-84 (Hector). - -This species appears to be distinguished from _Cnemiornis calcitrans_ by -its very small size, being hardly bigger than _Cereopsis novaehollandiae_. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - -{99} - - - - CEREOPSIS NOVAEZEALANDIAE FORBES. - - _Cereopsis novaezealandiae_ Forbes, Trans. N. Zealand Inst. XXIV, p. - 188 (1892). - -This species was founded on an incomplete skull, and differed from _C. -novaehollandiae_ by its slightly larger size. - -Habitat: New Zealand. - -{101} - - - - SARCIDIORNIS MAURITIANUS NEWT. & GAD. - - _Sarcidiornis mauritianus_ Newton & Gadow, Trans. Zool. Soc. XIII, p. - 290, pl. XXXIV, figs. 9-10. - -The evidence on which this species is founded is a single left metacarpal -and an incomplete left half of the pelvis. Its specific character is the -very large size as compared to the two existing species. - -Habitat: Mauritius. - -In an old work entitled "Memorandums concerning India" by J. Marshall -(1668) in the article on the Island of Mauritius, there occurs this -passage: "They are many Geese; the halfe of their wings towards the end are -black and the other halfe white; they are not large, but fat and good. -Plenty of Ducks." As there is no mention of the caruncle on the bill here -or in other authors alluding to geese in Mauritius, Oustalet doubted that -these geese were this _Sarcidiornis_, but I believe this merely to have -been an oversight of Marshall's and that his description goes far to prove -the distinctness of Newton and Gadow's species. - -The allusion to the small size also points to the geese of Marshall being -the _Sarcidiornis_. L'Abbe Dubois in "Les Voyages du Sieur D.B." records -the fact that on Bourbon were some wild geese slightly smaller than the -geese of Europe but having the same plumage. Their bill and feet were red. -It is also probable that wild geese were found on Rodriguez. There is -nothing to show what these Bourbon geese were, and as no osseous remains of -such birds have been found as yet it is impossible to do more than mention -the fact of such birds having been recorded. - -{103} - - - - ANAS FINSCHI VAN BENEDEN. - - _Anas finschi_ Van Beneden, Journ. Zool. IV, p. 267 (1875); Ann. de la - Soc. Geol. Belg. II, p. 123 (1876). - -This duck is most peculiar, as it stands intermediate between _Querquedula_ -and _Dendrocygna_ in structure, and its nearest known ally seems to be the -extinct _A. blanchardi_ of Europe, and of living forms apparently _Clangula -clangula_. - -Skull nearest to that of _Clangula clangula_ but wider, nostrils more -elongated, eye-sockets smaller, and the whole skull more regularly rounded -off. _Sternum_ differs from that of _C. clangula_ by having the notch -lower, more faint behind and shorter in front. Clavicle and coracoid -resemble those of _Fuligula marila_. Humerus larger and stronger than in -_F. marila_ and _C. clangula_, as are the femur, tibio-tarsus and -tarso-metatarsus, which are almost double as long and thick. - -Judging from the shape of its leg-bones this bird must have been a strong -runner, and probably at the same time was a poor flyer. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - - - - ANAS THEODORI NEWT. & GAD. - - _Anas theodori_ Newton & Gadow, Trans. Zool. Soc. XIII, p. 291, pl. - XXXIV, figs 11-17 (1893--Mauritius). - -Messrs. Newton and Gadow founded this species on a fragment of a sternum, a -pair of coracoids, eight humeri, and a pair of tarso-metatarsi. These are -referable to a duck of larger size than _Nettion bernieri_, and somewhat -intermediate between _N. punctata_ and _Anas melleri_. - -The sternum differs from that of _A. melleri_ by the lesser height of the -keel and by the shape and direction of the anterior margin of the latter. -The coracoid is longer and larger than in _N. bernieri_, but is much -shorter than in _A. melleri_, though agreeing with that of the latter in -shape, and by the plain almost ridgeless ventral surface of the shaft. The -seven humeri vary in length from 70-78 mm., and agree in size with those of -_N. punctata_, thus proving our species to be smaller than _A. melleri_. - -The two tarso-metatarsi are in poor condition; the right one measuring 42 -mm. in length, thus indicating that _A. theodori_ was a bird with a shorter -foot than _A. melleri_. - -Habitat: Mauritius. - -{105} - - - - CAMPTOLAIMUS LABRADORIA (GM.) - - (PLATE 36.) - - _Anas labradoria_ Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 2, p. 537 (1788--"Habitat - gregaria in America, boreali." Ex Pennant and Latham.) - - _Anas labradora_ Latham, Ind. Orn. II, p. 859 (1790). - - _Rhynchaspis labradora_ Stephens, in Shaw's Gen. Zool. XII, 2, p. 121 - (1824). - - _Fuligula labradora_ Bonaparte, Ann. Lyceum N.Y. II, p. 391 (1826). - - _Somateria labradora_ Boie, Isis 1828, p. 329. - - _Kamptorhynchus labradorus_ Eyton, Mon. Anat. p. 151 (1838). - - _Fuligula grisea_ Leib, Journ. Acad. Sc. Philad. VIII, p. 170 - (1840--young bird). - - _Camptolaimus labradorus_ Gray, List. Gen. B. ed. 2, p. 95 (1841); - Dutcher, Auk. 1891, p. 201, pl. II; 1894, pp. 4-12; Hartl. Abh. naturw. - Ver. Bremen XVI, p. 23 (1895). - - _Camptolaemus labradorius_ Baird, B.N. Amer. p. 803 (1858); Baird, - Brewer and Ridgway, Water--B. N. Amer. II, p. 63 (1884); Milne-Edw. and - Oustalet, Centen. Mus. d'Hist. Nat., Notice Ois. eteint. p. 51, pl. IV - (1893); Salvadori, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XXVII, p. 416 (1895). - -The adult male and a young male, both in my museum, are represented on -plate 36, but the young bird became too rufous, through the colour type -reproduction, and should be somewhat more mouse-gray. Though first -technically named by Gmelin in 1788, this duck was first described in 1785 -by Pennant, in the Arctic Zoology II, p. 559, as follows:-- - -"Pied Duck. With the lower part of the bill black, the upper yellow, on the -summit of the head is an oblong black spot; forehead, cheeks, rest of the -head and neck, white; the lower part encircled with black; scapulars and -coverts of wings white; back, breast, belly, and primaries, black; tail -cuneiform, and dusky; legs black. The bill of the supposed female? -resembles that of the male, head and neck mottled with cinereous brown and -dirty white; primaries dusky; speculum white; back, breast, and belly -clouded with different shades of ash-colour; tail dusky and cuneiform; legs -black. Size of a common Wild Duck. - -"Sent from Connecticut, to Mrs. Blackburn. Possibly the great flocks of -pretty Pied Ducks, which whistled as they flew, or as they fed, seen by Mr. -Lawson in the western branch of Cape Fear inlet, were of this kind." - -The Labrador-Duck is one of those birds, the disappearance of which is not -easily explained. As Mr. Dutcher truly said, "we can speculate as to the -cause of its disappearance, but we have no facts to warrant a conclusion." -Formerly _Camptolaimus_ was of regular occurrence along the northern -Atlantic shores of North America, in winter south to New Jersey and New -York. It has often been sold on the markets of New York and Baltimore, and -nobody anticipated even fifty years ago that they might become extinct, but -they {106} appear never to have been very numerous, at least we have no -proof of this. It is true that Professor Newton tells us that this duck -used to breed on rocky islets, and that "its fate is easily understood," -since "man began yearly to visit its breeding haunts, and, not content in -plundering its nests, mercilessly to shoot the birds." This, however, seems -to be mere conjecture, as we do not know for certain where the breeding -haunts of this Duck have been, and that anyone has ever visited them. All -information known about the breeding of this bird is that of Audubon, who -says that his son was shown empty nests on the top of bushes, which a clerk -of the fishing establishment told him were those of the Labrador Duck. This -information is certainly too uncertain to draw any conclusions from, but -the breeding places might just as well have been much further to the north, -and probably were. - - The number of specimens extant is 48. - - Amiens, Town Museum: 1 [male] ad. (Auk. 1897, p. 87). - - Berlin Museum: 1, bought from Salmin (Hartl. p. 23). - - Paris: [male] adult, presented 1810 by M. Hyde de Neuville. - - London, British Museum: 2, a [male] ad. and a [female] ad., neither of - them with exact locality or date. - - Liverpool: 2 [male] ad., 1 [female], 1 [male] jun. - - Cambridge: 1 [male] - - Dublin: 1 fine mounted [male] (Dr. Scharff in litt.) - - Tring: 1 [male] ad., 1 [male] jun. (See below.) - - Brussels: 1 [male] ad. - - St. Petersburg: 1 [male] ad., purchased from Salmin. - - Heine Museum in Germany: 1 poor specimen. - - Munich: The Museum possesses a male from the collection of the Duke of - Leuchtenberg. - - Dresden: 1 [male] and two doubtful eggs--the latter doubtless wrong I - should say. - - Vienna: 1 [male] ad., exchanged from Baron von Lederer in 1830. - Locality New York; 1 [female] ad., bought from Brandt in Hamburg in - 1846, for 4 Gulden! - - Leiden Museum: [male] [female], from the Prince of Wied. - - American Museum, New York: 7, three of which formerly belonged to - George N. Lawrence. - - Long Island Historical Society, Brooklyn: 1 [male] ad. - - Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, N. York: 1 [male] ad. - - New York State Museum, Albany: [male] [female] ad. - - Cory collection: [male] [female] ad. - - University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont: 1 [male] ad. - - Philadelphia: 2 [male] jun., 1 [female] - - U.S. National Museum, Washington: 2 [male], 1 [female], 1 [male] jun. - - Collection of Mr. William Brewster: 1 [male] jun., 1 [female] - - Boston Society of Natural History: 1 [male] jun. - - Collection of Dalhousie College, Halifax: [male] [female] - -This makes a total of 48 known specimens. {107} - -The last specimens killed were those shot in May, 1871, at Grand Manan -Island, the date of which is absolutely certain, and the specimen bought -from a Mr. J. G. Bell in 1879, for the Smithsonian Institution, which is -said to have been shot in 1875, but this date seems not quite certain (Cf. -Auk, 1894, p. 9). That several other specimens were shot later than 1852 is -perfectly certain. As the specimen of 1875, or thereabouts, is a young -male, Mr. Lawrence's question about the old birds is certainly justified. -As, however, no Labrador Duck has been recorded later than 1871 or 1875 we -may suppose that it is now extinct. - -My young male was bought in the Fulton Market, New York, about 1860, and -probably came from Long Island. It was mounted by John Bell, a -bird-stuffer, through whose hands several Labrador Ducks have gone, and is -in the finest possible condition. I bought this bird from the late Gordon -Plummer, shortly before his death. He died at his home in Brookline, Mass., -in November, 1893. (Cf. Auk, 1891, p. 206.) - -My adult male is the one of which the history is given in Auk, 1894, p. -176. It is described there in detail and then added: "Shot in the bay of -Laprairie this spring (1862) by a habitant, and purchased by Mr. Thompson -of this city, who has kindly placed it at my disposal for examination." Mr. -William Dutcher of New York City bought this specimen from the widow of the -Mr. Thompson, mentioned in the above note as the original owner, and I -purchased it from Mr. William Dutcher, who informs me that "the Bay of -Laprairie" is simply a name given to a wide part of the River St. Lawrence, -just south of Montreal, Quebec. The name is found on good maps of Quebec. - -{109} - - - - "BIZIURA LAUTOURI" FORBES. - - _Biziura lautouri_ Forbes, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 188 (1892--nomen - nudum). - -Dr. Forbes, unfortunately, gives no description whatever of this bird. It -would be interesting to know something about it, and especially if its -powers of flight were impaired, as it seems to have been the case in so -many extinct birds. - -{111} - - - - ARDEA MEGACEPHALA MILNE-EDWARDS. - - _Butors Leguat_, Relation du Voyage (1708). - - _Ardea megacephala_ Milne-Edwards, Ann. Sci. Nat. (5) XIX, 1874, p. 10. - -Leguat's description, here translated, is as follows:--"We had Bitterns as -big and as fat as capons. They are tamer and more easily caught than the -'gelinotes.'" He also says, "The lizards often serve as prey for the birds, -especially for the Bitterns. When we shook them down from the branches with -a pole, these birds ran up and gobbled them down in front of us, in spite -of all we could do to prevent them; and even if we only pretended to do so -they came in the same manner and always followed us about." - -Milne-Edwards remarks, among other notes, that "This bird is not a true -Bittern, but its head is so large and its feet so short that it is easy to -understand that Leguat should have called it so." - -The bony structure of the head is remarkable on account of its massive and -thick proportions; the skull itself is strongly enlarged posteriorly, and -the temporal fossae are bordered by very pronounced ridges, especially -those on the occipital region. The upper side of the skull is hardly -convex, and the interorbital region is large, but only slightly depressed -along its middle line. The bill is stout, almost straight, a good deal -enlarged at its base and rounded beneath. The nostrils are large and -preceded by a large groove, which extends very far towards the tip. - -It is impossible to confound this skull with that of any Bittern, the -latter having the beak relatively slender and only barely exceeding the -skull in length. These also have the skull much constricted at the temporal -region. The fossil skull from Rodriguez therefore presents characters -essentially those of a Heron, but differs from all known species in its -massive appearance. In the Grey, Purple and Goliath Herons, as well as in -the Egrettes, the head is narrower, more elongated, the bill less conical -and less strong. In _Ardea atricollis_, now inhabiting Madagascar, the beak -much resembles that of our extinct species, but it is longer and less -enlarged at the base. The interorbital area is much wider, while on the -other hand the hinder portion of the skull is narrower and more elongated, -which gives to the skull a totally different aspect. - -The feet relatively to the head are extremely short, and from this I -conclude that we know no species of Heron which can be compared to that of -Rodriguez. Nevertheless, the tarso-metatarsus presents all the characters -{112} of _Ardea_, and is far removed from that of _Botaurus_. The tibia is -big and short; it surpasses in length the tarso-metatarsus by about a -third, as is usual in the Herons; but the femur on the contrary is strongly -developed, being quite as large as in the _Ardea cinerea_; which shows us -that the body of this creature was of large size, and that the reduction in -size of the feet had only taken place at their extremities. - -The sternum is puny and small as compared with the creature's size. It is -clearly that of a bird not furnished with powerful wings, and is even much -less elongated than in the Bittern, but the coracoidal bones are very long -and slender. The wings also were short and feeble, the humerus being hardly -as big as in _Butorides atricapilla_. It is conspicuously slenderer and -shorter than in the Bittern. The main body of the bone is slightly curved -on the outside, and the lower articular condyle is large and flattened. I -have not been able to examine any bone of the "manus," but the metacarpal -bone shows exactly the same proportions for the wing as does the humerus, -as it also barely reaches the size of that of _Butorides atricapilla_. The -measurements are as follows:-- - - _Skull._ - - Total length 154 mm. - Length of upper mandible 94 " - Width of upper mandible at base 22 " - Width of interorbital region 22 " - Space between the mastoid apophyses 40 " - Width of skull at level of postorbital apophyses 40 " - Length of lower mandible 147 " - - _Tarso-metatarsus._ - - Total length 95-162 mm. - Width at proximal extremity 14 " - Width at distal extremity 13.5-14 " - Width of shaft 6.2-7 " - - _Tibio-tarsus._ - - Total length 140-210 mm. - Width at distal extremity 12-13 " - Width at proximal extremity 13-14 " - Width of shaft 6-6.5 " - - {113} - _Femur._ - - Total length 90-92 mm. - Width of distal extremity 15-16 " - Width of proximal extremity 14-16 " - Width of shaft 6.2-7 " - - _Sternum._ - - Total length 64-88 mm. - Width in front 35-48 " - Width behind costal facets 26-36 " - Width at posterior border 27-35 " - - _Coracoidals._ - - Total length 59-67 mm. - Width at lower extremity 17-18 " - - _Humerus._ - - Total length 118-180 mm. - Width of proximal extremity 20-27 " - Width of distal extremity 16.5-24 " - Width of shaft 7-11 " - - _Metacarpals._ - - Total length 62-98 mm. - Width of proximal extremity 12-17 " - Width of distal extremity 7-11 " " - -The anonymous author of the manuscript "Relation de l'ile Rodrigue" (see -Ann. Sci. Nat. (6) II p. 133 et seq. 1875) about the year 1830 mentions -this bird as follows:--"There are not a few Bitterns which are birds which -only fly a very little, and run uncommonly well when they are chased. They -are of the size of an Egret and something like them." - -Habitat: Rodriguez Island. - -2 Humeri, 2 Femora, 2 Tibiae, and 2 Metatarsi in the Tring Museum. {114} - - - - ARDEA DUBOISI NOM. NOV. - - _Butors ou Grands Gauziers_ Dubois, Les Voyages faits par le Sieur D.B. - (1674) p. 169. - -L'Abbe Dubois is the only author who has, as far as I can ascertain, told -us that the Island of Reunion also had a large almost flightless Heron as -well as Mauritius and Rodriguez; and so feeling sure that it, like most -other birds of this island, was distinct I name it after him. - -The translation of his original description is as follows:--"Bitterns or -Great Egrets, large as capons, but very fat and good. They have grey -plumage, each feather spotted with white, the neck and beak like a Heron, -and the feet green, made like the feet of Poullets d'Inde (_Porphyrio_, -W.R.). This bird lives on fish." - -Habitat: Reunion or Bourbon. {115} - - - - ARDEA MAURITIANA (NEWT. & GAD.) - - _Butorides mauritianus_ Newton & Gadow, Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. XIII, p. - 289 (1893). - -The bones on which this species is founded are a pair of ulnae, one radius, -four metatarsi, and one coracoid. The description is as follows:--"The -bones in question are all considerably shorter than the corresponding bones -of _A. (Nycticorax) megacephala_. The metatarsi agree otherwise in every -detail with those of the latter species; this relative stoutness indicates -that they belonged to a Night-Heron or Bittern like _A. megacephala_. The -two ulnae cannot, unfortunately, be compared with those of _A. -megacephala_; their length, 110 mm., compared with the length of the -humerus of _A. megacephala_, 119 mm., shows, however, likewise that they -were those of a considerably smaller bird. The single left coracoid agrees -in all the features of its dorsal or scapular half with _A. megacephala_, -but its ventral or sternal half differs considerably, first by the much -more strongly marked ridge of the _linea intermuscularis_ on its ventral -surface, secondly by the almost straight instead of inwardly curved margin -between the _processus lateralis_ and the lateral distal corner of the -sternal articulation, thirdly by a very low but very distinct and sharp -ridge, which arises from the median margin of the coracoid, a little above -its median articulating corner. This roughness or prominent ridge is -entirely absent in _A. megacephala_ and in all other Herons which we have -been able to examine, but at least a slight indication of it occurs in an -individually varying degree in _Nycticorax_ and _Botaurus_. That this -coracoid bone belonged, however, to an Ardeine bird is clearly indicated by -its whole configuration, notably by the shape and position of the -precoracoid process, the various articulating facets at the dorsal end, and -the prominent lip on the visceral or internal surface of the median portion -of the sternal articulating facet." - -The following are the measurements:-- - - Length of ulna 111-112 mm. - Length of metatarsus 81- 87 " - Length of coracoid 48 " - -Habitat: Mauritius. - -Although _megacephala_ and _mauritiana_ have been placed in _Ardea_ and -_Butorides_ respectively, from the short, stout legs and general build, I -am inclined to think that all three of these Herons belong to the genus -_Nycticorax_. - -{117} - - - - PROSOBONIA BP. - -This genus is, in the Catalogue of Birds, placed in a section with somewhat -long tarsus, the latter being longer than the culmen, containing in -addition to _Prosobonia_ the genera _Tringites_, and _Aechmorhynchus_ (see -afterwards), and it differs from the latter by its long hind toe, from the -former by its square tail. The position of this singular bird is, however, -not quite certain. The late Henry Seebohm placed it in the genus -_Phegornis_, though the latter has no hind toe whatever, and it has -even--but doubtless wrongly--been suggested that it belonged to the -_Rallidae_, rather than to the _Charadriidae_. We know only one species. It -is true that Dr. Sharpe bestowed a new name on the figure of Ellis, which -is said to have been taken from an Eimeo-specimen, but it is hardly -creditable that it belongs to a different species. Latham appears to have -had three specimens, which were all three different from each other. Both -Forster and Ellis, in their unpublished drawings in the British Museum, as -well as Latham, evidently considered all three to belong to the same -species, and it is not advisable now to over-rule their verdict, given with -the specimens before them, merely on account of the different plumages, -since we all know that most waders, and especially brightly-coloured ones, -differ considerably in plumage, according to age and seasons. We are -convinced that "_P. ellisi_" has been a younger bird. Sharpe attaches -importance to the different habitat, but this is no argument in this -instance, because Eimeo is, at the nearest point, not more than seven and a -half miles from Tahiti,[2] and it is quite against all precedents among -_Charadriidae_ and beyond all plausibility that two such closely situated -islands have closely allied forms of a Wader. - -{118} - - - - PROSOBONIA LEUCOPTERA (GM.) - - (PLATE 35.) - - _White-winged Sandpiper_ Latham, Gen. Syn. III, pt. 1, p. 172, pl. - LXXXII (1785--Otaheite and Eimeo). - - _Tringa leucoptera_ Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, p. 678 (1788--ex Latham!); - Westermann, Bijdr. Dierk. I, p. 51, pl. 15 (1854--Figure of the type). - - _Totanus leucopterus_ Vieillot, Nouv. Dict. d'Hist. Nat. (Ed. II) VI, - p. 396 (1817). - - _Calidris leucopterus_ Cuvier, Regne Anim. I, p. 526 (1829). - - _Tringa pyrrhetraea_ Lichtenstein, Forster's descr. anim. p. 174 - (1844--Otaheiti). - - _Prosobonia leucoptera_ Bonaparte, Compt. Rend. XXXI, p. 562 (1850); - Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XXIV, p. 525 (1896). - - _Tringoides leucopterus_ Gray, Handl. B. III, p. 46 (1871). - - _Phegornis leucopterus_ Seebohm, Geogr. Distrib. Charad. p. 452 pl. 18 - (1888). - - _Prosobonia ellisi_ Sharpe, Bull. B.O.C. XVI, p. 86 (1906--"Eimeo"). - -Dr. Sharpe's description, made from the type in the Leyden Museum, is as -follows: "Adult. General colour of upper surface blackish brown; the lower -back and rump ferruginous; centre tail-feathers blackish, the rest rufous, -banded with black, less distinctly on the two next the middle pair; -wing-coverts blackish, with a white spot near the carpal bend of the wing, -formed by some of the lesser coverts; crown of head blackish, the hind-neck -browner, mixed with black; sides of face brown, the lores and ear-coverts -slightly more reddish, behind the eye a little white spot; cheeks and under -surface of body ferruginous red, the throat buffy white. Length 6.7 inches, -culmen 0.9, wing 4.45, tail 2.15, tarsus 1.3 (Mus. Lugd.)" - -We know nothing of this bird, but the one specimen in the Leyden Museum, -which is the type, or at least one of the types. As no other specimens have -been obtained for nearly a century and a quarter, there is every reason to -fear that this bird is extinct. My plate has been made up by Mr. Lodge from -the unpublished drawings of Ellis and Forster in the British Museum. - -Habitat: Tahiti, and the adjacent islet of Eimeo. - -{119} - - - - AECHMORHYNCHUS COUES. - -This genus appears to be closely allied to _Prosobonia_, but has a much -shorter hind toe. Its colouration is very different, and quite that of a -Sandpiper, while the pattern of _Prosobonia_ is most singular. Seebohm -placed _Aechmorhynchus_, together with _Prosobonia_, in the genus -_Phegornis_. - -We know only one species. - - - - AECHMORHYNCHUS CANCELLATA (GM.) - - (PLATE 35.) - - _Barred Phalarope_ Latham, Gen. Syn. III. pt. 1, p. 274 - (1785--Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean). - - _Tringa cancellata_ Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, p. 675 (1788--ex Latham). - - _Tringa parvirostris_ Peale, U.S. Expl. Exp., Birds p. 235, pl. LXVI, 2 - (1848--Paumotu) Cassin, U.S. Expl. Exp. p. 321, pl. 38, 2 - (1858--Paumotu). - - _Totanus_ (_Tryngites?_) _cancellatus_ Gray, Cat. B. Trop. Islands Pac. - Ocean, p. 51 (1859). - - _Phegornis cancellatus_ Seebohm, Geogr. Distrib. Charadr. p. 451, pl. - 17 (1888). - - _Aechmorhynchus cancellatus_ Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XXIV, p. 525 - (1896). - -"Bill short, straight, and slender; wings long, first, second, and third -quills very nearly equal; tertiaries but very little longer than the -secondaries; tail rather long, wide, rounded; legs and toes long, the -former robust; tibia feathered for more than half its length. A distinct -stripe over and behind the eye ashy-white. Entire upper parts umber-brown, -unspotted on the top of the head, but on the other upper parts edged and -tipped with ashy-white and reddish fulvous. Tail-feathers umber-brown, with -irregular and imperfect transverse narrow bands of ashy and pale -reddish-white, and tipped with the same. Underparts white, with a tinge of -ashy; throat and middle of the abdomen unspotted; breast, sides, and under -coverts of the tail spotted, and with irregular transverse bars of brown, -the latter most apparent on the sides, flanks, and under tail-coverts. -Under wing-coverts ashy-white, irregularly spotted with brown. Bill -greenish, darker at the tip; legs dark green. Sexes very nearly alike, -female slightly paler. (Cassin.)" {120} - -I have here given the synonymy of this bird, as it has now been generally -accepted by Seebohm, Sharpe, and others. An actual comparison of the types -would, however, be very desirable, but, unfortunately, we do not know where -the type of Latham is, and if it still exists. Christmas Island lies much -to the north of the Paumotu group! As no specimens have been obtained since -the U.S. Exploring Expedition, we may safely suppose that the species has -ceased to exist for some reason. - -Habitat: "Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean and Paumotu Islands." - -{121} - - - - GALLINAGO CHATHAMICA FORBES. - - _Gallinago chathamica_ Forbes, Ibis 1893, p. 545. - -Evidently a species allied to _G. pusilla_, but very much larger. Bill -three inches long. - -Habitat: Chatham Islands. - -Several skulls and a few bones in the Tring Museum. This is a snipe only a -little larger than the existing _Gallinago aucklandica_. - -{123} - - - - HYPOTAENIDIA (?) PACIFICUS (GM.) - - (PLATE 26.) - - _Pacific rail_ Latham, Gen. Syn. III, pt. I, p. 255 (1785). - - _Rallus pacificus_ Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, p. 717 (1788). - -Forster's description is as follows, in translation: "Black with white -spots or bars; abdomen, throat, and eyebrow white; hind neck ferruginous; -breast grey; bill blood-red; iris red. Bill straight, compressed, narrowed -at the top, thicker at the base, and blood-red. The mandibles subequal, -pointed; the upper slightly curved, with the tip pale fuscous; gape medium. -Nostrils almost at the base of bill, linear. Eyes placed above the gape of -the mouth. Iris blood-red. Feet four-toed, split, built for running, flesh -coloured. Femora semi-bare, slender, of medium length. - -"Tibiae slightly compressed, shorter than the femora. Four toes, slender, -of which three point forward (are front toes). The middle one almost as -long as the Tibia, the side ones of equal length shorter, the back one -short, raised from the ground. Nails short, small, slightly incurved, -pointed, and light coloured. Head oval, slightly depressed, fuscous. A -superciliary line from bill to occiput whitish. Throat white. Hindneck -ferruginous. Neck very short. Back and rump black, sparsely dotted with -minute white dots. Breast bluish grey. Abdomen, crissum, and loins white. -Wings short, wholly black, variegated with broken white bands. Remiges -short. Rectrices extremely short, black spotted with white, hardly to be -distinguished from the coverts. - - Total length from bill to tail 9 inches. - Total length to middle toe 12-3/4 " - Bill 1-1/10 " - Tibiae 2 " - Middle toe 1-3/10 " " - -Mr. Keulemans' plate was done from Forster's unpublished drawing in the -British Museum, and no specimen is in existence. The legs should, however, -be less bright red, more flesh-colour. - -Habitat: Tahiti, but evidently long extinct. - -This bird, according to Forster, was called "Oomnaa" or "Eboonaa," on -Otaheite, and the neighbouring islands. - -{125} - - - - NESOLIMNAS ANDREWS. - -Differs from _Cabalus_ by the relatively shorter bill; by having the whole -culmen convex with the tip sharply decurved, by having a close instead of a -loose plumage, and a much less reduced sternum, with a well-developed -instead of almost obsolete keel. Type of genus _Nesolimnas dieffenbachi_ -(Gray). - - - - NESOLIMNAS DIEFFENBACHII GRAY. - - (PLATE 27.) - - _Rallus Dieffenbachii_ Gray, Dieffenb., Trav. N.Z. II App. p. 197 - (1843). - - _Ocydromus dieffenbachi_ Gray, Voy. Ereb. and Terr., Birds p. 14, pl. - 15 (1846). - - _Hypotaenidia dieffenbachi_ Bonaparte, C. R. XLIII, p. 599 (1856). - - _Cabalus dieffenbachi_ Sharpe, Voy. Ereb. and Terr., Birds p. 29, pl. - 15 (1875), id., Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XXIII p. 47 (1894). - - _Nesolimnas dieffenbachi_ Andrews, Novit. Zool. III. p. 266, pl. X, - figs 3-15 (1896). - -Adult: "General colour above, brown, banded on the mantle and scapulars, -and spotted on the upper back with ochreous buff, these buff markings being -margined with black, which takes the form of broad bars on the mantle; -lower back and rump uniform brown; upper tail coverts brown, barred across -with light rufous and black; lesser wing coverts like the back; median and -greater coverts, as well as the primary coverts and quills, light chestnut, -barred with black, the inner secondaries spotted and barred with ochre and -black, like the back; tail feathers brown, mottled with chestnut near the -base; crown of the head and nape uniform brown, followed by an indistinct -patch of chestnut on the hindneck; lores dull rufous, surmounted by a broad -line of bluish grey, extending from the base of the nostrils to the sides -of the nape; rest of the sides of the face bluish grey, extending on to the -lower throat; this grey area of the face separated from the grey eyebrow by -a broad band of dark chestnut, which extends from the lores through the eye -along the upper part of the ear-coverts; chin and upper throat white; lower -throat black, barred across with white; fore neck and chest ochreous buff, -banded rather narrowly with black, this pattern of colouration {126} -extending up the sides of the neck to the chestnut on the ear coverts; -lower breast and abdomen black, banded with white, the light bars on the -flanks and vent feathers being tinged with ochreous; under-tail coverts -broadly banded with black and ochre; under-wing coverts and axillaries -blackish, barred with white; under surface of quills chestnut, with broad -black bars. - -Wing 4.8 inches, culmen 1.35, tail 2.7" (Sharpe). - -Habitat: Chatham Islands. - -The type and only known specimen is that in the British Museum. - -{127} - - - - CABALUS HUTTON. - - _Cabalus_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. Vol. VI p. 108, pl. XX (1874--Type - and unique species _Cabalus modestus_). - -Captain Hutton characterized his new genus as follows: "Bill longer than -the head, moderately slender and slightly curved, compressed in the middle -and slightly expanding towards the tip; nostrils placed in a membranous -groove which extends beyond the middle of the bill, openings exposed, oval, -near the middle of the groove. Wings very short, rounded; quills soft, the -outer webs as soft as the inner, fourth and fifth the longest, first nearly -as long as the second; a short, compressed claw at the end of the thumb. -Tail very short and soft, hidden by the coverts. Tarsi moderate, shorter -than the middle toe, flattened in front, and covered with transverse -scales; toes long and slender, inner nearly as long as the outer, hind toe -short, very slender, and placed on the inner side of the tarsus; claws -short, compressed, blunt. - -"The bird is incapable of flight, and the stomach of the specimen, -dissected by Dr. Knox, contained only the legs and elytra of beetles." - -Captain Hutton also adds, l.c., a valuable description of the skeleton. - -One species known. - - - - CABALUS MODESTUS (HUTTON). - - (PLATE 28.) - - _Rallus modestus_ Hutton, Ibis 1872, p. 247. (Mangare, Chatham - Islands.) - - _Cabalus modestus_ Hutton, Trans. New Zeal. Inst. VI p. 108. (The genus - _Cabalus_ established.) - - _Rallus dieffenbachii_ juv. Buller, B. New Zealand, Ed. I pp. 179, 180; - Ed. II p. 121 (1888). - - _Cabalus dieffenbachii_ (part., juv.!) Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XXIII - p. 47 (1894); corr. p. 331. - - _Cabalus modestus_ Forbes, Bull. Brit. Orn. Club. No. IV. p. XX (Dec. - 1892); Salvadori, op. cit. V p. XXIII (Jan., 1893); Forbes, Ibis 1893, - pp. 532, 544, pl. XIV, fig. 4, egg; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XXIII p. - 331 (1893); Buller, Suppl. B.N.Z. I p. 45, pl. III (1905). - - _Ocydromus pygmaeus_ Forbes, Nature XLVI, p. 252 (1892--nomen nudum! - cf. Ibis 1893, p. 544). - -Captain Hutton (Ibis 1872, p. 247) described this interesting species as -follows: "Olivaceous brown, bases of the feathers plumbeous; feathers of -the breast slightly tipped with pale fulvous, those of the abdomen and -flanks with two narrow bars of the same colour; {128} throat dark grey, -each feather slightly tipped with brown. Quills soft brown, the first three -faintly barred with reddish fulvous, fourth and fifth the longest. Tail -very soft and short, brown. Irides light brown, bill and legs light brown. -Length 8.75 inches, wing 3.15, bill from gape 1.4, tarsus 1, middle toe and -claw 1.4. - -_Young._ Uniform brownish black. - -A single specimen and young from Mangare; also a specimen in spirits." - -The author knew perfectly well what he was doing when he described this -excellent species. Sir Walter Buller afterwards (B. New Zealand, Ed. I, pp. -179, 180) declared "after carefully comparing it with the type of _Rallus -dieffenbachii_, and submitting the matter to the judgment of other -competent ornithologists, I have no hesitation in considering it the same -species, in an immature state of plumage." (_Sic!_) Unfortunately, Dr. -Sharpe, in the Catalogue of Birds XXIII, repeated Buller's error, and, on -Plate VI, figured _Cabalus modestus_ under the name of _Cabalus -dieffenbachii_, though the latter is not congeneric with _C. modestus_, and -must be called _Nesolimnas dieffenbachii_, while the third form included in -_Cabalus_ by Dr. Sharpe, viz. _sylvestris_ of Lord Howe's Island, must also -be separated genetically from _Cabalus_. - -Formerly _Cabalus modestus_ inhabited Great Chatham Island, as Dr. Forbes -proved by bones found by himself at Warekauri, but when the species was -discovered it existed there no more, though being plentiful on the little -outlying island of Mangare. Unfortunately even there it is evidently -extinct now, this island being overrun with cats and rats, besides which, -according to Buller, the original vegetation has been ruthlessly burnt down -for the purpose of sowing grass-seed, as even this bleak little island has -been claimed by an enterprising sheep-farmer. Fortunately a good many -specimens have been secured by the late W. Hawkins. I have fifteen in my -museum, and there are specimens in the British Museum, in Liverpool, and -one in Cambridge. Henry Palmer failed to get specimens when he visited -Mangare. - -I have also the egg described and figured in the Ibis by Dr. Forbes. It -measures 40 by 21.4 mm., and is creamy white, with faint pale reddish and -purplish roundish spots. - -Habitat: Chatham Islands, east of New Zealand. - -{129} - - - - OCYDROMUS MINOR HAMILTON. - - _Ocydromus sp._ Hamilton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXV, p. 103 (1893). - - _Ocydromus minor_ Hamilton (nec. Forbes) l.c. - -This species is nearest allied to _sylvestris_ Scl., which has quite -erroneously been placed in the genus _Cabalus_ by Dr. Sharpe; _sylvestris_ -will have to form the type of a new genus, but until the skull of _minor_ -is known I prefer to leave the latter temporarily in _Ocydromus_. - -The present species is known from two pelves, seven femora, six tibiae, and -five metatarsi, as well as the front portion of a sternum. The measurements -all show that _minor_ was a slightly larger form than _sylvestris_, but -owing to having a much shorter tibio-tarsus it must have been a much -stumpier bird. - - _Minor._ _Sylvestris._ - - Pelvis extreme length 65 mm. 62.5 mm. - Pelvis extreme breadth 28 " 25 " - Femur length 64 " 63 " - Tibio-tarsus length 93 " 98 " - Tarso-metatarsus length 53 " 51 " - Sternum greatest width 24.5 " 24.5 " - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. Extinct. - - - - OCYDROMUS INSIGNIS FORBES. - - _Ocydromus insignis_ Forbes, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 188 - (1892--insufficient description). - -This bird "far exceeded in size any of the existing species of -_Ocydromus_." That is all that is published about this bird. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - -{131} - - - - APHANAPTERYX FRAUENFELD. - -Bill produced, not cut short, rather curved. The nostrils are exposed and -situated at the base of the bill. Halluces of the naked fowl-like legs of -moderate length. Front of legs apparently scutellated. Wings abortive, no -rectrices apparent. - - - - APHANAPTERYX BONASIA SELYS. - - (PLATE 29.) - - _A Hen_ Sir Thomas Herbert, A relation of some years' Travaile (1626). - - _Velt-hoenders_ Reyer Cornelisz, Van der Hagen's voyage (1646). - - _Poules rouges au bec de Becasse_ Cauche, Relations veritables et - curieuses de l'Isle de Madagascar (1651). - - _Apterornis bonasia_ Edm. de Selys-Longchamps, Revue Zoologique, p. 292 - (1848). - - _Didus herberti_ Schlegel, Vers. Med. Ak. Wetensch., II, p. 256 (1854). - - _Didus broecki_ Schlegel, l.c. - - _Aphanapteryx imperialis_ Frauenfeld, Neu aufgef. Abbild. Dronte, p. 6 - (1868). - - _Aphanapteryx broeckii_ Milne-Edwards, Ann. Sci. Nat. (5), X, pp. - 325-346, pls. 15-18 (1868). - - _Pezophaps broeckii_ Schlegel, Mus. Pays-Bas, Struthiones, p. 4 (1873). - -I here give a translation of Frauenfeld's original diagnosis: "Of the size -of a fowl, of a uniform brown red all over. Bill and legs dark. Iris -yellowish. Feathers decomposed, as in the _Apteryx_, somewhat lengthened on -the nape." - -This description was made by Frauenfeld from a drawing by G. Hoefnagels, in -the Imperial Library, Vienna, executed about the year 1610, and, together -with that of the Dodo, apparently drawn from life in the Imperial Menagerie -at Ebersdorf. This drawing proves Van den Broecke, Herbert, and Cauche's -descriptions to have been correct, though their drawings are somewhat -startlingly different in shape. Only known from these four drawings and -osseous remains. 18 fragments of beaks, 5 pelves, 35 tibiae, 1 sacrum and -fragments, and 1 vertebra in the Tring Museum. - -Habitat: Mauritius. - -{133} - - - - DIAPHORAPTERYX FORBES. - -This genus is closely allied to _Aphanapteryx_ and _Erythromachus_, but, on -the whole, is nearer to _Aphanapteryx_. It differs from both these genera -and _Ocydromus_ in the large protuberances on the basi-temporal region of -the skull, and the tarso-metatarsus was much shorter than in -_Aphanapteryx_. For complete diagnosis of this genus see Andrews in -Novitates Zoologicae, Vol. III, pp. 73-76 (1896). - - - - DIAPHORAPTERYX HAWKINSI (FORBES). - - _Aphanapteryx hawkinsi_ Forbes, Nature XLVI, p. 252. - - _Diaphorapteryx hawkinsi_ Forbes, Bull. B.O.C.I. p. XXI, 1893. - -The remains of this bird were first sent to Dr. H. O. Forbes in 1892 by the -late W. Hawkins, from the Chatham Islands, 500 miles E.S.E. of New Zealand. -It appears to have been confined to the Island of Wharekauri. Dr. Forbes -subsequently went to the Chathams himself and collected a large number of -bones of various extinct birds, including those of _Diaphorapteryx_. In -1895 I received a consignment of bones through the agency of Mr. -Dannefaerd, from the Chathams, such as has never been equalled from any -deposit elsewhere, for literally there were many hundreds of thousands of -bones of a considerable number of species of birds. From this collection -Mr. C. W. Andrews was able to draw up a most minute description of the -skeleton of _Diaphorapteryx_, founded on several practically complete -skeletons, some thirty or more skulls, and several thousand individual -bones of various portions of the skeleton. This description, published in -Novitates Zoologicae, Vol. III, pp. 73-84, is too long for reproduction -here, and so I must refer my readers to it. - -This bird, as well as the _Palaeolimnas_, shows an apparent relationship -between the Chatham Islands and the Mascarene Islands; but I believe that -{134} this is not a real relationship, as has been asserted, due to a -former land-connection, but merely a case of parallel development owing to -similar conditions of existence. - -Habitat: Wharekauri Island, Chatham Islands. - -In the Tring Museum are two complete skeletons, more than a thousand bones, -and about fifteen skulls. - -One almost complete skeleton, and the type, skull, and bones, are in the -British Museum. - -{135} - - - - ERYTHROMACHUS MILNE-EDWARDS. - -"Legs stout, made for running, and from a quarter to one-fifth shorter than -in _Ocydromus_, the three anterior digits well developed and the hallux -very small. Body less massive than in _Ocydromus_, with the wings slightly -more developed, but not serviceable for flight. Head small; bill red, -straight, pointed, and about 60 mm. = 2.4 inches. A red naked patch round -the eye; plumage pale grey." - - - - ERYTHROMACHUS LEGUATI MILNE-EDWARDS. - - _Gelinote_ Leguat, t. II p. 71 (1708). - - _Erythromachus leguati_ Milne-Edwards, Ann. Sci. Nat. (5) XIX, pp. 6, - 7, pls. XI, XII (1874). - - _Aphanopteryx leguati_ Gunther & E. Newton, Phil. Trans. Vol. 168, pp. - 431-432, pl. XLIII (1879). - -Of the older writers only Leguat appears to have described the Rodriguez -flightless rail. There are several references to "_Hens_," "_Veld -Hoenders_," &c., but all appear to refer to the Mauritius bird -_Aphanapteryx bonasia_. Leguat's description is as follows:-- - -"Our 'gelinotes' are fat all the year round and of a most delicate taste. -Their colour is always of a bright grey, and there is very little -difference in plumage between the two sexes. They hide their nests so well -that we could not find them out, and consequently did not taste their eggs. -They have a red naked area round their eyes, their beaks are straight and -pointed, near two and two-fifths inches long, and red also. They cannot -fly, their fat makes them too heavy for it. If you offer them anything red, -they are so angry they will fly at you to catch it out of your hand, and in -the heat of the combat we had an opportunity to take them with ease." - -Quite extinct. Only known from descriptions and osseous remains. One tibia -in the Tring Museum. - -Habitat: Rodriguez Island. - -{137} - - - - PENNULA DOLE. - - _Pennula_ Dole, Hawaiian Alman. 1879 p. 54 (Reprint in Ibis 1880 p. - 241). - -I believe that the genus _Pennula_ should be placed near _Porzanula_, but -its wings are softer, the rectrices are next to invisible, but can be felt, -as they have stiff shafts and are about 13 mm. long, though being entirely -hidden by the soft tail-coverts. The tibia is bare for about 7 mm., the -metatarsus covered in front with nearly a dozen transverse, very distinct -scales, and distinctly reticulated behind. The bill much as in -_Poliolimnas_ and _Porzanula_. - -Two species can be recognized: _Pennula millsi_, with a uniform upper -surface, and _Pennula sandwichensis_, with a distinctly spotted upper side. -Both forms are now extinct. - - - - PENNULA MILLSI DOLE. - - MOHO OF THE NATIVES. - - (PLATE 26, FIG. 3.) - - _Pennula millei_ (misprint for _millsi_) Dole, Hawaiian Almanac 1879 p. - 54 (reprint in Ibis 1880 p. 241. "Uplands of Hawaii: named in honour of - Mr. Mills, spec. in Mills's Coll., nearly extinct"); Rothsch., Avif. - Laysan, etc., p. 241 pl. LXXVI. - - _Pennula ecaudata_ apud Wilson & Evans, Aves. Hawaii., part V, text and - plate. - -All we know of this bird are the five specimens caught by an old native -bird-catcher named Hawelu for the late Mr. Mills of Hawaii. Two of these -are now in my Museum, one in Cambridge, and two in the Bishop-Pauahi Museum -in Honolulu. There can be no doubt that this bird is now extinct. All -recent attempts to find specimens have been futile. Mr. Palmer, whom I sent -a specially trained dog, also failed to find even traces of it. It lived -formerly in the country between Hilo and the volcano Kilauea, in places -where thick grass, _Vaccinium_ and _Dianella_, forms the thickest cover -possible. In former times the "Moho" was a dainty on the tables of the -Hawaiian kings, but its disappearance is probably due to the introduction -of the obnoxious mongoose and to bush fires. {138} - - - - PENNULA SANDWICHENSIS (GM.) - - (PLATE 26, FIG. 2.) - - _Rallus Sandwichensis_ Gmelin, Syst. Nat I p. 717 (1788--ex Latham! - "Habitat exilis in insulis Sandwich"). - - _Pennula Wilsoni_ Finsch, Notes Leyden Mus. XX p. 77 (1898--Finsch - explains that the specimen in the Leyden Museum is not the type of - Latham--and therefore of Gmelin's name--and therefore renames it). - - For full synonymy and explanations of name, etc., cf. Avifauna of - Laysan, p. 239, 240 and 243, also plate LXXVI. - -Latham's description--from which Gmelin's diagnosis was taken--distinctly -says that the feathers were "darkest in the middle," and in the Index -Ornith. "supra maculis obscuris." Moreover, the unpublished drawing of -Ellis, well reproduced in Mr. Scott Wilson's book, shows beyond doubt the -identity of the bird of the old authors with the specimen in the Leyden -Museum. - -The Leyden specimen is all we are acquainted with, and of the history of -this bird we know nothing but Latham's statement that it came from the -Sandwich Islands. - -{139} - - - - TRIBONYX ROBERTI ANDREWS. - - _Tribonyx roberti Andrews_, Ibis 1897, p. 356, pl. IX, figs 4-7. - -This bird is described from an imperfect pelvis, a perfect left -tibio-tarsus and a femur. The pelvis differs from that of _T. mortieri_ in -not having the deep depression in the ilia in front of the acetabulum and -above the pectineal process. It also differs in having a rather wider -pelvic escutcheon and wider renal fossal, and the supra-acetabular ridges -of the ilia are smaller than in the Australian bird. The -beautifully-preserved left tibia differs from that of _T. mortieri_ in -having the intercondylar groove wider and shallower, the inner condyle less -massive, thus making the difference between the inner and outer condyle -more marked; _T. roberti_ also has the shaft immediately above the extensor -bridge wider, the bridge itself less oblique, and the fibular crest is -longer. - -The measurements are:-- - - _Pelvis._ - - Length of Ilium 82 mm. approx. - Least width of acetabular region of Pelvis 14 " - Width at Antitrochanter 40 " - Width at anterior angle of Pelvic Escutcheon 36 " - Width at Posterior angle of Pelvic Escutcheon 40 " - Length of Sacrum 68 " - - _Tibia._ - - Length 143 mm. - Width at distal extremity 12 " - Width at middle of shaft 7 " - - _Femur._ - - Length 83 mm. - Width at distal extremity 17 " - Width at middle of shaft 7 " - -Habitat: Sirabe in C. Madagascar. - -{141} - - - - NOTORNIS OWEN. - -Differs from _Porphyrio_ by the secondaries being nearly as long as the -primaries, and the wing-coverts more or less elongated, sometimes nearly -hiding the quills. - -Type: _Notornis mantelli_. - - - - NOTORNIS MANTELLI OWEN. - - _Notornis mantelli_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. III, p. 377, pl. LVI, figs. - 7-11 (1848). - -This species was founded on a nearly entire skull, collected by Walter -Mantell at Waingongoro, North Island, New Zealand. This skull is more than -twice the size of that of _Porphyrio melanotus_. The basisphenoidal -surface, however, is flatter, the anterior angle projects below the base of -the presphenoid, and there is a slender ridge continued from each -paroccipital to the lateral angles of the platform, the posterior angles -being hemispheric tubercles as in _Palapteryx_. - -The occipital region inclines forwards as it rises, while the same is more -vertical in _Porphyrio_. The post-frontal is broader than in _Porphyrio_. -The chief distinction from that of _Porphyrio_ is, however, the almost -regular four-sided figure of the skull. The breadth of the anterior part is -almost exactly that of the occipital region, and the extent of the sides is -not much more than that of the front and back part. The parieto-frontal -region of the skull is very unlike that of _Porphyrio_, being convex and -oblong, and _Notornis_ also lacks cerebral or hemispheric convexities. Owen -gives a large number of other differences, but I refer my readers to the -original article as above, pp. 366-371. I, however, must state here, as is -already mentioned by Mr. Hamilton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 176, 1892, -that the _Dinornis_ skull, with which Professor Owen compared _Notornis_, -referred by him to _D. casuarinus_ is really that of _Aptornis defossor_ -(_vide_ Trans. Zool. Soc. III, pl. 52, figs. 1-7), and, therefore, it is -quite natural that Professor Owen found a great likeness to _Dinornis_ in -_Notornis_, as the skull he compared it with was really that of the Ralline -_Aptornis_, and not the Struthious _Dinornis_ at all. - -Habitat: North Island, New Zealand. - -Dr. H. O. Forbes, Trans. N.Z. Inst., discusses at length measurements of -tibiae and femora of _Notornis_, provisionally naming the skeleton in the -Otago Museum _Notornis parkeri_, as a new species, but I consider we must -wait for confirmation till we get an associated skeleton of _N. mantelli_. -{142} - - - - NOTORNIS HOCHSTETTERI A.B.M. - - (PLATE 34.) - - _Notornis Hochstetteri_ A. B. Meyer, Abbild. Vogelskelett, Lief. IV & - V, p. 28, pl. XXXIV-XXXVII (1883--South Island, New Zealand); - Zeitschr. ges. Orn. II, p. 45, pl. I (1885--figures of the bird). - - _Notornis mantelli_ (non Owen 1848!) Gould, P.Z.S. London, 1850, pl. - 21; Trans. Zool. Soc. London IV, pl. 25 (1850); Gould, B. Austr. - Suppl., pl. 76 (1869); Buller, B. New Zealand, pl. (1873); Sharpe, - Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XXIII, p. 208 (1894). - -The name _Notornis mantelli_ having been based on a cranium and some -leg-bones from the North Island, and the bones of a specimen from the South -Island, showing marked differences, Dr. A. B. Meyer was fully justified in -describing the latter form as different, under the name of _N. -hochstetteri_. - -According to the describer there are considerable differences in the -cranial bones, but the comparison of the leg-bones shows such differences -in size that these alone would be sufficient to separate the North and -South Island forms. The femur of _N. hochstetteri_ measures 109, that of -_N. mantelli_ 122, the tibia of the former 165, the tarso-metatarsus 109, -the tibia of the latter 200, the tarso-metatarsus 129 mm. For further -measurements see A. B. Meyer, Abbild. Vogelskelett I, p. 30. - -The upper surface is olive-green with some slaty-blue shading, the quills -are black with purplish blue outer webs; rectrices blackish, green on the -outer webs. Head, neck, and under surface purplish blue, thighs more -blackish. Under tail-coverts white, frontal plate and bill bright red, -yellow towards the tip of both mandibles. Feet red. - -Although this bird is evidently not extinct, a specimen having been -captured as late as 1898, it seems that not many examples live at present -in New Zealand, as they have been sought after a good deal, and yet only -four have been taken so far, _i.e._, the two in the British Museum, one in -the Dresden Museum, and the last-mentioned one. - -Full accounts of the capture of this last specimen have been given in the -Trans. New Zealand Institute, XXXI, pp. 146-150, and in Sir Walter Buller's -Supplement to the Birds of New Zealand, I, pp. 66-74, where, however, the -year of the capture is not mentioned, though one can guess that it must -have taken place shortly before the articles on it appeared. - -Habitat: Middle Island, usually called South Island, apparently nearly -extinct. {143} - - - - NOTORNIS STANLEYI (ROWLEY). - - _White gallinule_, Voy. of Gov. Phillip to N.S.W., p. 273, cum tab. - (1789). - - _Porphyrio stanleyi_ Rowley, Orn. Misc. I, p. 36, pl. IX (1875). - - _Porphyrio melanotus_ (part.) Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. XXIII, p. - 205 (1894). - - _Porphyrio alba_ G. R. Gray, List Birds N.Z., &c., Ibis 1862, p. 214. - -The first to point out the differences between the bird now in the -Liverpool Museum and the specimen in Vienna was Mr. Dawson Rowley. The -original description of the anonymous author of Phillip's Voyage is as -follows:-- - -"This beautiful bird greatly resembles the purple Gallinule in shape and -make, but is much superior in size, being as large as a dunghill fowl. The -length from end of bill to that of the claws is two feet three inches. The -bill is very stout, and the colour of it, the whole of the top of the head -and the irides red; the sides of the head round the eyes are reddish, very -thinly sprinkled with white feathers; the whole of the plumage is, without -exception, white. The legs the colour of the bill. This species is pretty -common on Lord Howe Island, Norfolk Island, and other places, and is a very -tame species. The other sex, supposed to be the male, is said to have some -blue on the wings." - -Gray states under _Porphyrio alba_, in Ibis 1862, p. 214: "It is stated -that a similar kind was found on Lord Howe Island which was incapable of -flight. The wings of the male were beautifully mottled with blue." - -Dr. H. O. Forbes, in the Bulletin of the Liverpool Museums, Vol. III, No. -2, pp. 62-68 (1901), gives an exhaustive account of Rowley's type, in which -he comes to the conclusion that the bird is not a _Porphyrio_ but a -_Notornis_, and that it is also probably a specimen of _Notornis alba_. -That it is a _Notornis_ I equally believe; but I think the length of the -wing-coverts in the type of _N. alba_, puts it out of the question that the -two birds could be the same. Moreover, the two original pictures of Phillip -and White show this difference of the wings very well. I have therefore -kept the two separate, and I feel sure if we had other specimens with exact -data we should find this a parallel case to that of _Nesonetta aucklandica_ -of the Auckland Islands and _Anas chlorotis_ of New Zealand, and that -_Notornis alba_ of Norfolk Island was a still further degenerate form to -the already flightless _N. stanleyi_ of Lord Howe Island. Wing nine inches. - -Habitat: Lord Howe Island. {144} - - - - NOTORNIS ALBA (WHITE). - - (PLATE 33.) - - ? _White gallinule_ Callam, Voy. Botany Bay (1783?) (teste Gray). - - _Fulica alba_ White, Journ. Voy. N.S.W., p. 238 and plate (1790). - - _Gallinula alba_ Latham, Ind. Orn. I, p. 768 (1790). - - _Porphyrio albus_ Temminck, Man. d'Orn. II, p. 701 (1820). - - _Porphyrio melanotus var. alba_ Gray, Voy. Ereb. and Terror, Birds, p. - 19 (1844). - - _Porphyrio melanotus_ Gray, Voy. Ereb. and Terror, Ed. II (1846), p. - 14. - - _Notornis ? alba_ Pelzeln, Sitz. k. Akad. Wiss. Wien. XLI, p. 328 - (1860). - - _Notornis alba_ Salvin, Ibis 1873, p. 295, pl. X. - -There has been considerable confusion in connection with this bird and the -following species, owing to the fact of White not having given any locality -for the specimen on which Latham founded his _Gallinula alba_, and which is -now in the Vienna Museum. That the Vienna specimen is really White's bird -is proved because it was bought at the sale of the Leverian Museum, and -White expressly states that all his birds were deposited in the Leverian -Museum. - -It is quite impossible to say with _certainty_ which of the two forms, -_Notornis alba_ or _N. stanleyi_, came from Norfolk Island, as we have no -indication of the origin of the Liverpool specimen. But seeing that in the -anonymous work, "The Voyage of Governor Phillip to Botany Bay," the first -mentioned habitat is Lord Howe Island, and the figure shows a bird with the -shorter wing-coverts of _N. stanleyi_, I think I am justified in taking the -bird with longer wing-coverts--viz., _Notornis alba_, to be the bird from -Norfolk Island. - -White's description is as follows:--"White Fulica, with bill and front red, -shoulders spined, legs and feet yellow." White's figure clearly shows the -long wing coverts characteristic of the genus _Notornis_. Von Pelzeln says -in his account of this bird that there is a label on it bearing the number -102, and giving as place of origin Norfolk Island, but White makes no -mention of this. There are traces of a bluish shade, and two or three dark -spots on the plumage, which has led many ornithologists to consider _N. -alba_ an albino. Gray, in "A List of Birds from New Zealand, &c.,"[3] -remarked that some Norfolk Island specimens had blue between the shoulders, -and the back spotted with the same colour. He also states that the young -are said to be black, then become bluish grey, and afterwards pure white. -From these and other authors' similar remarks I believe we have not here a -case of albinism, but a bird which was in a stage of evolution towards -becoming a fixed white species. Wing 9 inches (measured by myself in the -Vienna Museum). - -Habitat: Norfolk Island. - -{145} - - - - APTERORNIS SELYS. - -"Differed widely from _Didus_ and _Pezophaps_ in its long beak, which -resembles a little that of a woodcock, but is much stronger. These birds -were high on the leg, ran swiftly, and were far removed from pigeons like -the Dodo and the Solitaire, but to which they had a certain resemblance, -owing to their rudimentary wings, apology for a tail, and the disposition -of their digits." - -The above is a translation of de Selys-Longchamps' diagnosis of the genus, -but owing to his inclusion therein of _Didus solitarius_ and _Aphanapteryx -bonasia_, it does not fit when restricted to the "Oyseau bleu" of Le Sieur -D.B. It might be described as: Resembling _Aptornis_, but with shorter bill -and feet, thus more approaching _Notornis_. - -One species. - - - - APTERORNIS COERULESCENS SELYS. - - (PLATE 32.) - - _Oyseaux bleus_ Le Sieur D.B., Les Voyages aux Isles Dauphine and - Bourbon, pp. 170, 171 (1674). - - _Apterornis coerulescens_ Selys-Longchamps, Rev. Zool. 1848, p. 294. - -The original description of the Sieur D.B. (Dubois) is as follows -(translated):--"_Oyseaux bleus_: As big as the Solitaires; they have the -plumage entirely blue, the beak and the feet red and made like those of -fowls; they do not fly at all, but run extremely quickly, so that a dog can -hardly catch them; they are very good." - -Habitat: Bourbon or Reunion. - -Dubois gives the size of these birds as the same as that of a big goose and -the feet as being like those of a fowl: I have, therefore, in -reconstructing the plate of this bird, had it made intermediate in -structure between the New Zealand _Notornis_ and _Aptornis_, which were -evidently its nearest allies. - -{147} - - - - APTORNIS OWEN. - -Differs from _Dinornis_, _Palapteryx_ and _Notornis_ in having an articular -surface for a very strong hind toe, and the tarso-metatarsus of a -conformation more nearly resembling that found in the _Dodo_, but shorter -and thicker than in the latter. In addition, the strong calcaneal process, -perforated by a complete bony canal for the tendon at the back part of the -proximal end of the tarso-metatarsus; the perforation above the interspace -between the condyles for the middle and outer toes; and the more posterior -position for the condyle for the inner toe all prove the distinctness of -this genus. - -Type: _Aptornis otidiformis_. - - - - APTORNIS OTIDIFORMIS (OWEN). - - _Dinornis otidiformis_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. III, p. 247, pls. XXV - and XXVI, fig. 5 (1844). - - _Aptornis otidiformis_ Owen, ibidem p. 347 (1848). - -This is the North Island form, and I must refer my readers to Owen's -description, only remarking that Mr. Hamilton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. -179, says the vertebrae assigned by Owen to _Cnemiornis_ all belong to -_Aptornis_. - -Locality of type tibia: Poverty Bay, North Island, New Zealand; collected -by Rev. Wm. Williams in 1842. {148} - - - - APTORNIS DEFOSSOR OWEN. - - _Aptornis defossor_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. VII, pp. 353 to 366, pls. - 40-44 (1871). - -The skull differs from that of _A. otidiformis_ by the vertical surface of -the descending part of the occiput being less deeply concave, the occipital -foramen relatively smaller. The hind part of the base of the alisphenoid is -more produced and tuberous outside the end of the hyoid process of the -paroccipital in _A. defossor_. - -The chief other differences in size, according to Owen, are as follows:-- - - _A. defossor_. _A. otidiformis_. - _Skull._ - Length 7.2 inches. 6.2 inches. - Breadth across paroccipitals 3.3 " 2.9 " - Breadth across postfrontals 3.2 " 2.10 " - Breadth across temporal fossae 2.3 " 1.1 " - Breadth of base of upper mandible 1.6 " 1.3 " - Breadth of middle of upper mandible 1.4 " 1.1 " - Breadth of fore end of upper mandible 0.7 " 0.6 " - Length of premaxillary 5.0 " 4.3 " - - _Femur._ - Length 7.6 " 6.2 " - Breadth of proximal end 2.2 " 1.9 " - Breadth of distal end 2.2 " 1.9 " - Circumference of middle of shaft 2.9 " 2.3 " - - _Tibia._ - Length 10.3 " 8.9 " - Breadth of proximal end 2.3 " 1.9 " - Breadth of distal end 1.10 " 1.3 " - Circumference of middle of shaft 2.6 " 1.11 " - - _Metatarsus._ - Length 4.4 " 3.10 " - Breadth of proximal end 1.8 " 1.5 " - Breadth of distal end 1.9 " 1.6 " - Breadth of middle of shaft 1.6 " 1.4 " - -Locality of type: Oamaru. - -Habitat: South Island. - -A nearly perfect skeleton in the Tring Museum, collected by Mr. W. S. -Mitchel in limestone cave on Oreti River, Southland. - -{149} - - - - PALAEOLIMNAS FORBES. - -Differs from _Fulica_ by the much more curved shape of the skull, the -deeply marked glandular impressions over the eyes, and the great -pneumaticity of the frontal bones. - - - - PALAEOLIMNAS CHATHAMENSIS (FORBES). - - _Fulica chathamensis_ H. O. Forbes, Nature, vol. XLVI p. 252 (1892). - - _Fulica newtoni_ H. O. Forbes, l.c. (non Milne-Edwards). - - _Palaeolimnas newtoni_ H. O. Forbes, Ibis 1893, p. 544. - - _Palaeolimnas chathamensis_ Milne Edwards, Ann. Sci. Nat. (VIII) 2, - 1896 p. 130. - -Dr. Forbes says in Nature "I procured from the same beds which contained -_Aphanapteryx_ a certain number of bones of a _Fulica_ which much resemble -those of _Fulica newtoni_; like the bones of _Aphanapteryx_ (should be -_Diaphorapteryx_, W.R.) they vary much in size, some being equal to, while -others were considerably larger than similar bones of _Fulica newtoni_. -This variation is so great that I am inclined to consider them as belonging -to different species, or at least different races. I have given the name -_Fulica chathamensis_" to the larger species. - -Later, in the Ibis, Dr. Forbes says, "The limb-bones and pelvis correspond -so closely to those of _F. newtoni_ that I am not able to separate them. -The head of the type is, however, unknown." - -Professor Milne-Edwards, however, points out numerous differences. In the -humerus the sub-trochanterial groove is bigger, and particularly wider than -in typical _Fulica_. The iliac grooves are larger than in _Fulica newtoni_, -the pelvic knob is more extended, and the sciatic foramen is larger. The -first sacral vertebrae are stunted below the median sinus, while in the -Mauritius species one observes a very stout one, occupying the four first -vertebrae of the pelvis. The feet were also larger and stronger than in the -latter. - -Habitat: Chatham Islands. - -An almost complete skeleton and numerous bones in the Tring Museum, and an -almost complete skeleton in the British Museum. {150} - - - - PALAEOLIMNAS NEWTONI (MILNE-EDWARDS). - - _Poules d'eau_ Sieur D.B., Voyages 1674. - - _Fulica newtoni_ Milne-Edwards, Ann. Sci. Nat. (5) VIII pp. 194-220, - pls. 10-13 (1867). - -The translation of the Sieur D.B.'s (Abbe Dubois) description is as -follows:--"Waterhens which are as large as fowls. They are always black, -and have a large white crest on the head." For the anatomical description I -must refer my readers to Professor Milne-Edwards. - -Habitat: Bourbon. - -Milne-Edwards gives so many details in which _Fulica newtoni_ agrees with -_Palaeolimnas chathamensis_ that I feel convinced that the former is not a -true _Fulica_, and, until we know its skull and can decide for certain, I -think it is best to include it in the genus _Palaeolimnas_. 16 tibiae, 30 -metatarsi, 8 humeri, 2 sternums, 4 fragments and an entire pelvis and -sacrum, and 3 cervical vertebrae in the Tring Museum. - - - - PALAEOLIMNAS PRISCA (HAMILTON). - - _Fulica prisca_ Hamilton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXV, p. 98 (1893). - -This bird was nearly as large as _Notornis_, but with a very small head and -with a frontal shield. It was probably a poor flier, though not flightless, -as _Fulica chathamensis_ was. It was smaller than the latter. Measurements, -according to Hamilton:-- - - _prisca_. _newtoni_. _chathamensis_. - - Femur: Length 78-93 mm. -- 85 mm. - Tibio-tarsus: Length 143-162 " 144 mm. 152-163 " - Tarso-metatarsus: Length 81-98 " 88 " 96 " - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - -{151} - - - - LEGUATIA SCHLEGEL. - -Body not larger than that of a goose; wings rather short but still fitted -for flight; feathers of the legs reaching down almost to the top of the -tarso-metatarsus; toes long and completely free, middle toe almost as long -as tarso-metatarsus. Bill with a naked shield reaching back beyond the eye. -Height about 6 feet. - - - - LEGUATIA GIGANTEA SCHLEGEL. - - (PLATE 31.) - - _Le Geant_ Leguat, Voyages (1708), p. 171, English edition. - - _Leguatia gigantea_ Schlegel, Versl. Med. Akad. Wetensch. Amst. VII, p. - 142 (1858). - -Leguat's description is as follows: "... and many of those birds called -giants, because they are six feet high. They are extremely high mounted, -and have very long necks. Their bodies are not bigger than that of a goose. -They are all white, except a little place under their wings, which is -reddish. They have a goose's bill, only a little sharper; their claws are -very long and divided." This bird was apparently confined to the island of -Mauritius. - -Professor Newton asserts that Leguat's "Geants" were Flamingos, principally -because bones of Flamingos have been found in Mauritius and not a single -bone has ever been got of the "geant." This argument is, in my opinion, -insufficient, and no evidence at all. We know that a Didine bird and a -gigantic rail existed on Reunion, but no bones are yet known of these. I -think, like Professor Schlegel, that Leguat's figure and description cannot -be meant for a Flamingo and that they prove the former existence of a -gigantic ralline bird in Mauritius. - -The figure is made up from Leguat's description. The bill is drawn like -that of a gigantic moorhen, and so are the feet. - -Habitat: Mauritius. - -{153} - - - - ALCA IMPENNIS L. - - THE GREAT AUK. - - (PLATE 38.) - - _Penguin_ Hore, in Hakluyt's Coll. Voyages III p. 129 (Ed. 1600--ex - Hore). - - _Anser Magelanicus s. Pinguinus_ Worm, Museum Wormianum, Lib. III, - Cap. 19, p. 300, 301 (1655--Figured from a specimen from the Faroe - Islands). - - _Penguin_ Willoughby, Orn. Lib. III p. 242 pl. 65 (1676). - - _Northern Penguin_ Edwards, Nat. Hist. Uncommon B. etc., III p. 147 - pl. 147 (1750--First good coloured plate, from a specimen from - Newfoundland). - - _Geyervogel_ Linnaeus, Fauna Suecica p. 43 no. 119 (1746). - - _Alca impennis_ Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. Ed. X p. 130 (1758--Ex fauna - Sueciva no. 119, Mus. Worm. l.c., Willoughby l.c., and Edwards - l.c.); Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. Ed. XII, I, p. 210 (1766); Naumann, - Nat. Voy. Deutschl. XII p. 630 pl. 337 (1844); Dresser, B. Europe - VIII p. 563, pl. 620 (1880); Seebohm, Hist. Brit. B. III p. 371 - (1885). - - _Alca borealis_ Forster, Syn. Cat. Brit. B. p. 29 (1817--nomen - nudum). - - _Plautus impennis_ Brunnich, Zool. Fundamenta p. 78 (1772); Baird, - Brewer and Ridgway, Water Birds N. Amer., II p. 467 (1884); Grant, - Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XXVI p. 563 (1898). - - FOR FULL DESCRIPTIONS, LITERATURE, HISTORY, LIST OF REMAINS, SEE:-- - - _Japetus Steenstrup_: Bidrag til Geirfuglens Naturhistorie etc., - Kjobenhavn (Copenhagen) 1857 (In Naturh-Forening. Vidensk. Meddel. - 1855, nos. 3-7). - - _Alfred Newton_: Abstract of Mr. Wolley's Researches in Iceland - respecting the Gare-fowl. (In Ibis, 1861, pp. 374-399). - - _William Preyer_: Ueber Plautus impennis. (In Journal f. Orn. 1862 - pp. 110-124, 337-356.) - - _Alfred Newton_: The Gare-fowl and its Historians. (In Natural - History Review XII, 1865 pp. 467-488); id. in Encycl. Britannica - Ed. IX vol. III; id. Dict. B. p. 220-221. - - _Wilhelm Blasius_: Zur Geschichte von _Alca impennis_. Journ. f. - Orn. 1884 pp. 58-176. - - _Symington Grieve_: The Great Auk, or Garefowl. Its History, - Archaeology, and Remains. London 1885; Supplem. note on the Great - Auk; in Trans. Edinburgh Field Nat. Soc. (1897) p. 238-273. - - _Wilhelm Blasius_: Der Riesenalk, Alca impennis L. (In the New - Edition of Naumann Naumann, Naturg. d. Vogel Mitteleuropas) Vol. - XII p. 169-208, plates 17, 17a-17d (1903). - -Probably the first mention of Great Auks is that in Andre Thevet's book -"Les singularitez de la France antarctique ...," Anvers 1558, where a large -bird was mentioned under the name of "Aponars," Apponatz or "Aponath." But -evidently this name covered several other sea-birds, and it is at least -doubtful if it was solely applied to the Great Auk. The same applies to the -remarks by Jacques Cartier, as translated in R. Hakluyt's collection of -voyages. On the other hand there is no doubt that the "Penguin" mentioned -by Robert Hore in 1536 (Hakluyt, Collection of Voyages III, p. 129--1600, -and other Editions) was actually the Great Auk. In fact "Penguin" has been -the name usually applied to the Great Auk {154} and is even now used for it -by the French, while in most other languages it has been transferred, from -an early date, to the Antarctic flightless birds, the _Spheniscidae_. - -All the first reports are from Newfoundland and thereabout, and even -Clusius (Exoticorum libri decem, Lib. V, p. 103--1605), who gives a rather -poor but perfectly recognizable figure, describes it first (p. 103) as a -native of America, under the name of "Mergus Americanus." Later on, -however, in the "Auctarium," on p. 367, he mentions it, on the authority of -Henricus Hojerus, as found in the Faroe Islands, under the name -"Goirfugel." Hojerus was also the authority for the account given in -Nieremberg, Hist. Nat., etc., p. 215 (1635). The first comparatively good -figure was published in 1655, in the "Museum Wormianum," on p. 301, from a -specimen brought alive from the Faroe Islands. Curiously enough the figure -shows a white ring round the neck, which no Great Auk, of course, -possesses. - -Linnaeus, when first bestowing a scientific name on the Great Auk, in 1758, -l.c., gave the following short diagnosis and references:-- - - "Alca rostro compresso--ancipiti sulcato, macula ovata utrinque ante - oculos. Fn. Svec. 119. - - Anser magellanicus. Worm. mus. 300 t. 301. - - Penguin. Will. ornith. 244 t. 65 Edw. av. 147 t. 147. - - _Habitat in_ Europa _arctica_." - -From referring to the literature he quotes, there can, of course, be no -doubt as to what species he refers. - -The most detailed descriptions are probably those given in the New Edition -of Naumann (see above), where also a list of literature and figures is -given, fully seven folio pages long! As regards the difference in the sexes -little is known, because very few specimens exist of which the sex has been -ascertained. We find, however, some with the grooves and ridges on the bill -more marked, and the grooves purer white, while others have the grooves of -a dirtier white and less strongly developed; as these latter are apparently -mostly smaller, I think they must be females, the former males. In this -case my two specimens would be females, and the one now in Professor -Koenig's possession an adult male. Probably somewhat similar seasonal -changes took place as in _Alca torda_, and Professor Blasius (l.c.) has -described them. It must, however, be remembered, that the date of capture -is known of but a few examples, and that by far the majority of all those -that exist in collections have been killed in spring, on their -breeding-places. - -Nobody can doubt that the Great Auk is extinct. The last specimens were -obtained on Eldey, near Iceland, in 1844, and the seas and islands {155} -where the great bird used to live are frequented by vessels every year. It -is true that a certain Lorenz Brodtkorb told that in April, 1848, he saw -four Great Auks, of which he shot one, near the Varanger Fjord, east of the -North-Cape, but Professor Newton and Wolley have, in 1855, had an interview -with Brodtkorb, and came to the conclusion that he saw and shot the Great -Northern Diver. This is the more likely to be the case, as the occurrence -north of the Arctic Circle is as yet uncertain, the finding of Great Auks -both on the island of Disco (west-coast of Greenland) and on Grimsey and -Mevenklint on the north coast of Iceland being open to doubt. - -From sub-fossil and prehistoric finds, we know that the Great Auk formerly -inhabited Norway and Sweden, Denmark, with Seeland, Sejero and Havno, the -British Islands (Cleadon Hills in County Durham, Scotland, Ireland), the -east coast of North America from Labrador to Florida. - -In historic times we know of the occurrence on the islands near Labrador, -Greenland--where it certainly used to breed on the east coast, but was -probably only of rare and exceptional occurrence on the west -coast--Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Fair Island between the Orkney and -Shetland Islands (doubtful), Orkneys (Papa Westra), St. Kilda, Skye, and -Waterford Harbour in Ireland. But as breeding stations within historic -times the following only are absolutely certain:-- - - 1. Funk Islands near Newfoundland. - 2. Iceland (Geirfuglasker, Grimsey, Eldey). - 3. Faroe Islands. - 4. St. Kilda. - 5. Orkney Islands. - -While we know of regular occurrence and may assume that the bird has been -breeding on the north and west side of Newfoundland, and in east Greenland -(opposite Iceland). - -The remains of the Great Auk and its eggs in collections are more numerous -than one would think, considering the enormous prices paid for mounted -specimens and eggs. There are at present known 79 or 80 skins, 26 or 27 -skeletons, a great quantity of detached bones, and about 73 eggs. - - I HAVE IN MY MUSEUM: - - 1. One adult female, formerly in the collection of the late Comte de - Riocour at Vitry-le-Francois, in France. I bought this specimen from - the late Alphonse Boucard, together with the bulk of the birds of the - Riocour collection. It is evidently an adult female, having the white - lines on the bill not very much developed, and showing a distinct grey - tinge on the flanks. This shade is present in both my Great Auks; the - feathers of the flanks, just under the wing, are nearly white, with a - conspicuous, very light grey border. This grey tinge is present in all - females, but appears to be absent in adult males. My bird is apparently - in worn breeding plumage. As it was not very well mounted and the feet - slightly damaged, I had it reduced to a "skin." - - {156} 2. Another adult female. I purchased this from Mr. Rowland Ward, - who had it from Mr. Leopold Field in London, in 1897. According to a - letter, dated Paris le 20 Jan., 1890, written by the late A. Boucard, - who sold it in that year to Mr. Field, the history is as follows: "This - bird was captured in Iceland in 1837, did first belong to Mr. Eimbeck - of Brunswick and afterwards in the collection of Mr. Bruch from - Mayence." We must accept this information by the late A. Boucard as - correct, though it is difficult to understand that in the most - painstaking and exact list of remains of the Great Auk, by Prof. - Wilhelm Blasius of Braunschweig, or anywhere else, no mention is made - of a specimen in the possession of the late Eimbeck, or the late Bruch. - Moreover, we have no explanation where this Auk has been between the - time of Bruch's death and 1890, when Boucard sold it to Mr. Field in - London. - - This specimen has been described as "immature," but this is a mistake. - Evidently it arose from some white speckles being visible on the neck - _in the photograph_ (see Symington Grieve, Trans. Edinburgh Field Nat. - and Micros. Society, explanation to plate III, on page 269). The - specimen itself, however, shows no white speckles, but only worn - feathers, out of which the illusion arose in the photograph. This error - has also been transferred to the admirable treatise on the Great Auk in - the New Edition of Naumann. The grey shade "on the body lower than the - wing," mentioned by Mr. Symington Grieve, is not a sign of immaturity, - but appears in all adult females, though it is said to be absent in - males. - -Some years ago an extraordinary rumour was current in Germany about the -Great Auk in the Brehm collection; it was said to have been exchanged by -the widow of Pastor C. L. Brehm for a rare Dresden cup, and that its -present resting-place was unknown. I do not know who invented this story, -or how it arose, but suffice it to say, that the Auk which was in the Brehm -collection was sold to the late King of Italy, in 1868 or 1869. The -business was concluded by Dr. Otto Finsch, and the money was used for the -benefit of a brother of the late Dr. A. E. Brehm, as it had been the wish -of his father, Pastor Brehm. The specimen was re-stuffed by the late -taxidermist Schwerdtfeger in Bremen and forwarded to a professor in -Florence. It was kept for years at the "Veneria Reale," and recently, when -the collection at that castle was dissolved, was placed in the Museum at -Rome. It is one of the finest Great Auks known. - -{157} - - - - AESTRELATA CARIBBAEA (CARTE). - - (PLATE 37.) - - _Procellaria jamaicensis_ Bancroft, Zoological Journal V, p. 81 - (1835--Nomen nudum!). - - _Pterodroma caribbaea_ Carte, P.Z.S. 1866, p. 93, pl. 10 ("Blue - Mountains in insula Jamaica"). - - _Aestrelata caribbaea_ Giglioli & Salvadori, Ibis 1869, p. 66. - - _Fulmarus caribbaeus_ Gray, Handlist B. III, p. 107 (1871). - - _Aestrelata jamaicensis_ Ridgway, Man. N. Am. B., p. 67; Cory, Cat. - West-Indian B., p. 84 (1892). - - _Oestrelata jamaicensis_ Salvin, Cat. B. Brit. Mus, p. 403 (1896). - -It is surprising that the name _jamaicensis_ has generally been adopted for -this species, as Bancroft gave no description whatever. The first -description is that of Carte, in 1866, which is as follows:--"Head, neck, -back, and wings of a uniform dark sooty brown; vertex and external webs of -the primaries a shade or so darker; abdominal feathers and under -tail-coverts a shade or two lighter than those of the back; upper -tail-coverts and basal portion of tail-feathers of a light grey or dirty -white. The light-coloured patch on the rump is conspicuous when the wings -are expanded, but completely concealed when they are closed. Irides dark -hazel. Tarsi, toes, webs, and nails jet-black. - -"Length about 12-3/4 inches; expanse of wings 34 inches; length from carpal -joint to tip of first primary 10-3/4 inches; length of bill, measured from -gape, 1-5/8 inches; length of nasal tubes 5/16 inch; length of interval -between nostrils and commencement of apical curve of upper mandible 1/4 -inch; length of tarsi 1-5/10 inches; length of toes, outer and middle, -sub-equal 2 inches; length of inner toe 1-5/8 inches. First and second -primaries sub-equal, and about 1/2 inch longer than the third. Tail about -4-1/2 inches long and round at extremity. The closed wings extend about -1-1/2 inches beyond the tail. Hallux small, and in shape triangular." - -"With respect to the habits of the bird, Mr. March has most kindly -furnished me with the following interesting details:-- - -"It is a night-bird, living in burrows in the marly clefts of the mountains -at the east and north-east end of the island. The burrows form a gallery 6 -to 10 feet long, terminating in a chamber sufficiently commodious to -accommodate the pair; from this they sally forth at night, flying over the -sea in search of food (fishes), returning before dawn. It is often seen on -moonlight nights and at sunrise running about the neighbourhood of its -domicile, and sometimes crossing the road, regardless of the labourers -going to their work. I know nothing of its nidification." {158} - -The type of "_Pterodroma caribbaea_" is preserved in the Dublin Museum, and -three specimens are in the British Museum. This bird is one of the rarest -in collections, and all modern collectors have failed to obtain specimens. -Quite recently (1906) Mr. B. Hyatt Verrill published a pamphlet entitled -"Additions to the Avifauna of Dominica." In this unpaginated essay he said -under the heading "_Aestrelata jamaicensis_": "Not uncommon (on Dominica), -but seldom seen during the day. Breeds at La Bime, Pointe Guignarde, and -Lance Bateaux, as well as at Morne Rouge and Scott's Head. In many of the -above localities the musky odour of these birds is very pronounced when -passing the cliffs, wherein they breed, on a calm evening. At dusk they may -often be seen flying about the cliffs in company with myriads of bats that -spend the day in the fissures and crevices. They are very difficult to -procure, and although shot at repeatedly only two specimens have been -obtained." - -From all former evidence we might have well considered this species to be -extinct, but if Mr. Verrill's statement is correct it would be far from -exterminated. I do not, however, know if the Dominica specimens have been -compared with Jamaica examples, and if Mr. Verrill's determination -(apparently made on Dominica) is therefore correct. - -Habitat: Jamaica. {159} - - - - AESTRELATA HASITATA (KUHL). - - _Procellaria hasitata_ (sic) Kuhl, Beitr. z. Zool. Temminck, Pl. Col. - 416 (1826); Gould, B Australia VII, pl. 47 (1845). - - _Procellaria diabolica_ Lafresnaye, Rev. Zool. 1844, p. 168. - - _Procellaria meridionalis_ Lawrence, Ann. Lyceum N.Y. IV, p. 475 - (1848-- ), V, pl. 15, p. 220 (1852). - - _Procellaria rubritarsi_ Newton, Zoologist 1852, p. 3692 (ex Gould's - MS., descr. nulla). - - _Aestrelata haesitata_ Bonaparte, Compt. Rend. XLII, p. 768 (1856), - Elliot, B. N. America II. pl. 60, fig. 1 (1868); Rothsch. & Hart, New - Edition of "Naumann" XII, p. 20 (1903). - - _Aestrelata diabolica_ Bonap., Consp. Av. II, p. 189 (1855). - - _Oestrelata haesitata_ Newton, Ibis 1870, p. 277; Dresser, B. Europe - VIII, p. 545, pl. 618 (1880); Stevens, B. of Norfolk, III, p. 361, pl. - 4 (1890); Salvin, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XXV, p. 403 (1896). - -Mr. Saunders describes this bird as follows: "The adult has the crown and -nape dark brown, hind-neck white, cheeks and ear-coverts greyish; mantle -dark brown; upper tail-coverts white; central tail-feathers chiefly -brownish-black, the rest more or less white on their basal portions but -broadly edged with brown; forehead and under-parts white; bill black; legs -and feet dusky-yellow. Length 16 inches, wing 11.3 inches. The immature -bird is believed to be mottled with brown on the forehead and to be duller -in tint on the upper parts." - -Though evidently not quite extinct, it seems certain that the fate of this -bird is sealed. In former times it used to breed in great numbers on -several of the West Indian Islands: Hayti, Guadeloupe, and Dominica. Its -last breeding place was the Morne au Diable or Morne Diablotin on Dominica. -There it was searched for in vain by Colonel Feilden, in 1889, who wrote a -lengthy article about it in the "Trans. Norfolk and Norwich Nat. Society" -V. p. 24-39. Mr. Selwyn Branch again, ten years later, ascended La Morne au -Diable, and found the old breeding places deserted. The "Manicou," -evidently an introduced North-American Opossum, Mongoose and rats had -entirely extirpated the "Diable." - -Two-and-a-half centuries ago Pere du Tertre found this Petrel breeding on -Guadeloupe, and Pere Labat, about forty years later, found it in great -numbers, and gave a long, graphic description of it in his "Nouveau Voyage -aux isles de l'Amerique" (Edit. I, Vol. II, pp. 349-353). These birds were -then known as the "Diable" or "Diablotin," and their flesh was highly -esteemed, and they were even salted and exported to Martinique and other -French islands in great numbers. {160} - -In 1876 Mr. F. A. Ober searched already unsuccessfully for our birds. - -It seems that the disturbance and destruction on their breeding places has -scattered these Petrels about, for specimens have at various times been -taken on the coast of Florida and Virginia, and even as late as 1893 and -1895, inland of the State of New York on Oneida Lake, in Ulster County, -Vermont and Ontario; moreover, a specimen has been killed in 1850 in -Norfolk, England, and an example in the Museum of Boulogne is said to have -been killed in the neighbourhood of that town. - -In an undated and unpaginated pamphlet, received last year in Europe, Mr. -A. Hyatt Verrill informs us that this bird is "not uncommon on the fishing -grounds and in Martinique and Guadeloupe channels," and that he took a -specimen in September, 1904. This statement requires confirmation. - -In collections this bird is very rare. I have the male (in moult) which was -caught on August 28th, 1893 on Oneida Lake, in the State of New York. - -Habitat: West Indian Islands. - -{161} - - - - HEMIPHAGA SPADICEA (LATH.) - - (PLATE 21.) - - _Chestnut-shouldered Pigeon_ Latham, Gen. Syn. Suppl. II, add. p. 375 - (1802--Norfolk Island). - - _Columba spadicea_ Latham, Ind. Orn., Suppl. p. LX, No. 7 - (1802--Norfolk Island); Temminck and Knip, Pigeons, II, p. 1, pl. 1 - (1808--"Friendly Islands."--Errore). - - _Columba gigas_ Ranzani, Elementi di Zool. III, 1, p. 223 - (1821--"Friendly Islands."--Errore). - - _Columba princeps_ Vigors, P.Z.S. 1833, p. 78 (Australia--errore). - - _Columba leucogaster_ Wagler, Syst. Av., Columba spec. 12 - (1827--Norfolk Island). - - _Hemiphaga spadicea_ Salvadori, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XXI, p. 238 (1893). - -The Norfolk Island Pigeon, _Hemiphaga spadicea spadicea_, is very similar -to the New Zealand Pigeon, _Hemiphaga spadicea novaezealandiae_, but -differs in having the hind-neck coppery or metallic green, sharply defined -from the chestnut back, the wings and upper wing-coverts more greyish, less -greenish, also the lower back and rump somewhat more greyish. - -As far as we know this pigeon was only found on Norfolk Island, the -locality "Australia" being doubtless erroneous. Like so many other birds it -became extinct on Norfolk Island, probably more than half a century ago. - -There are evidently quite a number of specimens in various museums, many of -which have never been recorded. I am aware of the following examples: - - 1 in the British Museum (Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XXI, p. 238). - 3 in the Liverpool Museum (Bull. Liverp. Mus. I, p. 35). - 1 in my own collection (Proc. IV. Orn. Congress, p. 215). - 1 in Philadelphia, U.S. America (Cassin, U.S. Expl. Exp. B, p. 225). - 1 in Frankfurt a.M. (Hartert, Kat. Vogelsamml., p. 189). - 1 in Wiesbaden (Lampe, Jahrb. Nassau Ver. 58). - 1 in Bremen (Hartlaub, Verz. Museum, p. 98). - 1 in Lisbon (Forbes and Rob., Bull. Liverp. Mus. II, p. 130). - 1 in Leyden (Schlegel, Mus. Pays-Bas). - 1 in Vienna (Ibis 1860, p. 422). - 1 in Naples, seen by myself. - 1 in Milan, examined by myself. - -The specimen at Tring was bought at the auction of the "Cumberland Museum" -at Distington. - -{163} - - - - ALECTROENAS NITIDISSIMA (SCOP.) - - (PLATE 22.) - - _Pigeon hollandais_ Sonnerat, Voy. Ind. Orient. II, p. 175, pl. 101 - (1782). - - _Hackled Pigeon_ Latham, Syn. B. II, 2, p. 641, No. 36 (1783). - - _Columba nitidissima_ Scopoli, Del. Flor. and Faun. Insubr. II, p. 93, - No. 89 (1786) (ex Sonnerat). - - _Columba franciae_ Gmelin, Syst. Nat. I, 2, p. 779, No. 51 (1788). (ex - Sonnerat). - - _Columba botanica_ Bonnaterre, Enc. Meth. I, p. 233 (1790). - - _Ramier perisse_ Levaillant, Ois. d'Afr. VI, p. 74, pl. 267 (1808). - - _Columba jubata_ Wagler, Syst. Av., _Columba_, sp. 22 (1827). - - _Alectroenas nitidissima_ G. R. Gray, List Gen. B., p. 58 (1840). - - _Alectroenas franciae_ Reichenbach, Syn. Av., _Columbariae_, p. 2, f. - 1302 (1847). - - _Columbigallus franciae_ Des Murs, Encycl. d'Hist. Nat., Ois. VI., p. - 31, (1854?). - - _Ptilopus nitidissimus_ Schlegel and Pollen, Rech. Faun. Madag., p. 159 - (1868). - - _Alectroenas nitidissimus_ G. R. Gray, Hand-list II, p. 228, No. 9164 - (1870). - - _Alectoroenas nitidissimus_ A. Newton, P. Z. S. 1879, pp. 2-4. - -Sonnerat's original description, translated into English, is as follows: -"It is much larger than the European Woodpigeon; the feathers of the head, -neck and breast are long, narrow, and end in a point. These feathers are -rather curiously constructed, they have the polish, brilliancy, and feel of -a cartilaginous blade. I could not, with the aid of a lens, distinguish -whether these blades were formed by the conglomeration of the barbules, but -we may take it for granted that they are constituted in a like manner to -the wing appendages of the Bohemian Waxwing and the cartilaginous blades of -Sonnerat's Jungle Fowl. The eye is surrounded by naked skin of a deep red; -the back, the wings and the belly are of a dark blue; the rump and tail are -of a very bright carmine red; the beak and iris are of the same colour, and -the feet are black." - -Undoubtedly quite extinct. Only three specimens are known of this bird: one -in Edinburgh, one in Paris, and one in Mauritius. Some bones were collected -by the Rev. H. H. Slater. - -Habitat: Mauritius. {164} - - - - ALECTROENAS(?) RODERICANA (MILNE-EDWARDS). - - _Columba rodericana_ Milne-Edwards, Ann. Sc. Nat. (5) XIX art. 3, p. - 16, pl. 12, ff. 1, 1a, 1b, 1c (1874). - -The original description of the sternum is as follows:--"It belongs to a -species small in size, barely as large as _T. tympanistria_, but evidently -much better built for flight. In fact the most striking characters of this -sternum are the large size of the bouclier, the large size of the lateral -notches, and the shape of the keel, whose anterior angle is not much -produced in front. The coracoidal grooves are large and only slightly -oblique. The lateral branches detach themselves from the bone in front of -the costal facets--they are very widely spread, and stretch more directly -outwards than in the remainder of the species of the family. The lower -lateral branches are equally divergent, and the median blade of the -posterior edge is remarkable from its enlargement. The keel is moderately -prominent, its anterior angle is much rounded, and does not reach the level -of the episternal apophysis, as is the case, as a rule, in the pigeons. All -these peculiarities, to which must be added the general flattening of the -bone which is hardly at all sloped like a roof, separate the pigeon of -Rodriguez very widely, not only from _Erythroena_ and _Turtur_, but also -from _Vinago_. In its shape in general, by the little pronounced keel and -the direction of the latter, this sternum presents certain analogies to the -essentially arboreal species such as those of the genus _Carpophaga_, but -they all differ in having the space for the costal facets on the sides of -the sternum much more extended, the superior lateral branches larger, and -the latter arising further back, so that the lateral notches are smaller. -Up to the present I do not know any genus of the family of _Columbidae_ in -which the sternum can at all be likened to that found recently in -Rodriguez, and therefore in all probability this fossil remainder is of yet -another vanished species, which I propose to call _Columba rodericana_." -(Translated.) - -It is probable that Milne-Edwards's _C. rodericana_ belonged to the genus -_Alectroenas_, and was the representative on Rodriguez of the _Alectroenas -nitidissima_ of Mauritius. 1 humerus in the Tring Museum. - -Habitat: Rodriguez. - -{165} - - - - NESOENAS SALVAD. - -Soles normal, not very broad, only the hind toe with the skin prominently -expanded on the sides. First primary about equal to the sixth. Tail -entirely rufous, composed of twelve feathers. - - - - NESOENAS MAYERI (PREVOST). - - (PLATE 3, FIG. 3.) - - _Columba mayeri_ Prevost & Knip, Pigeons II, pl. 60 (1843). - - _Columba meyeri_ Schlegel & Pollen, Rech. Faun. Mad. p. 111, pl. 36 - (1868). - - _Peristera meyeri_ G. R. Gray, Gen. B. III App. p. 24 (1849). - - _Carpophaga meyeri_ G. R. Gray, fide Bp. Consp. Av. II p. 45 (1854). - - _Trocaza meyeri_ Bonaparte, Consp. Av. II p. 45 (1854). - - _Trocaza meijeri_ Pollen, N.T.D. I p. 318 (1863). - - _Nesoenas mayeri_ Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. vol. XXI p. 327 - (1893). - -The following is the description by Salvadori in the "Catalogue of -Birds":--"Head, neck and underparts pale pink, fading into whitish towards -the forehead, cheeks and upper throat, and passing into rather darker pink -on the mantle; remainder of the upper back and the entire wings brown, with -a slight shade of olive and rufous; lower back and rump greyish, the latter -mottled with chestnut; upper tail coverts and tail cinnamon, the outer tail -feathers fading into buff on the outer webs and towards the tips; -undertail-coverts pink, like the mantle; undersurface of the wings ashy -brown, slightly pale on the axillaries, and under wing-coverts iris yellow; -bill yellow, shaded with red towards the base; legs red (fide Shelley). -Total length about 15.5 inches, wing 8.5, tail 6.5, bill 0.86, tarsus 1.3." - -In the live bird the pink soon fades away almost entirely, and the olive -shade on the wings is strongly developed. - -This bird was not found by the Rev. H. H. Slater, during his visit to -Mauritius. As observed by Mons. Paul Carie (Ornis XII, p. 127), the idea -that it is extinct is, however, incorrect, as it can still easily be -procured, though it is rare. M. Georges Antelme, of Mauritius, possesses -the eggs of this pigeon. That it still exists is also evident from two -specimens which were sent to the Zoological Gardens, London, last year, and -are still living there. - -Habitat: Mauritius. {166} - - - - NESOENAS DUBOISI SP. NOV. - - _Pigeons sauvages d'un rouge roussastre_ Le Sieur D.B., Voyages aux - Iles Dauphine ou Madagascar, etc., p. 171 (1674--Bourbon). - -Talking of Wild Pigeons, "Le Sieur D.B." tells us that there were on the -island of Bourbon "others of a russet red colour, a little larger than -European pigeons, with the beak larger, red at base near the head, the eyes -surrounded by a fiery colour, as in the pheasants. At a certain season they -are so fat 'qu'on ne leur voit point de croupion;' they taste very good." - -This passage cannot be meant for a turtle-dove, but the description of the -bill and surrounding of the eyes shows that it refers to a form allied to -_Nesoenas mayeri_. The latter, however, is not entirely russet red, but the -head, neck, underside and back are creamy white, washed with a greyish-rose -colour. Therefore the bird mentioned by Le Sieur D.B. was evidently a -representative of N. _mayeri_ or Bourbon. I name it in memory of Monsieur -Dubois, who was the author of the Voyages of the "Sieur D.B." - -Habitat: Bourbon or Reunion. - -{167} - - - - ECTOPISTES SWAINS. - - _Ectopistes_ Swainson, Zoological Journal III p. 362 (1827--Partim! - _Columba speciosa_ and _C. migratoria_ mentioned as types, but ten - years later the genus _Ectopistes_ was restricted to _C. migratoria_ by - the same author). - -Tail very long and excessively cuneate, the central rectrices sharply -pointed. First primary of the wing longest. Tarsus very short, in front -half covered with feathers. Now, only the Passenger Pigeon is included in -this genus, while formerly the _Zenaidura carolinensis_ auct. used to be -associated with it. - - - - ECTOPISTES MACROURA (L.) - - PASSENGER PIGEON. - - _Columba macroura_ Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. Ed. X p. 164 (1758--Ex Catesby, - Carolina I p. 23, pl. 23 [1754]. "Habitat in Canada, hybernat in - Carolina." Regarding the necessity of accepting this name see Bangs, - Proc. Biol. Soc. Washington XIX p. 42, and Auk 1906, pp. 474, 475. The - conclusions of Messrs. Bangs and Allen are perfectly correct). - - _Columba canadensis_ Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. Ed. XII, p. 284 (1766--Ex - Brisson, Orn. I p. 118. Habitat in Canada. Cf. note of Salvadori, Cat. - B. Brit. Mus. XXI, p. 369). - - _Columba migratoria_ Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. Ed. XII p. 285 (Ex Frisch, - pl. 142, Kalm., Brisson I, p. 100, Catesby. "Habitat in America - Septentrionali copiosissima ..."); Wilson, Amer. Orn. I p. 102, pl. - XLIX (1808); Temminck & Knip, Pigeons I, seconde fam., pls. 48, 49 - (1808-11); Audubon, Orn. Biogr. I, p. 319 (1831); Baird, Brewer & - Ridgway, Hist. N.A.B., Land-Birds III, p. 368, pl. 57, 4 (1874). - - _Pigeon de Passage_ Buffon, Hist. Nat. Ois. II, p. 527 (1771). - - _Tourterelle du Canada_ Daubenton, Pl. Enl. 176. - - _Columba Histrio_ P.L.S. Muller, Natursyst. Suppl. p. 134 (1776--ex - Buffon). - - _Columba ventralis_ id., l.c. p. 134 (1776--ex Buffon). - - _Ectopistes migratoria_ Swainson, Zool. Journal III, p. 362 (1827); - Gould, B. Europe, pl. 247 (1848); Coues, B. North-West, p. 387 (1874); - Maynard, B. E. North America, p. 335 (1881). - - _Trygon migratoria_ Brehm, Handb. Naturg. Vog. Deutschl., p. 495 - (1831). - - _Ectopistes migratorius_ G. R. Gray, Gen. B. II, p. 471 (1844); - Brewster, Auk 1889, pp. 286-291; Bendire, Life-History N. Amer. B., p. - 132; Salvadori, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. XXI, p. 370; Proc. Delaware Valley - Ornith. Club II, p. 17 (1898); A.O.U. Check-List (Ed. II) p. 120, No. - 315 (1895); Wintle, B. Montreal, p. 51 (1896); Minot, B. New England, - p. 395 (1895); Auk 1903, p. 66. - - _Trygon gregaria_ Brehm, Vogelfang, p. 258 (1855). - -It is true that Linnaeus' diagnosis of his _Columba macroura_ is very -short, reading, as it does, as follows: "Columba cauda cuneiformi longa, -pectore purpurascente." These words, however, are clearly taken from -Catesby, who gives an excellent figure and description, as is also the -"Habitat," viz.: {168} Habitat in Canada, hybernat in Carolina, though -Linnaeus first quotes Edwards 15, pl. 15, where an entirely different bird -is described and figured. (Cf. Bangs, l.c.) - -The Passenger Pigeon in former times occurred throughout North America in -great abundance, from the Atlantic to the great Central Plains, and from -the Southern States, where it rarely occurred, north to at least 62deg -northern latitude. Being a migrant, this bird used to migrate southwards -after the breeding season, and to return to their homes in spring, but it -also shifted its quarters according to the abundance or scarcity of food, -like our Pigeons. Sometimes incredible numbers flocked together. Such -stupendous flights have been described independently by Audubon, Wilson and -others. In 1813 Audubon says that during his whole journey from Hardensburg -to Louisville, fifty-five miles, countless masses of Pigeons continued to -pass over, and also did so during the three following days. "At times they -flew so low, that multitudes were destroyed, and for many days the entire -population seemed to eat nothing else but Pigeons." Where they roosted in -millions, the dung soon covered the ground and destroyed the grass and -undergrowth, limbs and even small trees broke down from the weight of the -birds. "One of the breeding places visited by Wilson, not far from -Shelbyville, Kentucky, stretched through the forest in nearly a north and -south direction. This was several miles in breadth, and upwards of forty -miles in extent. In this immense tract nearly every tree was furnished with -nests wherever there were branches to accommodate them. He was informed by -those who sought to plunder the nests of the squabs, that the noise in the -woods was so great as to terrify their horses, and that it was difficult -for one person to hear another speak. The ground was strewed with broken -limbs, eggs and young Pigeons. Hawks were sailing about in great numbers, -while from twenty feet upwards to the tops of the trees there was a -perpetual tumult of crowding and fluttering multitudes of Pigeons, their -wings resounding like thunder, and mingled with the frequent crash of -falling trees. In one instance he counted ninety nests in a single tree." - -It is only natural that man took advantage of such vast multitudes, and -that they were killed in great numbers, for food, and, maybe, sometimes -wantonly destroyed. Yet it is difficult to understand what brought on their -total destruction, as their power of flight was great, and their vision -remarkably keen. In 1874 Messrs. Baird, Brewer and Ridgway considered them -still common birds, though "their abundance in large extents of the country -had {169} been very sensibly reduced." At that time "in the New England -States and in the more cultivated part of the country, these birds no -longer bred in large communities. The instance near Montpelier, in 1849, is -the only marked exception that has come within my knowledge. They now breed -in isolated pairs, their nests being scattered through the woods and seldom -near one another." In 1895, in the A.O.U. check-list, the authors say: -"Breeding range now mainly restricted to portions of the Canadas and the -northern borders of the United States, as far west as Manitoba and the -Dakotas." - -At the present time the Passenger Pigeon seems to have entirely -disappeared, a small flock in an aviary apparently being all that is left -of it alive. Mr. James H. Fleming, of Toronto, kindly sends me the -following notes, which I think are of the greatest interest:-- - -"The disappearance of the Passenger Pigeon in Ontario dates back at least -forty years, though as late as 1870 some of the old roosts were still -frequented, but the incredible flocks, of which so much has been said, had -gone long before that date, and by 1880 the pigeon was practically -exterminated, not only in Ontario, but over the greater part of its old -range. There are however occasional records of birds taken, for some years -later. An immature bird taken September 9, 1887, in Chester County, -Pennsylvania, is said to be the last for that part of the State[4]; a bird, -also immature, is in my collection, taken in December, 1888, at Montreal, -Quebec. There are other Montreal records of the same date,[5] but with the -exception of one taken at Tadousac, July 26, 1889,[6] these are the last -Quebec records of birds actually taken. In Ontario two were taken at -Toronto in 1890, on September 20, and October 11, both immature females, -the latter is in my collection, as is an adult female taken by Mr. Walter -Brett, at Riding Mountain, Manatoba, May 12, 1892, one of a pair seen. I -also have an adult male taken at Waukegon, Illinois, December 19, 1892. I -was in New York in the latter part of November, 1892, and was then assured -by Mr. Rowland, a well known taxidermist, that he had recently seen several -barrels of pigeons that had been condemned as unfit for food; they had come -to New York from Indian Territory, and I believe had had their tails pulled -out to permit tighter packing. Mr. William Brewster has recorded the -sending of several hundred dozens of pigeons to the Boston market in -December of the same year, and in January, 1893; these were also from -Indian Territory[7]; these are the last records we have of the Passenger -Pigeon as anything more than a casual migrant. The records ceased after -this till 1898, when three birds were taken at points widely apart, {170} -an adult male at Winnipegosis, Manatoba, on April 14,[8] an immature male -at Owensboro, Kentucky, on July 27, now in the Smithsonian Institution, and -another immature bird taken at Detroit, Michigan, on September 14, now in -my collection; these are the last records that can be based on specimens. - -"In 1903 I published a list including sight records, one as late as May, -1902; this latter is possibly open to doubt, but the ones I gave for 1900 -are, I feel confident, correct, as the birds were seen more than once and -by different observers. For all practical purposes, the close of the -Nineteenth Century saw the final extinction of the Passenger Pigeon in a -wild state, and there remained only the small flock, numbering in 1903 not -more than a dozen, that had been bred in captivity by Prof. C. O. Whitman, -of Chicago; these birds are the descendants of a single pair, and have long -ago ceased to breed. It was in an effort to obtain fresh blood for this -flock that I started a newspaper enquiry that brought many replies, none of -which could be substantiated as records of the Passenger Pigeon, and many -referred to the Mourning Dove. I am aware that there has been lately -wide-spread and persistent rumours of the return of the pigeons, but no -rumour has borne investigation, and I feel that Prof. Whitman's small -flock, now reduced (in 1906) to five birds, are the last representatives of -a species around whose disappearance mystery and fable will always gather." - -{171} - - - - FAMILY DIDIDAE. (L.) - -Includes very large and massively-built forms, agreeing with the -_Columbidae_ in the truncation of the angle of the mandible, but with the -extremity of the cranial rostrum strongly hooked. They were totally -incapable of flight, the wing-bones being small, the carina of the sternum -aborted, and the caracoidal grooves shallow and separated from one another. - -Two genera: _Didus_ and _Pezophaps_. - - - - DIDUS LINN. - -Skull with a very large and deeply hooked rostrum, and the nasal and -maxillary processes of the praemaxilla converging anteriorly; the front -region inflated into a sub-conical prominence of cancellous tissue. Neck -and feet shorter than in the succeeding genus. Delto-pectoral crest of -humerus distinct. - -Two species: _Didus cucullatus_ and _Didus solitarius_. {172} - - - - DIDUS CUCULLATUS (L.) - - DODO. - - (PLATES 24, 24A, 24B, 24C.) - - _Walchvoghel_ Van Neck, Voy., p. 7, pl. 2 (1601). - - _Walchvogel_ De Bry, Orient. Ind. pt. VIII, t. 11 (1606). - - _Gallinaceus gallus peregrinus_ Clusius, Exot. Libr. V p. 99 t. 100 - (1605). - - _Dod-eersen_ or _Valgh-vogel_ Herbert's travels 1st ed. (1634) t. page - 212. - - _Cygnus cucullatus_ Nieremberg, Nat p. 231 (with fig. ex. Clus.) - (1635). - - _Dronte_ Bontius, Ind. Orient t. p. 70 (1658). - - _Raphus_ Moehring, Av. gen. 57 (1752). - - _Dodo_ Edwards, Glean. Nat Hist. III p. 179 pl. 296 (1757). - - _Struthio cucullatus_ Linn., S. N. I p. 155 No. 4 (1758). - - _Didus ineptus_ Linn., S. N. I p. 267 No. 1 (1766). - -The first description of this very remarkable bird was given in the account -of the voyage of Admiral Jacob van Neck in 1598, which was published by -Corneille Nicolas at Amsterdam in 1601. It is as follows:--"Blue parrots -are very numerous there, as well as other birds; among which are a kind, -conspicuous for their size, larger than our swans, with huge heads only -half covered with skin as if clothed with a hood. These birds lack wings, -in the place of which 3 or 4 blackish feathers protrude. The tail consists -of a few soft incurved feathers, which are ash coloured. These we used to -call 'Walghvogel,' for the reason that the longer and oftener they were -cooked, the less soft and more insipid eating they became. Nevertheless -their belly and breast were of a pleasant flavour and easily masticated." - -In a large number of works on travel and voyages published in the 17th and -18th Centuries we find all sorts of notices about the Dodo, and numerous -pictures of which I have given outline drawings. From these sources it -appears that the Dodo became extinct about the end of the 17th Century, -_i.e._, 1680-1690. The causes of the extermination of this, perhaps the -best known and most talked about of the recently extinct birds, are not far -to seek. The total inability of flight, the heavy slow gait, and the utter -fearlessness from long immunity from enemies, led to a continual slaughter -for food by the sailors and others who came to and dwelt on Mauritius. But -the final cause of the extermination of this and many other birds in the -Mascarene Islands was probably the introduction of pigs, and also of the -Ceylon Monkey. These animals increased enormously in numbers, ran wild in -the woods, and soon destroyed all the eggs and young birds they could find. -{173} - -It is strange that for many years after great attention had been paid to -the _Dodo_, ornithologists differed conspicuously as to what family it and -the other two Didine species belonged. Many asserted that it was a -Struthious bird, in fact Linnaeus called it calmly _Struthio cucullatus_, -while others just as forcibly declared it to be an abnormal Vulture. The -truth is, that although the _Didunculus strigirostis_ of Samoa, which was -supposed to be its near representative, is not at all closely allied, yet -the two species of _Didus_ and _Pezophaps solitarius_ form a group of very -specialized pigeons. - - THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF THE PAINTINGS REPRESENTING THE DODO. - - 1. _Vienna_, in the Library of the Emperor Francis. By Hufnagel, 1626, - reproduced by von Frauenfeldt in his book, 1868. - - 2. _Berlin._ "Altes Museum," Cabinet 3, Division 2, No. 710. By - Roelandt Savery, 1626. - - 3. _Sion House._ Duke of Northumberland. By John Goeimare, 1627. - - 4. _Vienna._ Kunsthistorisches Hofmuseum, formerly Belvedere. By - Roelandt Savery, 1628 - - 5. _London._ Zoological Society, formerly Broderip. By Roelandt - Savery, undated. - - 6. _Pommersfelden, Bavaria._ Count Schonborn, "Orpheus charming the - Beasts." By Roelandt Savery, undated. - - 7. _Haag._ Mauritshuis. "Orpheus charming the Beasts." By Roelandt - Savery. - - 8. _Stuttgart._ Formerly Dr. Seyffer, but sold at his death and since - disappeared. By Roelandt Savery. - - 9. _London._ British Museum, formerly belonging to G. Edwards. - Probably by Roelandt Savery. - - 10. _Emden._ Galerie der Gesellschaft fur Bildende Kunst. "Orpheus - charming the Beasts." By Roelandt Savery. - - 11. _Oxford._ Ashmolean Museum. By John Savery, 1651. - - 12. _Haarlem._ Dr. A. van der Willigen, Pz. By Pieter Holsteyn - (1580-1662), not dated. - - 13. _Dresden._ Kgl. Gemalde-Galerie. "Circe and Ulysses." By C. - Ruthart, 1666. - - 14. _Dresden._ Kgl. Gemalde-Galerie. "The Creation of the Animals." - Supposed to be by Franz Francken (1581-1642), no date, and said to be - by a different artist. - -At least 2 _Mauritius Dodos_ have been exhibited alive in Europe, one -brought back by Van Neck in 1599, and which most likely served as the model -for nearly all Roelandt Savery's pictures, and one exhibited in London in -the year 1638, mentioned by Sir Hamon Lestrange. This is almost certainly -the bird afterwards preserved in Tradescant's Museum (1656), and finally in -Oxford (Ashmolean Museum), and probably served for the model of the -supposed Savery picture in the British Museum. - -The Dodo inhabited Mauritius. - - NOTE.--_Didus nazarenus_ Gmelin, based on the "Oiseau de Nazareth" of - Cauche (Descr. de l'ile de Madagascar, p. 130, ff, 1651) is evidently - founded on a mistaken and partly fictitious description of a Dodo, or - rather a mixture of that of the Dodo and a Cassowary. The name was, - perhaps, also a mistake, derived from that of "_Oiseau de nausee_," - which has a similar meaning as "Walghvogel." - -{174} - - - - Explanation of Plates of Dodo. - -_Plate 24._ - - This was taken from the picture by Roelandt Savery in Berlin, but the - wings, tail and bill have been altered, partly from Pierre Witthoos' - picture of the Bourbon Dodo, and partly from anatomical examination. - The tail, however, appears to have been curled over the back in life, - according to most authors. - -_Plate 24 (a)._ - - _Fig. 1._ Reproduction in outline of the Dodo in Savery's Orpheus at - Haag. Vide antea No. 7 in the List of Paintings. - - _Fig. 2._ Outline of Dodo (and Pelican?) in Ruthart's "Circe and - Ulysses" at Dresden. Vide antea No. 13 in the List of Paintings. - - _Fig. 3._ Outline of Dodo (and Pelican?) in Frans Franckens (?) picture - in Dresden. Vide antea No. 14 in the List of Paintings. - -_Plates 24 (b and c)._ - - _No. 1._ Outline of Dodo in Roelandt Savery's picture at Berlin. Vide - antea No. 2 in the List of Paintings. - - _No. 2._ Outline of picture by Roelandt Savery in the British Museum. - Vide antea No. 9 in the List of Paintings. - - _No. 3._ Outline of Dodo in Jacob van Neck's Voyage, Plate 2 (1598). - - _No. 4._ Outline of Roelandt Savery's Dodo, Vienna. Vide antea No. 4 in - the List of Paintings. - - _No. 5._ Outline of Dodo in Broeck's Voyage (Peter van Broeck's Voyage, - 1617). - - _No. 6._ Outline of Dodo in Piso's additions to Jacob Bontiu's Oriental - Natural History, 1658. - - _No. 7._ Outline of Dodo in Sir Thomas Herbert's Relation of some - yeares Travels, 1626. - - _No. 8._ Outline of Dodo in Clusius Exoticorum libri decem, 1605. - - _No. 9._ Outline of Dodo in Joan Nievhof's Gedenkwaerdige Zee and - Lantreize, 1682. - - _No. 10._ Outline of Dodo in John Goeimare's picture at Sion House, - 1627. Vide antea No. 3 in the List of Paintings. - - _No. 11._ Outline of Dodo in Roelandt Savery's picture at - Pommersfelden. Vide antea No. 6 in the List of Paintings. - - _No. 12._ Outline of Dr. H. Schlegel's restoration of the Dodo in - Transactions, &c., of the Amsterdam Academy, vol. 2, 1854. - - _No. 13._ Outline of Dodo in Roelandt Savery's picture, Zoological - Society, London. Vide antea No. 5 in the List of Paintings. - -{175} - - - - DIDUS SOLITARIUS (SELYS). - - REUNION DODO. - - (PLATES 25, 25A, 25B.) - - _Great Fowl_ Tatton, Voy. Castleton, Purchas his Pilgrimes, ed. (1625) - I p. 331 (Bourbon or Reunion). - - _Dod-eersen_ Bontekoe, Journ. ofte gedenck. beschr. van de Ost. Ind. - Reyse Haarlem (1646) p. 6. - - _Oiseau Solitaire_ Carre, Voy. Ind. Or. I p. 12 (1699). - - _Solitaire_ Voy. fait par Le Sieur D.B. (1674) p. 170. - - _Apterornis solitarius_ de Selys, Rev. Zool (1848) p. 293. - - _Didus apterornis_ Schlegel, Ook een Wordje over den Dodo p. 15 f. 2 - (1854). - - _Pezophaps borbonica_ Bp., Consp. Av. II p. 2 (1854). - - _Ornithaptera borbonica_ Bp., Consp. Av. II. p. 2 (1854). - - _Didine Bird of the Island of Bourbon_ (_Reunion_) A. Newt. Tr. Zool. - Soc. VI pp. 373-376, pl. 62 (1867). - - _Apterornis solitaria_ Milne-Edw., Ibis (1869) p. 272. - - _? Didus borbonica_ Schleg., Mus. P.B. Struthiones p. 3 (1873). - - _Solitaire of Reunion_ A. Newton, Enc. Brit. II p. 732 (1875). - -The Didine bird of Reunion was first mentioned by Mr. Tatton, the Chief -Officer of Captain Castleton, in his account of their voyage given in -Purchas his Pilgrimes. His account is as follows:-- - -"There is store of land fowle both small and great, plenty of Doves, great -Parrats, and such like; and a great fowle of the bignesse of a Turkie, very -fat, and so short winged, that they cannot fly, being white, and in a -manner tame: and so be all other fowles, as having not been troubled nor -feared with shot. Our men did beat them down with sticks and stones. Ten -men may take fowle enough to serve fortie men a day." - -We then find frequent mention of this bird by Bontekoe in 5 separate -treatises or editions, from 1646 to 1650, and by Carre in 1699. But the -first more detailed description is given by the Sieur D.B. (Dubois) in -1674, which is as follows:-- - -"_Solitaires._ These birds are thus named because they always go alone. -They are as big as a big goose and have white plumage, black at the -extremity of the wings and of the tail. At the tail there are some feathers -resembling those of the Ostrich. They have the neck long and the beak -formed like that of the Woodcocks (he refers to the woodrails, -_Erythromachus_--W.R.), but larger, and the legs and feet like those of -Turkey-chicks. This bird betakes itself to running, only flying but very -little. It is the best game on the Island." {176} - -It will be seen that, while Dubois says the wings and tail are black, -Pierre Witthoos's picture, from which the accompanying plate was partly -drawn, shows the wings yellow. This may either be due to Dubois' faulty -description, or, what is much more probable, the bird brought to Amsterdam, -which Witthoos painted, was somewhat albinistic. The bill in the picture by -Witthoos shows a distinctly mutilated bill, evidently done by the bird's -keeper to prevent being injured by the formidable hook of the untrimmed -bill. In addition to two pictures (the one formerly in the possession of -Mr. C. Dare, of Clatterford, in the Isle of Wight, and a second in Holland, -both by Pieter Witthoos, painted about the year 1670), we know of this bird -only the drawing given in Zaagman's edition of Bontekoe, 1646. In all these -drawings the first four primaries point down and forward, which is probably -owing to the injured condition of the specimen figured, so in the -accompanying plate I had the wing drawn like the true Dodo's and the bill -reconstructed. - -Habitat: Island of Bourbon or Reunion. - -Only known from the above-mentioned descriptions and two drawings. No -specimens existing. - -This bird became extinct between the years 1735 and 1801, because in the -latter year Monsieur Bory St. Vincent made his scientific survey of the -Island, and no such bird existed then; while we know that Monsieur de la -Bourdonnaye, who was governor of the Mascarene Islands from 1735 to 1746, -sent one alive to one of the directors of the French East Indian Company. -Of this, the second living specimen brought to Europe, we unfortunately -have neither drawing nor history. - - - - Explanation of Plates. - -_Plate 25._ - - Drawing of White Dodo from Pierre Witthoos' picture, the bill and tail - being reconstructed from the model of the common Dodo. - -_Plate 25 (a)._ - - _Fig. 5._ Outline of figure of White Dodo in the picture by Pieter - Witthoos circa 1670 vide supra. - - _Fig. 8._ Outline of Woodcut in Zaagman's edition of Bontekoe van - Hoorn, 1646. - - _Fig. 7._ Outline of figure of White Dodo in an edition of Plinius - Secundus about 1643 but without date. - - _Fig. 4._ Outline of Dr. H. Schlegel's reconstruction of the Reunion - Dodo. - -_Plate 25 (b)._ - - Drawing from description of the Sieur D.B. (Dubois), 1674. - -{177} - - - - PEZOPHAPS STRICKLAND & MELVILLE. - -Skull with a moderate rostrum, slightly hooked, and the nasal and maxillary -processes of the praemaxillae diverging anteriorly; the frontal region flat -with but little cancellous tissue. Coracoid stout. Manus armed with an -ossified tuberosity. Neck and feet long. Delto-pectoral crest of humerus -aborted. - -This genus connects _Didus_ with the _Columbidae_. The male is much larger -than the female. - - - - PEZOPHAPS SOLITARIUS (GM.) - - THE SOLITAIRE. - - (PLATE 23, 25A, FIGS. 1, 2, 3.) - - _Solitaire_ Leguat, Voy. deux iles desertes Ind. Or. I pp. 98. 102 - (1708). - - _Didus solitarius_ Gmelin, S. N. I p. 728, n. 2 (1788). - - _Pezophaps solitaria_ Strickland, the Dodo, &c., p. 46 (1848). - - _Didus nazarenus_ Bartl. (nec. Gmel.), P. Z. S. 1851, p. 284, pl. XLV. - - _Pezophaps minor_ Strickland, Contr. to Orn. 1852, p. 19 (?). - -This bird was first made known by Leguat in 1708, but some confusion seems -to have arisen, owing to his applying the same name to them as the Sieur -D.B. (Dubois) gave to the Bourbon Dodo in 1674. This is the original -description:-- - -"The feathers of the males are of a brown-grey colour, the feet and beak -are like a turkey's, but a little more crooked. They have scarce any tail, -but their hind part covered with feathers is roundish, like the crupper of -a hare. They are taller than turkeys. Their neck is straight, and a little -longer in proportion than a turkey's when it lifts up his head. Its eye is -black and lively, and its head without comb on cop. They never fly, their -wings are too little to support the weight of their bodies; they serve only -to beat themselves and flutter when they call one another. They will whirl -about for twenty or thirty times together on the same side during the space -of 4 or 5 minutes. The motions of their wings make then a noise very like -that of a rattle, and one may hear it two hundred paces off. The bone of -their {178} wings grows greater towards the extremity, and forms a little -round mass under the feathers as big as a musket ball. That and its beak -are the chief defences of this bird. 'Tis very hard to catch in the woods, -but easy in open places, because we run faster than they, and sometimes we -approach them without much trouble. From March to September they are very -fat, and taste admirably well, especially while they are young, some of the -males weigh 45 pounds. The females are wonderfully beautiful, some fair, -some brown. I call them fair, because they are the colour of fair hair; -they have a sort of peak like a widow's, upon their breasts, which is of a -dun colour. No one feather is straggling from the other all over their -bodies, they being very careful to adjust themselves, and make them all -even with their beaks. The feathers on their thighs are round like shells -at the end, and being there very thick, have an agreeable effect. They have -two risings on their craws, and the feathers are whiter there than the -rest, which livelily represents the fine neck of a beautiful woman. They -walk with so much stateliness and good grace that one cannot help admiring -them and loving them, by which means their fine mien often saves their -lives." - -The unfortunate Solitaires, owing to the depredations by the pigs and -monkeys introduced by the settlers, and the unceasing slaughter by the -latter, became extinct between the years 1760 and 1780. - -Of their habits we only have the accounts of Leguat:-- - -"Though these birds will sometimes very familiarly come up near enough to -one, when we do not run after them, yet they will never grow tame, as soon -as they are caught they shed tears, without crying, and refuse all manner -of sustenance till they die. - -When these birds build their nests, they choose a clean place, gather -together some palm leaves for that purpose, and heap them up a foot and a -half high from the ground, on which they sit. They never lay but one egg, -which is much bigger than that of a goose. The male and female both cover -it in their turns, and the young is not hatched till at 7 weeks end. All -the while they are sitting upon it, or are bringing up their young one, -which is not able to provide for itself in several months, they will not -suffer any other bird of their species to come within two hundred yards -round of the place. But what is very singular is, the males will never -drive away the females, only when they perceive one they make a noise with -their wings to call their own female--she drives away the unwelcome -stranger, not leaving it till it was without her bounds. The female does -the same as to males, which she leaves to the male who drives them away. We -have observed this several times, and I {179} affirm it to be true. The -combats between them on this occasion last sometimes pretty long, because -the stranger only turns about, and does not fly directly from the nest. -However, the others do not forsake it till they have quite driven it out of -their limits. After these birds have raised their young one, and left it to -itself, they are always together, which the other birds are not, and though -they happen to mingle with other birds of the same species, these two -companions never disunite. - -We have often remarked, that some days after the young one leaves the nest, -a company of 30 or 40 bring another young one to it, and the new fledged -bird, joining the band with its father and mother, they march to some bye -place. We frequently followed them, and found that afterwards the old ones -went each their way alone, or in couples, and left the two young ones -together, which we called a marriage." - -Leguat's, d'Heguerty's, and the Abbe Pingre's descriptions were all we had -of this great ground pigeon down to 1866, except a few bones. When Mr. -Strickland proved its distinctness from the Dodo of Mauritius in 1844, and -up to 1852, these bones numbered 18. In 1864 Mr. E. Newton and Captain -Barclay got 3 more bones, in 1865 Mr. Jenner, the resident magistrate, -collected 8 bones, and in 1866 nearly 2,000 bones were collected, but -during the Transit of Venus expedition in 1874, a thorough search was made, -and a number of complete skeletons was collected. - -Habitat: Island of Rodriguez. - -Represented in Museums by a number of complete skeletons and a large number -of bones. - - - - Explanation of Plates. - -_Plate 23._ - - Coloured drawing made from Leguat's description and figure. - -_Plate 25 (a)._ - - _Fig. 1._ Outline of figure in Leguat's Voyage, 1708. - - _Fig. 2._ Outline of Schlegel's reconstructed figure of the Solitaire, - 1854. - - _Fig. 3._ Outline of Solitaire in Frontispiece to Leguat's Voyage, - 1708. - -{181} - - - - TYMPANUCHUS CUPIDO (L.) - - HEATH HEN. - - _Tetrao cupido_ Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. Ed. X, p. 160 (1758--ex Catesby, - Carolina II, App. p. 1, pl. 1, 1743. "Habitat in Virginia"); Vieillot, - Gal. Ois. II, p. 55, p. 219 (1825). - - _Pinnated Grouse_ Latham, Gen. Syn. II, 2, p. 740 (1783). - - _Bonasa cupido_ Stephens, in Shaw's Gen. Zool. XI, p. 299 (1819--New - Jersey and Long Island). - - _Cupidonia cupido_ Baird, B. N. Am. p. 628 (1860--partim); Maynard, B. - E. Massach. p. 138 (1870--Martha's Vineyard and Naushon Island); - Brewster, Auk 1885, p. 82 (Massachusetts). - - _Cupidonia cupido var. cupido_ Baird, Brewer & Ridgway, N. Amer. B. - III, p. 440 (1874). - - _Cupidonia cupido brewsteri_ Coues, Key N.A.B., App. p. 884 (1887). - - _Tympanuchus cupido_ Ridgway, Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. VIII, p. 355 (1885); - Bendire, Life-Hist. N. Amer. B. I, p. 93 (1892); Grant, Cat. B. Brit. - B. XXII, p. 77; Check-List N. Amer. B. Ed. II, p. 115, No. 306 (1895); - Hartlaub, Abh. Naturw. Ver. Bremen XIV, 1 (second ed. of separate copy, - p. 15) (1896). - -Linnaeus' brief diagnosis is: "Tetrao pedibus hirsutis alis succenturiatis -cervicalibus." After the habitat he adds: "Color Tetricis feminae; vertex -subcristatus; a tergo colli duae parvae alae: singulae pennis quinque." -This diagnosis is taken from Catesby, who gives a fairly good description -and a recognizable coloured plate. He specially mentions that the -neck-tufts are composed of five feathers, and in his figure they are shown -to be much pointed. Catesby expressly states that he does not know exactly -from which part of America his specimen came--yet Linnaeus says "Habitat in -Virginia." - -Formerly the Heath Hen inhabited New England and part of the Middle States -(Southern Connecticut, Long Island, New Jersey, Nantucket, Eastern -Pennsylvania), but in 1887 Ridgway stated already that it was then -apparently extinct, except on Martha's Vineyard. About that time it was -still common on that island, inhabiting the woods and chiefly haunting oak -scrub and feeding on acorns. They were then "strictly protected by law," -but this protection seems not to have been effectual, as from 1893 to 1897 -a number were killed, skinned, and sold to various museums. This was, -perhaps, fortunate rather than unfortunate, because Mr. Hoyle (the man who -collected them) told us that in 1894 a fire destroyed many of them, and in -the fall of 1897 they were practically gone. But almost worse than this, -perhaps, two pairs of "Prairie Chicken" (_Tympanuchus americanus_) were -liberated and broods of young (of the latter apparently) were seen, so that -it {182} is to be feared that birds shot now on Martha's Vineyards Island -may have blood of _T. americanus_ in them, the two forms being closely -related, somewhat difficult to distinguish, and evidently sub-species of -each other. Nevertheless, a bird taken in 1901 was pronounced to be typical -_cupido_ by Mr. Brewster. - -From these facts it is pretty clear that the Heath Hen is among the birds -the fate of which is sealed, and which, if not already exterminated or -mixed with foreign blood, will soon have disappeared. The footnote in the -Proceedings of the IV. International Ornithological Congress, p. 203, is -herewith corrected. - -{183} - - - - COTURNIX NOVAEZELANDIAE QUOY & GAIM. - - (PLATE 28, FIG. 2.) - - _Coturnix Novae-Zelandiae_ Quoy and Gaimard, Voy. Astrolabe, Zool. I. - p. 242, pl. 24, fig. 1 (1830--"Il habit la baie Chouraki (riviere - Tamise de Cook), a la Nouvelle-Zelande"); Gould, Syn. B. Austr., text - and pl. fig 2 (1837-38); Buller, B. New Zealand, p. 161, pl. (1873); - Hist. B. New Zealand, 2nd ed. I, p. 225, pl. XXIII (1888); Grant, Cat. - B. Brit. Mus. XXII p. 245 (1893). - -This Quail, though a typical _Coturnix_, is easily distinguished from all -other species. The male has the upper-side almost black, each feather -bordered and indistinctly barred with rufous-brown, and with a wide, creamy -white shaft-line. The throat and sides of the head are rufous-cinnamon, the -feathers of the chest and breast at their basal half buff with a broken -black cross-bar, the distal half black, with two pale buff spots near the -tip, or with a continuous white border. - -This sole representative of the "gamebirds" in New Zealand was in former -days very numerous in both islands, but especially so in the South Island, -wherever there was open grass-land, but is now evidently extinct. Its -disappearance is apparently not due to excessive shooting, but rather to -the introduction of rats, cats, and dogs, and last, but not least, to -bush-fires and to the regular burning of the sheep-runs, according to Sir -Walter Buller. No doubt the establishment itself of extensive sheep-farms -in the once, more or less, uninhabited grass-land was ominous for the -future of the Quail. - -It is not quite clear when the Quail disappeared. The last on the North -Island was shot by Captain Mair at Whangarei in 1860. Specimens were -recorded in 1867 and 1869, but were apparently not procured. In Haast's -"Journal of Exploration in the Nelson Province" it is said to be still very -abundant in 1861 on the grassy plains of the interior. - -Sir Walter Buller mentions two specimens said to be from an island in Blue -Skin Bay, shot in "1867 or 1868." In his Second Edition of the Birds of New -Zealand he informs us that it was found occasionally in the South Island -down to 1875, but in the "Supplement" he speaks of a specimen said to have -been shot in 1871, but adds, "There is no absolute evidence of it," and "if -true, this individual bird must have been about the last of its race." -Therefore, evidently the note about 1875 was erroneous. {184} - -The statement of Mr. Cheeseman, that he took eggs on Three Kings Islands is -erroneous. The eggs belonged to a _Synoecus_, and the egg given to Sir -Walter Buller is now in my collection. - -I have, however, also two eggs of _Coturnix novaezealandiae_, brought home -by Dr. H. O. Forbes. They have a brownish-white shell, covered and washed -all over with deep brown patches and lighter brown underlying markings. -They show distinctly the character of Quails' eggs, but, besides being much -larger, are easily distinguished from eggs of _Coturnix coturnix_. They -measure 34.3 by 25 and 34.5 by 21.3 mm. - -Of birds I have in my collection: One [male] ad. Shot at Whangarei, North -Island, by Major Mair, in 1860. (This is the specimen figured in the Second -Edition of the "Birds of New Zealand." I bought it with Sir Walter Buller's -collection eighteen years ago. By a curious _lapsus memoriae_ Sir Walter -Buller, in the "Supplement," p. 35, in 1905, states that this bird was in -his son's collection.) One [female] ad. and one [male] in the first year's -plumage, shot by Messrs. Walter Buller and E. French near Kaiapoi, South -Island, in the summer of 1859. - -Seven specimens are in the British Museum, the types in Paris, three in -Cambridge, a pair in Christchurch in New Zealand, some in the Canterbury -Museum, and doubtless many others, most of which have never been recorded. - -{185} - - - - DINORNITHIDAE. - - MOAS. - -The first announcement of the former existence of large Struthious birds in -New Zealand was made by Mr. J. S. Polack in 1838. In his book _New -Zealand_, he states that he found large bird bones near East Cape in the -North Island. The first specimen, however, that came into the hands of a -scientific man was the bone sent to Professor Owen in 1839 by Mr. Rule, who -reported that the natives had told him that it was the bone of a large -Eagle which they called "_Movie_." Professor Owen, with his extraordinary -knowledge, at once saw that far from any connection with the _Raptores_, -Mr. Rule's bone was a portion of a femur of a gigantic Struthious bird. He -described it on November 12th, 1839, at a meeting of the Zoological -Society, and it was figured on Plate 3 of Volume III of the Transactions of -the Zoological Society. - -The next notice of the Moas takes the form of a letter, received by -Professor Owen from the Rev. W. C. Cotton, dated Waimate, near the Bay of -Islands, New Zealand, July 11th, 1842; and in it the writer gives an -account of his meeting with the Rev. Mr. Wm. Williams, a fellow missionary -at East Cape. The latter had collected a lot of "Moa" bones and sent them -to a Dr. Buckland. Mr. Williams also reported a conversation with two -Englishmen, who declared they had been taken out by a native at night and -had seen a Moa alive, but had been too frightened to shoot it. - -On January 24th, 1843, Professor Owen exhibited a number of bones from Mr. -Williams' collection, and described them, giving the bird the name of -"_Megalornis novaezealandiae_," afterwards changing the generic title into -_Dinornis_, as _Megalornis_ was preoccupied. Afterwards, when describing -these bones and those contained in the second box of Mr. Williams' -collection more fully, he somewhat inconsistently changed the specific name -to _struthioides_, which Captain Hutton, in his later classification, -retained. Following the laws of priority, however (_novaezealandiae_ has 10 -months' priority over _struthioides_), we must reinstate the name -_novaezealandiae_. - -A number of other finds occurred between 1842 and 1847, but by far the -largest and most important collections were made and sent home between 1847 -and 1852 by the Hon. W. Mantell, who sent to Professor Owen many hundreds -of bones and eggshells, from which the Professor was enabled to determine -and describe a large number of species, and even as early as this to -separate some genera. {186} - -The bulk of later finds were made by Sir Julius von Haast, Captain Hutton, -and Mr. Aug. Hamilton, and the two most famous deposits were Glenmark Swamp -and Te Aute; but it would take too much space to give here an account of -all the other extraordinary discoveries of Moa deposits made by such men as -Dr. Thomson, Mr. Earl, Mr. Thorne, Dr. H. O. Forbes, and many others. -Besides many fragments of eggshell, a number of eggs have been found, which -will be enumerated elsewhere. - -Feathers have been found at Clutha River, near Roxburgh, and also in caves -near Queenstown. Those from Clutha are mostly dark, being black with white -tips; while the Queenstown ones resemble feathers of _Apteryx australis_ in -colours. Professor Owen has shown that _Megalapteryx huttoni_ was feathered -down to the toes, and in the plate I have represented it clothed with -feathers similar to the Clutha ones, which I believe belong to this -species. The Moas at one time must have been extraordinarily numerous, both -in numbers and species, and they varied in height from 2-1/2 feet to 12 -feet. Professor Parker has shown that some of the species had crests of -long feathers on the head, and, as some adult skulls of the same forms show -no signs of this, he infers that the males alone had this appendage. There -has been much discussion as to the time when the Moas became extinct, and -we know for certain that the two species, _Dinornis maximus_ and -_Anomalopteryx antiquus_, belong to a much earlier geological epoch than -the bulk of the other species. It would be too lengthy for my purpose to go -into the arguments, but we can, by the study of the "_kitchen middens_" of -Maoris and their traditions, fairly adduce that the Maoris arrived in the -North Island some 600 years ago, that they hunted Moas, and that they -exterminated them about 100 to 150 years after their arrival. In the South, -or rather Central, Island, the Maoris appear to have arrived about 100 -years later, and to have exterminated the Moas about 350 years ago. It is -only fair to say, however, that Monsieur de Quatrefages adduces evidence in -his paper which goes far to prove that Moas existed down to the end of the -18th or even beginning of the 19th century in those parts of the Middle -Island not, or scantily, inhabited by Maoris. - -The _Dinornithidae_ form a separate group of the order _Ratitae_, in no way -closely related to the Australian Emu (_Dromaius_), as many ornithologists -have asserted, but nearer to the South American Nandu (_Rhea_) than any -other living _Ratitae_, though exhibiting many characters in common with -the _Apterygidae_. There have been a number of classifications set up of -this family. The first by Reichenbach, in 1850, with 7 species and 7 -genera! {187} The next was by Von Haast, in 1873, who enumerated 10 -species, divided into 4 genera. The third was Lydekker's, in 1891, who -acknowledged 23 species, divided into 5 genera. Then came Hutton's, in -1892, which left out _Megalapteryx_, with its then known 2 species, and -acknowledged 26 species, divided into 7 genera. Lastly we have Professor -Parker's, in 1895, in which again _Megalapteryx_ is left out, and 21 -species are acknowledged, divided into 5 genera. There has been a great -amount of controversy as to the number of species of Moas which really -ought to be distinguished, and of late years there has been a tendency to -unite most of the species as synonyms, the authors declaring that bones -vary to such a degree that all the characters relied on for the -distinguishing of the various species were individual variations, and that, -besides, it was impossible that so many distinct forms could have occurred -in such a small area. The extreme of this lumping was reached when -Professor Forbes, in the Bulletin of the Liverpool Museums, III, pp. 27 and -28 (1900), divided the Moas into six genera, each with a single species. He -thus ignores the fact that by doing so he has united forms which were -founded on FULLY ADULT bones, and yet some of them were only about half or -two-thirds the size of the others. I personally think that too many species -have been made, and at least 7 of Captain Hutton's forms must be sunk. On -the other hand some have been described since 1895 and 1900, and I have -been obliged to name others rather against my will, so that in spite of -uniting so many species of others I find I am obliged to acknowledge more -species than anyone else. I have divided these into genera according to -Professor Parker's classification, only adding _Palaeocasuarius_ of Forbes, -with 3 species, and _Megalapteryx_, with 5, which brings my number up to 38 -species, divided into 7 genera. My reasons for not uniting these into 7 -species and 7 genera, as those of the "lumping school" do, are -twofold,--first, the bones of the _Ratitae_ are much more solid than those -of other birds, and are not given to so much individual variation; and, -secondly, in the face of the great number of species of Paradise Birds and -Cassowaries found on New Guinea, the contention that there could not be so -many species of Moa on so small an area is not easily maintained. Moreover, -we have strong support in the present fauna and flora for the presumption -that, when the Moas first came into existence and differentiated into -species, New Zealand was a much larger area, stretching at least from the -Macquarie Islands in the south to the Kermadecs in the north, and from Lord -Howe's Island on the west to the Chatham Islands on the east. So that, like -the giant tortoises on the Galapagos Islands, {188} they only got driven so -closely together after their specific differentiation, when the land -gradually subsided, owing to volcanic action. The differentiation of the -family is as follows:-- - - DINORNITHIDAE. - -Skull with a short and wide beak. Pectoral girdle very small or absent, -wing absent, only an indication in _Dinornis dromioides_. Hallux absent or -present. An extension bridge to the tibio-tarsus, which is placed near the -inner border of the bone. No superior notch to the sternum. Most of the -species of very large size. The tarso-metatarsus is either long and slender -or short and wide, and its anterior surface may or may not be grooved. The -second trochlea is longer than the fourth, the third is not pedunculated, -and there is no perforation in the groove between the third and fourth -trochlea. In the tibio-tarsus the cnemial crest rises well above the head; -the extensor groove is separated by a considerable interval from the inner -border of the bone. There is a well-defined intercondylar tubercle; the -intercondylar gorge is deep, and there is no deep pit on the lateral -surface of the entocondyle. The femur may be either slender or stout, but -is not markedly curved forwards. The popliteal depression is deep, and the -summit of the great trochanter rises considerably above the level of the -head. The pelvis approximates to that of the _Apterygidae_, but the -pectineal process of the pubis is less developed, and the ischium and pubis -may be longer and more slender. The coracoid and scapula are aborted and -may be absent. The sternum, which may be either long and narrow, or broad -and short, differs from that of the _Apterygidae_ by the absence of the -superior notch, the divergent lateral processes, and the reduction of the -coracoidal grooves to small facets or their total disappearance. The -cervical vertebrae are relatively short, an expanded neural platform as far -as the sixth. - -In _Anomalopteryx_ and _Megalapteryx_ the number of cervical vertebrae is -21, and there are 2 cervico-dorsal and 4 free dorsal vertebrae, so it is -fair to assume that this is the correct number throughout the family. - -The feathers had after-shafts. - -THE GENERA ARE AS FOLLOWS: - - _Dinornis_ Owen. - _Palapteryx_ Owen, part. - _Palapteryx_ Hutton. - _Tylapteryx_ Hutton. - - _Megalapteryx_ Haast. - _Anomalopteryx_ Lydekker, part. - *_Mesopteryx_ Hutton. - - {189} - _Cela_ Reichenbach. - _Dinornis_ Owen, part. - _Meionornis_ Haast. - _Anomalopteryx_ Lydekker. - _Mesopteryx_ Parker. - - _Emeus_ Reichenbach. - _Euryapteryx_ Haast. - _Syornis_ Hutton. - _Dinornis_ Owen, part. - - _Pachyornis_ Lydekker. - _Palapteryx_ Haast. - _Dinornis_ Owen, part. - _Euryapteryx_ Hutton. - - _Palaeocasuarius_ Forbes. - *_Megalapteryx_ Forbes, part. - - _Anomalopteryx_ Reichenbach. - _Meionornis_ Haast. - _Dinornis_ Owen, part. - -I have adopted Professor Parker's classification in the genera, only -substituting _Cela_ Reichenbach for _Mesapteryx_ Hutton, which is a synonym -of _Megalapteryx_ Haast. As to the species I have used my own judgment; I -felt obliged to name a number of species acknowledged by Parker and -Lydekker but not named, because this system of indicating species by the -letters A, B, C, &c., which has crept into our nomenclature, will make all -understanding impossible, as not always the same species is denoted by the -same letter. A few of these species will naturally later have to be sunk, -as some have been founded on skulls and others on leg bones, or so, which, -when we get perfect individual skeletons may prove to be identical, but I -do not think these will be many. - -Besides a number of imperfect eggs, particulars of which will be found in -Dr. A. B. Meyer's article in the Ibis, 1903, pp. 188-196, there are known -two perfect Moa eggs and one almost perfect one. - - 1. Otago Museum. Molyneux River, 1901. _Pachyornis pondorosus_. - - 2. Tring Museum. Molyneux River, 1901. _Megalapteryx huttoni_. - - 3. Rowley Collection. South Island, 1859. _Dinornis novaezealandiae_. - -{191} - - - - DINORNIS. - -The skull is broad and much depressed, with a comparatively wide, somewhat -pointed and deflected beak. Breadth at the squamosals twice the height at -basi-temporal. It has a flattened frontal region, and a wide median ridge -on the upper surface of the praemaxillae. The mandible is in the form of a -narrow U, with the angle much inflected, no distinct anticular process, and -the symphysis moderately wide, narrowing anteriorly, with a prominent and -broad inferior ridge, widest in front. The quadrate is elongated, with a -very large pneumatic foramen. The sternum is nearly as long as broad, very -convex, with distinct coracoidal facets, 3 costal articulations, very small -and reflected costal processes, the lateral processes very broad and widely -divergent, and a wide xiphisternal notch. The pelvis is narrow with a high -ilium, in which the inferior border of the postacetabular portion is flat, -and does not descend as a sharp ridge below the level of the anterior -postacetabular vertebrae. The pubis has a small pectineal process; and the -ventral aspect of the true and postacetabular vertebrae is very broad and -much flattened. - -The distal extremity of the tibio-tarsus is not inflected. A hallux is -present in some species. The tibio-tarsus and tarso-metatarsus are long and -slender, the length of the latter equalling and more often exceeding the -length of the femur, and also exceeding half the length of the -tibio-tarsus. The femur is comparatively long and slender, with a short -neck, the head rising but slightly and projecting only a small distance, -the linear aspera in the form of a long irregular line, the outer side of -the distal extremity moderately expanded, the popliteal depression small, -deep, and sharply defined, the profile of the inner condyle semi-ovoid and -narrow, and the interior trochlear surface nearly flat. The phalangeals of -the pes are long and comparatively slender, the proximal surface of the -terminal segments not being trefoil-shaped. In the vertebral column the -middle cervicals are long and narrow, with the postzygapophyses directed -much outwardly and separated by a very deep channel, and the posterior face -of the centrum low and wide. The dorsals have short transverse processes -and neural spine, the anterior and middle ones (those with a haemal spine -or carina) having a large anterior pneumatic foramen between the nib-facet, -the foramen being triangular in shape. All the species of this genus are of -comparatively large size, and include the tallest members of the family. - -Type of the genus: _Dinornis novaezealandiae_ (Owen). - -Number of species: 7. {192} - - - - DINORNIS MAXIMUS OWEN. - - _Dinornis maximus_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. VI. p. 497 (1868). - - _D. excelsus_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV. p. 110 (1892). - - _D. giganteus_ Haast, Trans. N.Z. Inst. I p. 88, No. 20 part. - -This is the largest species of Moa, the tibio-tarsus being from 37.5 to -39.2 inches in length, while that of the largest _D. giganteus_ does not -exceed 35 inches, but by far the largest number of the latter are -considerably shorter. - -The type bones were obtained in Glenmark Swamp, Middle Island of New -Zealand, and were sent to Professor Owen by Major J. Michael of the Madras -Staff Corps. Casts of these bones are in the British Museum, No. A 161 in -the Palaeontological Department. - -This bird was the tallest of all known birds, though it must have been -considerably exceeded in bulk by _Aepyornis ingens_ and _Aepyornis titan_ -of Madagascar. - -Locality: Glenmark Swamp, Middle Island, New Zealand. - - - - DINORNIS ALTUS OWEN. - - _Dinornis maximus_ Owen, Ext. Birds N.Z. p. 253 (Dr. Lillie's specimen) - (1879). - - _D. altus_ Owen, Ext. Birds N.Z. (1879) p. 361. - - _D. giganteus var maximus_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. VI p. 497 (1868). - -Only known by a tarso-metatarsus, femur and tibio-tarsus from the Middle -Island, New Zealand. The bones at once noticeable by their great length, -and are more slender than the same bones in _D. maximus_. This form must -therefore, till further material comes to hand, be treated as a separate -species. - -Locality: Middle Island, New Zealand. Collected by Dr. Lillie. {193} - - - - DINORNIS GIGANTEUS OWEN. - - _Dinornis giganteus_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. III p. 237 (1843) and p. - 307 (1846). - - _Moa giganteus_ Reichenbach, Nat. Syst. der Vog. p. XXX (1850). - - _Dinornis maximus_ (non _D. maximus_ Owen of 1867!) Trans. Zool. Soc. X - p. 147 (1877). - - _D. validus_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. p. 111 (1892). - -This is, as regards size, one of the more variable forms in the -tarso-metatarsus, while the tibio-tarsus is remarkably constant. The -tibio-tarsus is almost invariably 35 inches in length, while the -tarso-metatarsus varies from 17.5 to 19 inches in length. - -The type of _D. giganteus_ Owen is from Poverty Bay; the type of _D. -validus_ is from Glenmark. - -Habitat: North and Middle Islands, New Zealand. - -Portion of skeleton in Tring Museum, from Kopua Swamps, Canterbury, New -Zealand. - - - - DINORNIS INGENS OWEN. - - (PLATE 42.) - - _Dinornis ingens_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. III p. 237 (1843). - - _Movia ingens_ Reichenbach, Nat. Syst. der Vog. p. xxx (1850). - - _D. ingens var. robustus_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. III p. 307 (1846). - - _Palapteryx robustus_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. III p. 345 (1848). - - _D. firmus_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV p. 114 (1892). - - _D. potens_ Hutton, l.c. p. 115. - -_D. ingens_ shows considerable variation in size, but the inter-gradation -is so complete that it seems impossible to retain the four species -_ingens_, _firmus_, _potens_ and _robustus_, which Captain Hutton admits. -This form was widely distributed over the North and Middle Islands. The -type skull of _P. robustus_ came from Timaru, the type of _firmus_ from -Wanganui, that of _ingens_ from Poverty Bay, while that of _potens_ is -quoted from the East side of Middle Island, without specific type locality. - -Habitat: North and Middle Islands. - -The plate of this species was reconstructed by Mr. Frohawk from the -skeleton and feathers in my museum, and the feathers found with the -skeleton now in the York Museum. The only criticism that might be made in -connection with this picture is that the feathers are drawn a little too -much like those of _Apteryx australis_, but this is not of any consequence, -as the Moa feathers in the Tring Museum and elsewhere vary considerably in -appearance, though being more or less coloured like _Apteryx_ feathers. - -There is an almost perfect skeleton in the Tring Museum. {194} - - - - DINORNIS GRACILIS OWEN. - - _Dinornis gracilis_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. IV (1855) p. 141. - - _D. torosus_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV p. 117 (1892). - -If we acknowledge that _D. novaezealandiae_ occurs both on the North and -Middle Islands, then I feel sure that the distinctness of _D. gracilis_ and -_D. torosus_ cannot be maintained, as the measurements intergrade -completely. - -The type of _D. gracilis_ came from Wanganui, while that of _D. torosus_ is -a nearly perfect skeleton found in a cave at Takaka, near Nelson. - -Habitat: New Zealand. - -There is an imperfect skeleton in the Tring Museum, from a limestone cave -at Takaka, near Motueka, Province of Nelson, New Zealand. - - - - DINORNIS DROMIOIDES OWEN. - - _Dinornis dromioides_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. III. p. 235 (1843). - - _Palapteryx dromioides_ Reichenbach, Nat. Syst. der Vog. p. XXX (1850). - - _Palapteryx plenus_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV p. 122 (1892). - -This form also inhabited both islands, but was probably one of the rarest. -The type of _D. dromioides_ came from Poverty Bay, and that of _P. plenus_ -from Glenmark. - -Habitat: New Zealand. - - - - DINORNIS NOVAEZEALANDIAE OWEN. - - _Dinornis novaezealandiae_ Owen, P.Z.S. (1843) p. 8. - - _D. struthioides_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. III p. 244 (1844). - - _D. strennus_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXV p. 8 (1893). - -Professor Owen changed the name of this form, but we cannot accept this -change, as it is against the laws of nomenclatorial priority, though we all -appreciate the motive the Professor had in making this change. The type -came from Poverty Bay, but the bird inhabits both islands. - -This species had wings. - -Habitat: New Zealand. - -A nearly perfect skeleton in the Tring Museum from Waitomo district, -Auckland, New Zealand. - -{195} - - - - MEGALAPTERYX HAAST. - -Originally distinguished by Haast from the _Dinornithidae_ as an ancient -form of the _Apterygidae_, but afterwards united by Lydekker with the -_Dinornithidae_. Mr. Lydekker's diagnosis of the genus is as follows:-- - -"Distinguished from _Dinornis_ by the extreme slenderness and length of the -femur and tibio-tarsus, and the relatively shorter tarso-metatarsus, of -which latter the length is considerably shorter than that of the femur. The -pelvis is much narrower than in Dinornis, with the ventral surface of the -postacetabular sacrals ridged and narrower, and a more developed pectineal -process to the pubis. The femur is markedly curved forwards, with the -distal extremity moderately expanded, the popliteal depression larger and -less defined, the linea aspera narrower and sharper, and a more distinct -anterior intermuscular ridge." - -The following additional diagnostic characters are taken from Mr. Charles -W. Andrews' description of the complete skeleton of _Megalapteryx tenuipes_ -in the Tring Museum (Nov. Zool. IV, pp. 188-194, fig. 1-2 in text and pl. -VI):-- - -Width of cranium at paroccipital processes less than half the length of the -basis cranii. Length of premaxilla less than two-and-a-half times that of -the basis cranii. Body of the premaxilla pointed and slightly decurved; its -length and breadth less than the basis cranii. The occipital plane slightly -declined backwards. Occipital condyle projecting slightly beyond the -paroccipital processes. Anterior and posterior lambdoidal ridges separated -by a very narrow interval in their middle region only. Width at squamosals -slightly more than double the length of the basis cranii. Mammillary -tuberosities not very prominent. Margin of tympanic cavity evenly curved. -Temporal fossae very large. The distance between the temporal ridges about -four-fifths the width of the cranium at the fossae. The posterior temporal -ridge confluent with the lambdoidal ridge. Post-temporal fossae very large. - -The inferior temporal ridge is strongly marked, and there is a pretympanic -process. The zygomatic process is well developed. Rostrum dilated towards -its anterior end, compressed and carinate beneath the large presphenoid -fossae. Mandible very slender. Posterior angular process small. Sternum -very convex, and with a very nearly straight anterior border between the -tuberosities for the coracoscapular ligaments. Costal processes short but -large, with distinct {196} coracoidal facets. The lateral processes are -long and distally expanded. The sternum is just as wide as it is long. -There are three costal articulations. The most notable character is the -enormous length of the toes, the middle one being longer than the -tarso-metatarsus. The ungual phalanges are peculiarly long, narrow and -curved, instead of being comparatively short and broad, as in most other -Moas. - -Type of the genus _Megalapteryx hectori_, Haast. - -Number of species 4. {197} - - - - MEGALAPTERYX HECTORI HAAST. - - _Megalapteryx hectori_ Haast, Trans. Zool. Soc. XII, p. 161 (1886); - Lydekker, Cat. Fossil B. Brit. Mus., p. 252. - -This form was described by Sir Julius von Haast as a gigantic _Apteryx_. -This error arose from the absence of the skull. There is, however, no doubt -now, since the skulls of _Megalapteryx_ are known, that although -sufficiently aberrant to form a distinct sub-family, the birds included in -this genus are _Dinornithidae_ and not _Apterygidae_. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - - - - MEGALAPTERYX HAMILTONI SPEC. NOV. - - Lydekker, Cat. Fossil Birds in Brit. Mus., p. 252, under _M. tenuipes_ - (1891). - -The type is a left femur, No. 32145 in the British Museum. It is smaller -and relatively narrower than the femur, of either _M. hectori_ or _M. -tenuipes_. This is most noticeable at the distal extremity. - -Habitat: North Island, New Zealand. (Type locality Waingongoro.) - -Named after Mr. A. Hamilton, who did so much in discovering deposits of -extinct New Zealand birds. {198} - - - - MEGALAPTERYX TENUIPES LYD. - - _Megalapteryx tenuipes_ Lydekker, Cat. Foss. Birds Brit. Mus. p. 251 - (1891). - -This species was described from the tibio-tarsus, which is longer and -relatively more slender than in _M. hectori_. Its distal width is about -one-ninth of its length, while in _M. hectori_ it is about one-seventh. The -length of the tibio-tarsus is approximately 0.405 mm. = 16 inches, and -width of distal extremity about 0.044 = 1.74 inches. Type specimens Nos. -49989 and 49990, British Museum. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand, and perhaps North Island. (Type -locality Lake Wakatipa, Queenstown, Otago.) - -Complete skeleton in the Tring Museum. - -Mr. Lydekker mentions also a right femur from the North Island, of the same -proportions as those of _M. tenuipes_ and 0.255 m. (= 10.1 inches) long. It -may probably belong to a different form, as we know _M. tenuipes_ otherwise -only from the Middle Island. {199} - - - - MEGALAPTERYX HUTTONII (OWEN). - - (PLATE 41.) - - _Dinornis huttonii_ Owen, Ext. Birds, N.Z., p. 430 (1879). - - _Dinornis didinus_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. XI, p. 257 (1883). - - _D. didiformis_ Haast, (non Owen 1844) Trans. N.Z. Inst. I, p. 83, Nos. - 5 & 6 (1869). - - _Mesopteryx didinus_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 129 (1892). - -The synonymy of this form is somewhat confused, but I think it is clear -that _huttonii_ of Owen is its proper name. Professor Owen (Ext. B. p. 430) -says: - -"In the collection from the Glenmark Swamp, South Island, are bones that -scarcely differ, save in size, from the dimensions (? W.R.) of the type -bones of _Dinornis didiformis_ from the NORTH ISLAND. They are noted as of -a large variety of that species." Captain Hutton remarks: "The bones that I -have arranged under the name _D. didiformis_ belong probably to a new -species. The tibia is well marked and quite distinct, but the femur and -metatarsus, that I have associated with it, pass almost into _D. -casuarinus_, but are rather smaller. _D. casuarinus_ is undoubtedly a good -species, easily distinguished by its tibia." Possibly the _Dinornis_ of the -SOUTH ISLAND, with the tibia characteristic of _D. didiformis_ of the NORTH -ISLAND, may need to be noted for the convenience of naming the bones as -_Dinornis huttonii_. - -When describing his _D. didinus_, Professor Owen failed to recognise its -identity with his previously named _D. huttonii_, doubtless owing to the -leg bones being hidden by the dry integument. This being the case, it is -necessary to reinstate the name _huttonii_, as it has four years' priority -over _didinus_. - -Captain Hutton says that a few bones of this form have been obtained in the -North Island at Poverty Bay and Te Aute; but I am convinced he is in error -and that these bones are aberrant individual bones of _A. didiformis_ and -that _M. huttonii_ is confined to the South or rather Middle Island. The -plate of this species has been reconstructed by Mr. Lodge from the -mummified remains which form the type specimen of _Didornis didinus_, and -the feathers found in the alluvial sands of the CLUTHA RIVER. The type of -_Dinornis didinus_ was found at Queenstown by Mr. Squires. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - -Mr. C. W. Andrews, in his description of my complete skeleton of -_Megalapteryx tenuipes_ has shown that Owen's type specimens of his -_Dinornis didinus_ are certainly of a species of the genus _Megalapteryx_, -and closely {200} allied to _M. tenuipes_. Mr. Andrews, however, throws -some doubt as to whether the pelvis and femora, referred to this species by -Hutton, really belong to it. - -A complete egg which I consider must be of this species is preserved in the -Tring Museum. Its measurements are as follows:-- - - Large circumference, 21.4 inches = 535 mm. - Small " 17.5 " = 437.5 mm. - -This egg was dredged up on the Molyneux River, near Otago, during gold -dredging operations in 1901; a second perfect egg was dredged up a few -months before in the same river, and was referred by Dr. Benham to -_Pachyornis ponderosus_. - -{201} - - - - ANOMALOPTERYX REICHENBACH. - -The skull is narrow and vaulted, with a long, sharp and slightly deflected -beak. Breadth at the squamosals 1-1/2 times the height at basi-temporal, -which has a constricted praemaxillary ridge, and the quadrate with a very -small pneumatic foramen. The mandible is V-shaped, with a slight inflection -of the angle, and a distinct postarticular process. The symphysis is very -narrow and pointed, with a long and narrow inferior ridge, not expanding -markedly at either extremity. The sternum is longer, flatter and narrower -than in _Dinornis_, having no distinct xiphisternal notch, three costal -articulations, long and narrow costal processes, slender lateral processes -which are often elongated, and usually no coracoidal facets. The pelvis is -wider and lower than in _Dinornis_, with the lower border of the -postacetabular portion of the ilium descending as a sharp ridge much below -the level of the sacral ribs, and without any distinct pectineal process. A -hallux is present. The tibio-tarsus and tarso-metatarsus are relatively -shorter and stouter than in _Dinornis_, the latter being shorter than the -femur, which is usually stouter and relatively shorter than in -_Megalapteryx_. The length of the tarso-metatarsus is less than half that -of the tibio-tarsus. The femur, besides being usually relatively shorter is -readily distinguished from that of _Dinornis_ by its more expanded -extremities, the rather longer neck, and the much larger and ill-defined -popliteal depression. - -The vertebrae are of the general type of those of _Pachyornis_, but the -anterior pneumatic foramen commences in the third dorsal. The phalangeals -are intermediate between those of _Dinornis_ and _Pachyornis_. Haast -considered that the coracoid was aborted and often absent in this genus, in -_Emeus_, and _Pachyornis_. As additional characters of the skull it may be -mentioned that there is a prominent supra-occipital protuberance, and a -depression on the squamosal above the quadrate; the par-occipital processes -are pointed, and the basi-occipital processes only slightly prominent; so -that the posterior profile of the basi-occipital is nearly straight. The -quadrate has a very short anterior process. - -All the species of the genus are small, in fact _parvus_ is the smallest -but one of the family. - -Type of the genus: _Anomalopteryx didiformis_ (Owen). - -Number of species: 4. {202} - - - - ANOMALOPTERYX DIDIFORMIS (OWEN.) - - _Dinornis didiformis_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. III, p. 242 (1844). - - _Anomalopteryx didiformis_ Reichenbach, Nat. Syst. der Vog. p. 30 - (1850). - - _A. didiformis_ Lydekker, Cat. Fossil B. Brit. Mus., p. 275. - -The present form is confined to the North Island. Owen's type was collected -by the Revd. Wm. Williams, and came from Poverty Bay. - -Habitat: North Island, New Zealand. - -Portion of skeleton in Tring Museum. - - - - ANOMALOPTERYX PARVUS (OWEN.) - - _Dinornis parvus_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. XI, pp. 233-256, pls. LI-LVII - (1883). - - _Anomalopteryx didiformis_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 123 - (1892), part. - - _A. parva_ Lydekker, t.c., p. 278. - -This small form is confined to the Middle Island. The type, a skeleton in -almost complete condition, was dug up in a cave at Takaka, near Nelson, and -is now in the British Museum. A much less perfect skeleton is in my museum -at Tring. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - - - - ANOMALOPTERYX ANTIQUUS HUTT. - - _Avian Remains_ Forbes, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIII, p. 369 (1891). - - _Anomalopteryx antiquus_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 124 (1892). - -_A. antiquus_ was named by Captain Hutton from the photographs of bones -described by Dr. Forbes in the above-quoted article. The evidence is very -slight on which to found a species, but I prefer to treat it as one, for -the bones were discovered in the Upper Miocene, a much older stratum than -most remains of _Dinornithidae_ occur in. - -Locality: Timaru, Middle Island, New Zealand. {203} - - - - ANOMALOPTERYX FORTIS HUTT. - - Anomalopteryx fortis Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXV, p. 9 (1893). - -This is the largest of the genus, and the type bones came from Glenmark. I -append comparative table of Measurements: - - --------------+-------------------+------------------+------------- - | Tarso-metatarsus. | Tibio-tarsus. | Femur. - --------------+-------------------+------------------+------------- - A. fortis | 8.0 inches. | 17.5 inches. | 9.8 inches. - A. didiformis | 6.3 " | 13.3 " | 8.0 " - A. parvus | 6.3 " | 13.7 " | 8.5 " - --------------+-------------------+------------------+------------- - -Locality of Type: Glenmark. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - -{205} - - - - CELA REICHENBACH. - -Skull convex, the temporal fossae very large. Breadth at the squamosals -1.6-1.7 times the height at the basi-temporal. Length from the -supra-occipital to the nasals rather less than the breadth at the -squamosals. Occipital condyle hidden by the supra-occipital. Ridge between -temporal fossae and supra-occipital narrow. Beak short, slightly compressed -and rounded at the tip, though more pointed than in _Anomalopteryx_. Lower -mandible nearly straight and rather slighter than in _Anomalopteryx_, -V-shaped. Sternum with coracoid pits faintly indicated or absent; length -less than breadth. Costal processes well developed, lateral processes -diverging at different angles. - -Pelvis broader in proportion than in _Dinornis_, the acetabula set more -forward. Tarso-metatarsus shorter than the femur, and less than half the -length of the tibio-tarsus. Hallux present in some species. The smallest -species of Moa is _Cela curtus_. - -Type of the genus: _Cela curtus_. - -Number of species: 5. - - - - CELA CURTUS (OWEN.) - - _Dinornis curtus_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. III, p. 325 (1846). - - _Cela curtus_ Reichenbach, Nat. Syst. der Vog. p. 30 (1850). - - _Cela curta_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIX, p. 550, pl. XLVII, Fig. B. - -This and the following are the two smallest species of _Moa_, having been -about the size of a large turkey. It also is the most abundant species at -Whangarei, and appears to have been most common in the North of the Island. -The type is from Poverty Bay. - -Habitat: North Island, New Zealand. {206} - - - - CELA OWENI (HAAST). - - _Dinornis oweni_ Haast, Trans. Zool. Soc. XII, p. 171, pl. XXXI, XXXII - (1886). - - _Cela curtus_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst., XXIV, p. 127 (1892), portion. - -Dr. von Haast (Sir Julius von Haast) took as his type of _Dinornis oweni_ -the almost complete skeleton collected by Mr. Cheeseman in a cave at -Patana, Whangarei, and now in the Auckland Museum. While referring my -readers to the original diagnosis for the specific characters, I wish to -specially draw attention to the fact that Dr. von Haast says that in the -collections he examined, made by Mr. Thorne and Mr. Cheeseman, there are -bones belonging to at least 20 skeletons of his _D. oweni_, and that some -were even smaller than the type, and the only difference was the constant -average difference due to sex. I draw special notice to this, as Captain -Hutton has united this form with _curtus_, saying Haast's type is only a -small individual of that species. The fact of bones of at least 20 -different individuals, showing the same characters and the same differences -from _curtus_, is quite sufficient evidence for me to consider Dr. von -Haast's _D. oweni_ as a distinct species. I append measurements of the leg -bones of the types of _Cela curtus_ and _C. oweni_:-- - - -------------+-------------------+----------------+--------------- - | Tarso-metatarsus. | Tibio-tarsus. | Femur. - -------------+-------------------+----------------+--------------- - _Cela curtus_| 5.0 inches | 11.25 inches | 5.65 inches - _Cela oweni_ | 4.4 " | 9.6 " | 6.5 " - -------------+-------------------+----------------+--------------- - -Locality: Whangarei. - -Habitat: North Island, New Zealand. - - - - CELA GERANOIDES (OWEN.) - - _Palapteryx geranoides_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. III, p. 345 (1848). - - _Cela geranoides_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 126 (1892). - -This species is confined to the North Island. The type came from -Waingongoro. It is most commonly found in the South of the Island. - -Habitat: North Island, New Zealand. {207} - - - - CELA RHEIDES (OWEN). - - _Dinornis rheides_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. IV, p. 8 (1850--partim). - - _Syornis rheides_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 131 (1892). - -This is a very difficult form to consider, as the type bones consisted of -those of three different forms. Whether Professor Owen, were he now alive, -would concur in Captain Hutton's treatment is very questionable, and I -doubt if it ought not to be united to _Emeus crassus_, while Haast united -it to _P. gravis_. I have kept it separate as no bones of a single -individual united are known, and it might prove sufficiently distinct if a -good skeleton were obtained. The type bones were sent from Waikawaite, -Middle Island, by Colonel Wakefield, in 1849. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - - - - CELA CASUARINUS (OWEN). - - _Dinornis casuarinus_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. III, p. 307 (1846). - - _Syornis casuarinus_ Reichenbach, Nat. Syst. der Vog, p. XXX (1850). - - _Meionornis casuarinus_ Haast, Trans. N.Z. Inst., VII, pp. 54-91 - (1875). - - _Syornis casuarinus_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst., XXIV, p. 133 (1892). - -_C. casuarinus_ is found in both Islands, and is abundant in the Middle -Island. - -The type came from Waikowaiti. - -Habitat: New Zealand. - -Portions of one skeleton and two almost complete skeletons in Tring Museum; -one of the latter from Kapua Swamps. - -{209} - - - - EMEUS REICHENBACH. - -The skull is very short and wide, with a blunt and slightly deflected -rostrum, and a very small pneumatic foramen to the quadrate. The mandible -is in the shape of a wide U, with a slightly inflected angle, and a large -post-articular process. The symphysis is very wide and deeply excavated, -with a broad and slightly prominent inferior ridge narrowing in front. The -sternum resembles that of _Anomalopteryx_, but the pelvis is much wider and -approaches that of _Pachyornis_. The tibio-tarsus and tarso-metatarsus are -relatively shorter and thicker than in _Anomalopteryx_, but less stout than -in _Pachyornis_; the distal extremity of the tibio-tarsus is not inflected. -A hallux is present. The length of the tarso-metatarsus is considerably -less than that of the femur, and than half that of the tibio-tarsus, its -width at the middle of the shaft being rather more than one-fourth of its -length. - -The vertebrae are of the type of _Anomalopteryx_. The species are larger -than most of those of _Cela_ and _Anomalopteryx_. Additional cranial -characters are that the skull usually has very broad and blunt paroccipital -processes; there is no distinct supraoccipital prominence, and no -well-marked depression upon the frontal aspect of the squamosal above the -head of the quadrate. The basi-occipital tubercles are prominent, and give -an arched posterior profile to this bone. The quadrate is elongated with a -long anterior bar; the cavity of the squamosal for the reception of its -head is inclined much more outwardly than in either of the other genera. - -Type of genus: _Emeus crassus_ (Owen). - -Number of species: 6. - - - - EMEUS CRASSUS (OWEN). - - _Dinornis crassus_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. III, p. 307 (1846--partim). - - _Emeus crassus_ Reichenbach, Nat. Syst. der Vog., p. XXX (1850). - - _Syornis crassus_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 132 (1892). - -This species has led to much confusion, owing to Professor Owen having -associated with the real portions of _crassus_ in his possession bones of -_elephantopus_, _ponderosus_ and _struthioides_. The type came from -Waikouaiti. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - -Imperfect skeleton in Tring Museum. {210} - - - - EMEUS BOOTHI NOM. NOV. - - _Emeus_, Species [Alpha], Parker, Trans. Zool. Soc. XIII, p. 379 - (1895), pl. XVI. - -Easily distinguished by the shorter and narrower beak. Type specimen--the -skull found by Mr. R. S. Booth at Stag Point--now in Otago University -Museum, figured as above. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - - - - EMEUS GRAVIPES LYD. - - _Emeus gravipes_ Lydekker, Cat. Foss. Birds Brit. Mus., p. 298 (1891) - Nos. A95, on p. 299, to 47444d, on p. 300. - - _Dinornis gravis_ (portion) Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. VIII, p. 361 - (1872). - - _Euryapteryx gravis_ Haast, Ibis 1874, p. 213. - -The present species is smaller than _E. crassus_ and has the -tarso-metatarsus relatively wider. Length, 198 mm. = 7.8 inches; width at -middle of shaft, 51 mm. = 2 inches. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - - - - EMEUS HAASTI NOM. NOV. - - _Emeus_ species [Beta], Parker, Trans. Zool. Soc. XIII p. 379 (1895). - - _Emeus gravipes_ Lydekker, Cat. Foss. Birds Brit. Mus. p. 301 Nos. - 32017, 32016, a-e and c to 32044 e on p. 307 (1891). - -Sir J. von Haast united this form with _Dinornis gravis_, and the skull -which is the type of _E. haasti_ is put on a skeleton of _D. gravis_ in the -Canterbury Museum. The measurements of this species are much smaller than -those of the other species. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. {211} - - - - EMEUS PARKERI NOM. NOV. - - _Emeus_ species [Gamma], Parker, Trans. Zool. Soc. XIII, p. 380 (1895). - -This species is at once distinguished from the other species of the genus -by having right-angled orbits. The type is a skull from Hamilton Swamp, -named _Euryapteryx gravis_, by Prof. Hutton, in the Otago Museum. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - - - - EMEUS EXILIS (HUTT.) - - _Dinornis didiformis_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. III, pl. 24 (1846), part. - - _Euryapteryx exilis_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIX, p. 552, pl. - XLVIII, Fig. C (1897). - -Differs from _E. crassus_ in the tibia being more convex on the anterior -surface. The skull, among other differences, has a very slight frontal -rising to the cranial roof, as opposed to the very conspicuous one in the -remaining species. The type is a nearly complete skeleton in the Wanganui -Museum. For full description see Hutton, l.c. - -Habitat: North Island, New Zealand. - -{213} - - - - PACHYORNIS LYDEKKER. - -The skull is either vaulted or flattened, with a sharp and narrow beak. The -paroccipital processes are shorter and more rounded, and the basi-occipital -tubercles more prominent than in _Anomalopteryx_, while the quadrate and -mandible resemble the same bones in that genus somewhat closely. The -sternum is flat and very broad and short, with no coracoidal facets, a very -small xiphisternal notch, broad and short costal processes, and widely -divergent lateral processes; while there are only two costal articulations. -The pelvis is extremely low and wide, with the anterior wall of the -acetabulum very deeply concave, the ventral surface of all the vertebrae -behind the true sacrals narrow and convex, and from which the very broad -sacral ribs ascend to join the ilium, of which the inferior postacetabular -border is very sharp, and descends far below the level of the ribs. There -is no pectineal process to the pubis. The tibio-tarsus is very short, with -the shaft curved outwards, the distal extremity markedly inflected, and the -fibular ridge much shorter than in the other genera. The fibular border -below the smooth space at the distal extremity of the fibular ridge is -extremely rough; and the distal extensor tubercle is very prominent, being -situated partly on the line of the upper half of the extensor groove, -instead of being altogether external to the same. - -The tarso-metatarsus is still shorter and wider than in _Emeus_, the width -at the middle of the shaft being usually rather more than one third of the -length. The third trochlea is more prominent than in the other genera, and -rises very abruptly from the shaft, the outer border of the anterior -surface usually expanding suddenly at the proximal extremity, and the outer -ridge of this surface being always more prominent than the inner, whereas -in the other genera the opposite condition obtains. The femur, as compared -with that of _Dinornis_, is very much shorter and thicker, with a longer -neck, and the head rising and projecting very considerably, the linea -aspera mainly forming a rough nodule near the distal end of the shaft, the -outer surface of the distal extremity more suddenly expanded, and the -popliteal depression larger, more open, and leading to the inner surface of -the shaft by a more distinct channel. The profile of the inner condyle is -wider antero-posteriorly, and more rounded, the anterior intertrochlear -surface being deeply channelled. - -The phalangeals of the pes are much shorter and stouter than in _Dinornis_, -the proximal surface of the terminal segments generally presenting a -trefoil-shaped contour. The length of the tarso-metatarsus is very much -{214} less than half that of the tibio-tarsus. In the vertebral column the -cervicals are short with very stout centra, the prezygopophyses in the -middle region being nearly horizontal and separated from one another by a -wide channel. The posterior face of the centra is tall and narrow, and the -neural spines of the last two vertebrae much inclined forward. In the -dorsals there is usually no anterior pneumatic foramen till the fourth (or -the last with a distinct haemal carina), this foramen being situated on the -line of the anterior border of the rib-facet. The third and fourth dorsals -are extremely compressed. Throughout the series also the neural spines and -transverse processes are comparatively long. Additional characters of the -skull are that the sphenoidal rostrum is expanded in a lance-like shape at -the anterior extremity, in a manner unlike that of any of the other genera. - -Then the supraoccipital never has a very strongly developed median -prominence, and the temporal fossae are comparatively short. The mandible -may be readily distinguished from that of the other genera by the low -position of the inner aperture of the dental canal, which pierces the bone -obliquely to join the small lateral vacuity. - -Type of the genus: _Pachyornis elephantopus_ (Owen). - -Number of species: 8. - - - - PACHYORNIS ELEPHANTOPUS (OWEN.) - - _Dinornis elephantopus_ Owen, Trans. Zool. Soc. IV, p. 149 (1853). - - _Palapteryx elephantopus_ Haast, Ibis, Ser. 3, vol. IV, p. 212 (1874). - - _Euryapteryx elephantopus_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 135 - (1892). - -Until Mr. Lydekker described _Pachyornis immanis_, and Mr. Andrews -_Aepyornis titan_, this was undoubtedly the most bulky and ponderous of all -known Ratitae, extinct and living. - -Type: Awamoa, near Oamanu. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - -Two imperfect skeletons in the Tring Museum; one from Kapua Swamps. {215} - - - - PACHYORNIS IMMANIS LYD. - - _Pachyornis immanis_ Lydekker, Cat. Foss. Birds Brit. Mus., p. 343 - (1891). - -This is the most bulky and largest member of the genus, and also of all -_Dinornithidae_. Its living parallel to-day is _Casuarius philipi_ -Rothschild, which, though by no means the tallest species of _Casuarius_, -is the most bulky, and has the shortest and stoutest legs--the -tarso-metatarsus is specially short and stout. - -The type tarso-metatarsus measures 228 mm. = 8.9 inches, and in width -(shaft) 84 mm. = 3.3 inches, while the type tarso-metatarsus of -_elephantopus_ measures 239 mm. = 9.4 inches and 65 mm. = 2.55 inches. - -The skull is much more depressed than in _elephantopus_ and with deeper -temporal fossae and a shorter post orbital region. - -Type: No. A168 British Museum. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - - - - PACHYORNIS ROTHSCHILDI LYD. - - _Pachyornis rothschildi_ Lydekker, P.Z.S. 1891, pp. 479-482, pl. - XXXVIII. - -The bones in the Tring Museum, which form the type of this species, -unfortunately have no history and their locality is unknown. It differs -from the other species of the genus by the slenderer proportions of the -tibio-tarsus, which is 22 inches long by 2.9 inches distal width, as -opposed to 24 inches by 4.2 in _elephantopus_ and 20 inches by 3.5 in -_ponderosus_, the two nearest in size. Femur: length 10.6 as opposed to -12.5 inches in _elephantopus_. {216} - - - - PACHYORNIS PONDEROSUS (HUTT.) - - _Euryapteryx ponderosus_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst., p. 137 (1892). - -This species is slightly smaller than _P. elephantopus_, the -tarso-metatarsus varying from 8.25 to 8.0 inches, as opposed to from 9.4 to -9.25 in _elephantopus_; the tibio-tarsus varies from 18.5 to 18.6, as -opposed to 24 to 24.1; femur, 10, as opposed to 13 to 11.8. - -The skull can be distinguished by the processes at the hinder angles of the -basi-sphenoid, which are higher and rounder in _ponderosus_, flatter and -more elongated in _elephantopus_. Type: Hamilton. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - -Cast of egg in Tring Museum, taken from specimen in Otago Museum, dredged -up in 1901 in the Molyneux River, also incomplete skeleton from Kapua -Swamps. - - - - PACHYORNIS INHABILIS HUTT. - - _Pachyornis inhabilis_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXV, p. 11 (1893). - -Differs from _ponderosus_ by having the great inward expansion at the -distal end of the tibio-tarsus. This expansion has induced some -ornithologists to separate the species of _Pachyornis_ into two -genera--_Euryapteryx_ and _Pachyornis_--but I do not think this expansion -of sufficient importance to warrant generic separation. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - - - - PACHYORNIS VALGUS (HUTT.) - - _Euryapteryx valgus_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXV, p. 12 (1893). - -This species is at once distinguishable from all others by the -extraordinary internal expansion of the distal end of the tibio-tarsus. The -tarso-metatarsus is 8.5 inches = 216 mm. in length and the proximal width -3.5 inches = 89 mm., and does not differ much from _crassus_ except in the -great proximal width, necessary to articulate with the distal internal -expansion described above. - -The type came from Enfield in New Zealand. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. {217} - - - - PACHYORNIS PYGMAEUS (HUTT.) - - _Euryapteryx pygmaeus_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 739 (1892). - -As implied by its name, this is the smallest species of _Pachyornis_, the -tarso-metatarsus only measuring 6 inches in length. The type came from -Takaka. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - - - - PACHYORNIS COMPACTA (HUTT.) - - _Euryapteryx compacta_ Hutton, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXV, p. 11 (1893). - -Approaches nearest to _pygmaeus_ in size, but can be at once distinguished -by the distal extremity of the tibio-tarsus not being expanded inwards. The -tarso-metatarsus has the trochleae considerably more expanded than in -_pygmaeus_. - -Type from Enfield in New Zealand. - -Habitat: Middle Island, New Zealand. - -{219} - - - - PALAEOCASUARIUS FORBES. - -Dr. Forbes founded this genus of _Dinornithidae_ on remains of Moas of -three distinct sizes as regards femora collected by him at Manitoto. Dr. -Forbes has kindly placed these bones at my disposal, and the following -summarises the results of my examination. I find that Dr. Forbes' original -idea as to the distinctness of _Palaeocasuarius_ is perfectly justified, as -not only are his characters of the tibio-tarsus, as opposed to those in the -other genera, correct, but the proportions between femur, tibio-tarsus and -tarso-metatarsus are quite different to those of other genera. I give the -proportions of the three bones in _Palaeocasuarius elegans_, _Megalapteryx -tenuipes_, and _Pachyornis elephantopus_, which are the three most nearly -allied genera: - - ------------------------+---------------+--------------+--------------- - | Pal. elegans. | M. tenuipes. | Pach. - | | | elephantopus. - ------------------------+---------------+--------------+--------------- - Femur, length | 10-5/8 inches | 11 inches | 12 inches - Width over condyles | 3-1/2 " | 3-1/2 " | 5 " - Tibio-tarsus, length | 16 " | 15-1/2 " | 33 " - Width at distal end | 2 " | 2-1/4 " | 3-1/2 " - Tarso-metatarsus, length| 7 " | 6 " | 9 " - Width at centre | 1-1/2 " | 1-1/4 " | 2-1/4 " - ------------------------+---------------+--------------+--------------- - -The original diagnosis was as follows, being founded on the tibio-tarsus: -"The tibio-tarsus differs from that of all other genera in being straighter -and less twisted on itself, so that the position of the ridge forming the -inner wall of the groove for the tendons of the extensor muscles run along -the inner side of the bone as in _Casuarius_. As in the latter genus it -takes a marked turn inwards and backwards before joining the epicnemial -crest, while a line joining the centre point between the distal condyles -and the epicnemial ridge leaves a considerable space between it and the -wall of the groove. There is no intercondylar eminence in the intercondylar -channel, and the orifice of the extensor foramen opens more longitudinally -than in the other genera, and points downwards." - -Type of the genus: _Palaeocasuarius haasti_ Forbes. - -Number of species: 3. - -In the following descriptions of the three species I only rely on the -measurements of the femora, as not all the other leg bones of the three -species are available. {220} - - - - PALAEOCASUARIUS HAASTI FORBES. - - _Palaeocasuarius haasti_ Forbes, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 189 (1892). - -Femur: length approximately 8.5 inches; width across head and great -trochanter 2.25 inches. Tarso-metatarsus: length 7 inches; width in centre -1.15 inches, at distal end 2.75 inches. - -Type from Manitoto in Liverpool Museum. - -This bird exceeded considerably the cassowary in size, is all the author -tells us of this bird. It is a pity that Dr. Forbes did not insist on the -publication in full of his paper, as proper descriptions of all the twelve -new species are wanting. - -Habitat: New Zealand. - - - - PALAEOCASUARIUS VELOX FORBES. - - _Palaeocasuarius velox_ Forbes, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 189 (1892). - -Femur: length 9.5 inches; width across head and trochanter 2.75 inches, -across distal end 2.5 inches. Tarso-metatarsus: length 7 inches; width in -centre 1.5 inches, across distal end 3 inches. - -Type specimen from Manitoto in Liverpool Museum. - -Habitat: New Zealand. - - - - PALAEOCASUARIUS ELEGANS FORBES. - - _Palaeocasuarius elegans_ Forbes, Trans. N.Z. Inst. XXIV, p. 189 - (1892). - -Femur: length 10.75 inches; width across head and trochanter 3.25 inches, -across distal end 3.4 inches. Tarso-metatarsus: length 7.8 inches, width -over centre 1.75, over distal end about 3.3 inches. - -Type specimen from Manitoto in the Liverpool Museum. - -Habitat: New Zealand. - -{221} - - - - AEPYORNITHIDAE. - -The first notice we have from a scientific man of the existence on -Madagascar of large Struthious birds is the description by Isidore -Geoffroy-Saint-Hilaire of two eggs and a few osseous remains, in the -Annales des Sciences naturelles III, Zoologie, vol. XIV (1850). These -important objects were sent to the describer by a colonist of Reunion, -Monsieur de Malavois, but were obtained from the natives in Madagascar by -Captain M. Abadie. A third egg arrived smashed. The name given on this -evidence was _Aepyornis maximus_. - -Since then some 40 eggs at least and a large number of odd bones have been -collected by Monsieur Grandidier, Messrs. Last and others, and Dr. Forsyth -Major, but only one practically complete, and one less complete skeleton of -a smaller species, named _Aepyornis hildebrandti_ by Dr. Burckhardt. - -A large number of species has been diagnosed on the evidence of these bones -and eggs by Professor Milne-Edwards, Mr. Dawson Rowley and Mr. Andrews, and -a second genus, _Mullerornis_, established. - -The following is the diagnosis of the family - - AEPYORNITHIDAE. - -Head less flattened than in the _Dinornithidae_, much longer and narrower. -Brain case much greater in volume. Occipital condyle strongly pedunculate. -Temporal fossae deep and narrow. The basisphenoid has on each side a well -marked pterygoidal apophysis. The lower mandible is straight and stout, -recalling somewhat that of _Rhea_, but the maxillary branches are higher -and stouter. The symphysis is long, contracted, and hollowed out in the -shape of a ladle. The sternum presents many affinities to that of -_Apteryx_. It is a thin plastron, flattened, and much widened. The -coracoidal articular surfaces similar to those of _Apteryx_. The -Coraco-scapulars are feeble, and have so faint an articular surface that -the humerus must have been rudimentary. Hallux absent, outer digit has -five, the middle digit four, and the inner digit three phalanges. - -There are three genera and twelve species. - -A striking character is that in the genus _Aepyornis_ the proximal -extremity of the tarso-metatarsus is larger than the distal extremity, a -feature not found in the majority of other birds. - -Monsieur Grandidier has expressly pointed out that _Aepyornis_ had only -three toes, I cannot, therefore, understand why Messrs. Lydekker and Evans -both state that the hallux is present. {222} - -In spite of the researches of Messrs. Grandidier, Last, and Forsyth Major -and the large collections sent home by them, the number of _Aepyornis_ -bones is infinitesimal compared with the vast masses of bones of the -_Dinornithidae_ contained in the museums. This paucity of material quite -prohibits us from making a critical study of the described species, so that -we are at present unable to say if too many or too few species have been -diagnosed. I am inclined, however, to think that if we ever get complete -skeletons of the larger forms, _Ae. grandidieri_ and _Ae. cursor_ will -prove to be sexes of one species, and also _Ae. titan_ and _Ae. maximus_. -For the present, however, the measurements are too different to allow of -their being united without further investigation. - -The three genera are as follows:-- - -AEPYORNIS T. GEOFF. - - _Aepyornis_ Geoffroy Saint Hilaire. - - _Epiornis_ Geoffroy Saint Hilaire. - - _Epyornis_ Auct. - -MULLERORNIS MILNE-EDWARDS & GRANDIDIER. - - _Mullerornis_ Milne-Edwards and Grandidier. - -FLACOURTIA ANDREWS. - - _Flacourtia_ Andrews. - - _Mullerornis_ Milne-Edwards and Grandidier (part). - -{223} - - - - AEPYORNIS GEOFF. - -Characters same as those of the family; but in opposition to _Mullerornis_ -the species are very heavy, ponderous, and clumsy, the bones being both -actually and comparatively much stouter. Differs from _Flacourtia_ in not -having an ossified boney bridge over lower end of groove for adductor of -outer digit. - -Type: _Aepyornis maximus_ Geoff. - -Number of species: 9. - - - - AEPYORNIS TITAN ANDR. - - _Aepyornis titan_ Andrews, Geol. Mag. 1895, p. 303. - -This appears to be the largest species of the genus, though _Ae. maximus_ -is considerably stouter. In the original description of _Ae. ingens_, -however, the tibio-tarsi referred to that species are really those of _Ae. -titan_:-- - - Smallest Femur. - - Length about 430 mm. - Circumference, narrowest point 280 " - Width, distal end 190 " - Width of shaft at narrowest part 97 " - - Largest Femur. - - Length 470 mm. - Circumference at narrowest point 280 " - Width, distal end 210 " - - Distal part of tibio-tarsus. - - Width at distal end 180 mm. - Width of shaft at narrowest point 77 " - Circumference of shaft at narrowest point 210 " - - Tarso-metatarsus. - - Length 480 mm. - Width at proximal end 190 " - Width at distal end 165 " - Width at narrowest point of shaft 80 " - Circumference at narrowest point of shaft 200 " - -{224} - -The skull, pelvis, and most vertebrae, as well as the sternum of this form -are unknown. - -Habitat: S. W. Madagascar. - -Three Femora, two tarsi-metatarsi, and two incomplete tibia-tarsi are in -the Tring Museum, collected by Last in the Antinosy country. - -There are two eggs of this species at Tring, the measurements of which are -as follows:-- - - No. 1, Antinosy Country, Last. - Large circumference 862.5 mm. - Small circumference 631.5 " - - No. 2 (traded). - Large circumference 883 mm. - Small circumference 763 " - -The egg mentioned by Mr. Lydekker in Cat. Foss. Birds B.M., page 214, No. -41847 is, judging from its size, undoubtedly an egg of this species, and I -quote the measurements, as they are very large:-- - - Largest circumference 921 mm. - Smallest circumference 768 " - -The egg purchased in 1854 in the Paris Museum measures:-- - - Large circumference 925 mm. - Small circumference 753 " - -In addition to these four eggs which are undoubtedly of _Ae. titan_, there -are the following which I consider to belong to that species:-- - - 1 Paris Museum, Mr. Armange. - 1 Hamburg. - 1 Messrs. Gilford, Orange, New Jersey. - 1 Rowley collection. - -These four eggs range from 900 mm. to 863.5 mm. in large circumference, and -770 mm. to 736 mm. in small circumference. {225} - - - - AEPYORNIS MAXIMUS GEOFF. - - _Aepyornis maximus_ I. Geoffrey St. Hilaire, Ann. Sci. Nat. ser. 3, - vol. XIV, p. 209 (1851). - - _Aepyornis ingens_ Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, C.R. CXVIII, pp. 122-127 - (1894). - -This is the stoutest and bulkiest species, though not so tall as _Ae. -titan_. All the largest eggs next to those of _Ae. titan_ must belong to -this species. It will be argued that I have no right to use the name -_maximus_ for this form, but the name of _maximus_ is based on one of the -eggs in the Paris Museum, and as these evidently belong to this form and -not to the form subsequently called _maximus_, I must apply to that the -name of _grandidieri_, given by Mr. Dawson Rowley in 1867 to a portion of -eggshell of the lesser form. - -The measurements of the limbs are as follows:-- - - _Femur._ - - Total length 440 mm. - Width at proximal end 190 " - Width at distal end 200 " - Circumference at narrowest part of shaft 265 " - - _Tibio-tarsus._ - - Total length 780 mm. - Width at proximal end 180 " - Width at distal end 160 " - Circumference at narrowest part of shaft 210 " - - _Tarso-metatarsus._ - - Total length 420 mm. - Width at proximal end 170 " - Width at distal end 160 " - Circumference at narrowest part of shaft 200 " - -The description of the foot in the diagnosis of the family is based on the -pes of this species. It is true that the two mounted skeletons in the -British and Tring Museums of _Aepyornis hildebrandti_ show a larger number -of phalanges; but as neither is composed of the bones of a single -individual it is more than likely that the articulator made a mistake. - -The dimensions of the type egg are as follows:-- - - Large diameter 340 mm. - Small diameter 225 " - Large circumference 850 " - Small circumference 710 " - -Habitat: S. W. Madagascar. - -There are about 16 eggs known of this form, varying from 854 mm. to 816 mm. -in large circumference, and from 743 mm. to 715 mm. in small circumference. -{226} - - - - AEPYORNIS GRANDIDIERI ROWLEY. - - _Aepyornis Maximus_ Auct. - - _Aepyornis grandidieri_ Rowley, P.Z.S. 1867, p. 892. - -This is the form which nearly all the bones, referred erroneously to -Geoffroy's _Ae. maximus_, belong. The original description of Dawson Rowley -was founded on a piece of eggshell, and is as follows:-- - -"The granulation is in a marked degree different from that of the other -pieces. The air pores which in the other specimens appear like a comet with -a tail are here only small indentations without any tail; the shell also is -only half the thickness, is much finer, and presents an aspect so diverse -that the difference is detected by the most careless observer, even when -the pieces are all mixed. These fragments belonged to the egg of much -smaller birds, the embryo of which required less strength in the shell. Yet -the colour, quality and locality of that shell clearly point to a bird of -the same family as _Aepyornis maximus_--in short, a smaller and more -delicate _Aepyornis_. For this species I propose the name of _Aepyornis -grandidieri_." - -The measurements of bones of the hind limb are as follows:-- - - _Femur._ - - Length 320 mm. - Width at distal end 190 " - - _Tibio-tarsus._ - - Length 640 mm. - -There are at Tring two eggs of this species. - - No. 1, traded. - - Length 283.0 mm. - Width 215.0 " - Large circumference 777.5 " - Small circumference 670.0 " - - No. 2 Ambondo, Ambovombe in the district of Fort Dauphin. - - Large circumference 775 mm. - Small circumference 662.5 " - -There are recorded of these eggs, besides the two mentioned above, eight -further specimens, varying from 810 mm. to 771.5 mm. in large -circumference, and 686 mm. to 654 mm. in small circumference. - -In addition to these there are in various collections about eight or nine -eggs whose species is doubtful. {227} - - - - AEPYORNIS CURSOR M.-E. & GRAND. - - _Aepyornis cursor_ Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, C.R. CXVIII, p. 124 - (1894). - -Original description as follows: _Ae. cursor_ is almost as large as _Ae. -grandidieri_ = _maximus_ auct., nec. Geoffroy, but is more slender. - - Length of tarso-metatarsus 380 mm. - Width at proximal end 140 " - Width at distal end 120 " - Circumference of shaft 155 " - Width of shaft 65 " - -Habitat: Madagascar. - - - - AEPYORNIS MEDIUS M.-E. & GRAND. - - _Aepyornis medius_ Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, Ann. Sci. Nat. ser. V, - vol. XII, p. 179 (1869). - - _Aepyornis medius_ Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, Rech. Faune. Orn. Et. - Masc. & Mad. (1866-73), p. 97, note 2. - -This form was founded on a femur found at Amboulitsate in W. Madagascar, -and is described as follows: "It presents the same general characters, and -evidently belongs to an _Aepyornis_, but to a different species, which we -will call _Aepyornis medius_. The femur in question is not only -distinguished by its lesser proportions but by the narrower external face -of the bone; which variation results in causing the whole area between the -trochanter and the base of the femoral neck to be much less depressed. The -intermuscular line, which marks the insertion surface of the deep portion -of the femoral triceps muscle, is hardly indicated, whereas it is very -pronounced in the larger femur. The posterior side is also more rounded, -and the distance which separates the popliteal depression from the proximal -extremity is larger; the shape of this large depression is, however, the -same as in the larger femur, and although the articular surfaces above it -do show some differences, we know that these characters are not very -reliable as they are subject to individual variations. - -Circumference of shaft 215 mm." - -Habitat: West Madagascar. {228} - - - - AEPYORNIS HILDEBRANDTI BURCKH. - - _Aepyornis hildebrandti_ Burckhardt, Pal. Abh. (VI) II, p. 127 (1893). - -I must refer my readers to Dr. Burckhardt's description, as it is too long -and too technical to be reproduced here, especially as it is not -comparative. I, however, give here some of his measurements:-- - - _Tibio-tarsus._ - - _A. grandidieri._ _A. hildebrandti._ - Length 640 mm. 480 mm. - Breadth at proximal end 190 " 130 " - Breadth at distal end 135 " 82 " - - _Tarso-metatarsus._ - - Length circa 375 mm. 275 mm. - Breadth at proximal end 145 " 103 " - Breadth at distal end 145 " 95 " - -The locality of the type is Sirabe. - -Habitat: Madagascar. - - - - AEPYORNIS LENTUS M.-E. & GRAND. - - _Aepyornis lentus_ Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, C.R. CXVIII, p. 124 - (1894). - -Original description as follows: "_Ae. lentus_ is remarkable from its short -and massive feet. - - Length of tarso-metatarsus 360 mm. - Width of proximal end 150 " - Circumference of shaft 170 " - Width of shaft 68 " " - -Habitat: Madagascar. {229} - - - - AEPYORNIS MULLERI M.-E. & GRAND. - - _Aepyornis mulleri_ Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, C.R. CXVII, pp. 124-125 - (1894). - -The original description commences: "The new species which we owe to the -researches of M. G. Muller, and which we shall name _Ae. mulleri_, is -smaller. Nevertheless, it is superior in size to _Ae. hildebrandti_, -described by M. Burckhardt, which also came from Antsirabe. We possess the -almost complete skeleton of this bird, the skull, mandible, vertebrae, -ribs, sternum, a part of the pelvis, the leg bones, and a few phalanges of -the pes; so that we can now exactly define the position and affinities of -the genus _Aepyornis_." Then follows the diagnosis of the family, which I -have given before. - -Habitat: Central Madagascar. - - - - AEPYORNIS MODESTUS M.-E. & GRAND. - - _Aepyornis modestus_ Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, Ann. Sci. Nat. (5) - XII, p. 189 (1869). - -Messrs. Milne-Edwards & Grandidier state at pages 180-181 that the bone (a -portion of a femur) which is the type of the above name, had a -shaft-circumference of 120 mm., while in _Ae. medius_ this circumference -was 215 mm., and in _Ae. grandidieri_ (= _maximus_ auct. nec. Geoffroy), it -was 270 mm. - -Type locality: Amboulitsate, in West Madagascar. - -{231} - - - - MULLERORNIS MILNE-EDWARDS & GRANDIDIER. - -Birds of medium size, not having the heavy and massive build of -_Aepyornis_. They appear to resemble more closely the _Casuaridae_. Known -only from leg bones. - -Number of species: 2. - - - - MULLERORNIS BETSILEI MILNE-EDW. & GRAND. - - _Mullerornis betsilei_ Milne-Edwards and Grandidier, Compt. Rend., - CXVIII, p. 125 (1894). - -Original description as follows:--"The leg bones are slender, the -tarso-metatarsus is not enlarged as in the preceding genus, and the section -through the shaft shows almost an isosceles triangle. The bone itself -having more the proportion of _Dromaius_. - - "Length of tibio-tarsus 390 mm. - Circumference of tibio-tarsus 90 " - Width of tibio-tarsus 30 " - Width of proximal end 75 " - Width of distal end 60 " - Length of tarso-metatarsus 310 " - Circumference of tarso-metatarsus 80 " - Width of shaft of tarso-metatarsus 27 " - Width of proximal end 70 " - -"_Mullerornis betsilei_ inhabited the same area as _Ae. mulleri_ but was -much rarer. (Translated.)" - -Habitat: Central Madagascar. {232} - - - - MULLERORNIS AGILIS MILNE-EDW. & GRAND. - - _Mullerornis agilis_ Milne-Edwards and Grandidier, Compt. Rend., - CXVIII, pp. 125-126 (1894). - -Original description as follows:--"_M. agilis_ inhabited the South-west -Coast; we only possess, of this species, one tibia, which is remarkable for -the manner in which the intermuscular bony ridges and the tendon-grooves -are marked. The exterior border of the bone above the lower articular -surface has developed into a very pronounced crista." (Translated.) - - "Length of tibio-tarsus 440 mm. - Circumference of tibio-tarsus 97 " - Width of tibio-tarsus 34 " - Width at proximal end 65 " - Width at distal end 75 " " - -Habitat: South-west Madagascar. - -{233} - - - - FLACOURTIA ANDREWS. - -Differs from _Mullerornis_ in having a completely ossified bony bridge over -the lower end of the groove for the adductor of the outer digit, in the -tarso-metatarsus. - -Number of species: 1. - - - - FLACOURTIA RUDIS (MILNE-EDW. & GRAND.) - - _Mullerornis rudis_ Milne-Edwards & Grandidier, Compt. Rend. CXVIII, p. - 126 (1894). - - _Flacourtia rudis_ Andrews, Nov. Zool. II, p. 25 (1895). - -Original description as follows:--"The third species _M. rudis_ (= _F. -rudis_) was discovered by M. Greve in the fossiliferous beds of the West -Coast. The tibio-tarsus is of about the same length as in _M. betsilei_, -but is more massive. The tarso-metatarsus is remarkable on account of the -great enlargement of the distal extremity, and of which the digital -articular attachments are extremely large. Between the middle and outer -ones there is a bony opening for the passage of the adductor muscle of the -outer digit, which passage is not present in _Aepyornis_ (or _Mullerornis_, -W.R.)." (Translation.) - - Length of tibio-tarsus 400 mm. - Circumference of tibio-tarsus 100 " - Width of tibio-tarsus 35 " - Width of distal end 75 " - -Habitat: West Madagascar. - -{235} - - - - DROMAIUS PERONI NOM. NOV. - - (PLATE 40.) - - _Casoar de la Nouvelle Hollande_ Peron, Relat. Voy. Terr. Austr. I p. - 467, pl. XXXVI (1807). - - _Dromoius ater_ Vieillot, Gal. des Ois, pl. 226 (not text). - - _Dromaeus ater_ Blyth, Ibis 1862, p. 93. - -It is most unfortunate that the larger number of authors have neglected to -go carefully into the synonymy of this bird; if they had done so it would -not have been necessary, after 81 years, to reject the very appropriate -name of _ater_, and to rename the Emu of Kangaroo Island. Vieillot, in the -Nouveau Dictionnaire D'Histoire Naturelle X, page 212, distinctly states -that his _Dromaius ater_ was a name given to Latham's _Casuarius -novaehollandiae_, and makes no mention of Peron or of the Isle Decres. - -The figures in Peron's work of the adult male and female are not good, but -those of the young and nestlings appear to me to be very accurate, and the -plate in the Galerie des Oiseaux is quite excellent. The latter and my own -are taken from the type specimen in the Paris Museum, while the plate in -Peron was done by Lessieur from a series of sketches from life made by -himself on Decres Island and in the menagerie of the Jardin des Plantes. -The only known specimens of this extinct species are the mounted skin and -skeleton in Paris and the skeleton in the Florence Museum. All these are -what remain of the three living birds brought to Paris by Peron, and no -other authentic specimens exist anywhere. There is in the Museum at -Liverpool a full-grown, though immature Emu of the same size as _Dromaius -peronii_, but owing to its proportionally longer legs and very scanty -plumage it is not absolutely safe to identify it as a second mounted -specimen of _D. peronii_. I will recur to this lower down. - -Description of adult male (ex Cat. Birds Brit. Mus.): Similar to _D. -novaehollandiae_, but much smaller, and with feathers of the neck entirely -black; feathers of the body brown fulvous, with the apical half very dark -blackish brown; bill and feet blackish, naked skin of the sides of the neck -blue. Total length about 55 inches, tarsus 11.40, culmen 2.36. - -Immature in first plumage entirely sooty black. Nestling whitish with -longitudinal bands of rufous brown. In addition to Decres or Kangaroo -Island, also Flinders, King Islands, and Tasmania had Emus living on them -{236} at the time of Peron's visit, and I believe, if authentic specimens -from these localities were in existence we should find that each of these -islands had had a distinct species or race of Emus. Taking this for -granted, and also taking into account that it is slightly different from -the type of _D. peronii_, I have come to the conclusion that the Liverpool -specimen is an immature, though full-grown individual from one of these -other islands; but it is not possible from this one rather poor specimen to -separate it from the Kangaroo Island species, especially as there is -absolutely no indication of the origin of this specimen. - -Habitat: Island of Decres or Kangaroo Island. - -One stuffed specimen (Type) and one skeleton in Paris, one skeleton in -Florence, and one stuffed specimen in Liverpool (an species diversa?). Also -some leg-bones in Adelaide, Australia. - -Dr. H. O. Forbes, who kindly lent me the last-named specimen, was the first -to point out the differences of this bird from _D. novaehollandiae_. It is -certainly totally distinct from birds of similar age of either _D. -novaehollandiae_ or _D. n. irroratus_. {237} - - - - DROMAIUS MINOR (SPENCER). - - _Dromaeus minor_ Baldwin Spencer, Vict. Nat. XXIII, p. 140 (1906). - -As Mr. Bernard H. Woodward, of Perth, West Australia, was organising an -expedition to Kangaroo, Flinders, and King Islands (December, 1906), to -hunt for Emu remains on these islands, I had hoped to be the first to -describe what I felt sure would be two new species of _Dromaius_. I have, -however, been forestalled by Professor Baldwin Spencer in the case of King -Island, whence a collection of 17 femurs, 19 tibio-tarsi, 28 -tarso-metatarsi, and portions of 8 pelves, made by Messrs. Alex. Morton and -R. M. Johnston, T.S.O., formed the material for the description of a new -species. - -The diagnosis is as follows: "Smaller than _D. ater_ (= _D. peronii_ mihi). -Tibia not or only slightly exceeding 330 mm. in greatest length. -Tarso-metatarsus not exceeding 280 mm. in greatest length. Pelvis, length -not or only slightly exceeding 280 mm." - -_D. minor_ was a smaller but stouter bird than _D. peronii_. Comparative -dimensions:-- - - _D. peronii_. _D. minor_. - Tibio-tarsus 342 mm. 320-332 mm. - Tarso-metatarsus 290 " 277-287 " - Femur 180 " 170-180 " - Pelvis 340 " 274-280 " - Pelvis, front width 75 " 64 " - Pelvis, width behind acetabular cavity 92 " 78-86 " - -Habitat: King Island, Bass Strait. Now extinct. - - * * * * * - - -{239} - - INDEX. - PAGE - Aechmorhynchus, 119 - Aepyornis, 223 - Aepyornithidae, 221 - Aestrelata, 157 - agilis (Mullerornis), 232 - alba (Notornis), 144 - alba (Porphyrio), 143 - albicilla (Clitonyx), XI - albifacies (Sceloglaux), XI - albifrons (Miro), XI - Alca, 153 - Alectroenas, 163 - Alopochen, X - alphonsi (Astur), 83 - altus (Dinornis), 192 - Amazona, 57 - americana (Meleagris), XII - americanus (Siphonorhis), 43 - Anas, 103 - angustipluma (Chaetoptila), 29 - anna (Ciridops), 41 - Anomalopteryx, 201 - antiquus (Anomalopteryx), 202 - antipodum (Palaeocorax), 1 - Aphanapteryx, 131 - apicalis (Moho), 27 - Apterornis, 145 - Aptornis, 147 - Ara, 51 - Ardea, 111 - Astur, 83 - ater (Dromaeus), 235 - Athene, 75 - aucklandica (Nesonetta), XI - augusta (Amazona), XII - australis (Mergus), XI - australis (Miro), XI - - benedeni (Anas), IX - betsilei (Mullerornis), 231 - bifrons (Metapteryx), X - Biziura, 109 - bonasia (Aphanapteryx), 131 - boothi (Emeus), 210 - borbonica (Emberiza), 7 - borbonica (Pezophaps), 175 - borbonica (Phedina), XI - borbonicus (Fregilupus), 3 - borbonicus (Necropsittacus), 62 - borbonicus (Palaeornis), 67 - borbonicus (Trochocercus), XI - bouqueti (Amazona), XII - Bowdleria, 21 - brachyurus (Rhamphocinclus), XI - Branta, X - brewsteri (Tympanuchus), 181 - broeckii (Aphanapteryx), 131 - bruante (Foudia), 7 - Bubo, 71 - - Cabalus, 127 - caeruleus (Anadorhynchus), 54 - calcitrans (Cnemiornis), 97 - californianus (Pseudogryphus), XII - Camptolaimus, 105 - canadensis (Columba), 167 - cancellata (Aechmorhynchus), 119 - capensis (Upupa), 3 - Carbo, 87 - carribbaea (Aestrelata), 157 - carolinensis (Conurus), XII - Casuarius, X - {240} - casuarinus (Cela), 207 - Cela, 205 - Centrornis, 95 - Cereopsis, 99 - Chaetoptila, 29 - chathamensis (Palaeolimnas), 149 - chathamica (Gallinago), 121 - Chaunoproctus, 9 - Chenalopex, 93 - Chenopis, 91 - Cinclocerthia, XI - cincta (Pogonornis), XI - Circus, 81 - Ciridops, 41 - Clitonyx, XI - Cnemiornis, 97 - coerulescens (Apterornis), 145 - commersoni (Scops), 73 - compacta (Pachyornis), 217 - Conurus, 59 - cooki (Cyanorhamphus), XI - Coturnix, 183 - coudoni (Anser), X - crassus (Emeus), 209 - cucullatus (Didus), 172 - cupido (Tympanuchus), 181 - cursor (Aepyornis), 227 - curtus (Cela), 205 - Cyanorhamphus, 69 - - defossor (Aptornis), 148 - dentirostris (Geospiza), 12 - deppei (Psittirostra), 37 - diabolica (Aestrelata), 159 - Diaphorapteryx, 133 - Dididae, 171 - didiformis (Anomalopteryx), 202 - didiformis (Dinornis), 199 - didinus (Dinornis), 199 - Didus, 171 - dieffenbachii (Nesolimnas), 125 - dimidiata (Monarcha), XI - Dinornis, 191 - Dinornithidae, 185 - Drepanis, 31 - Dromaius, X, 235 - dromioides (Dinornis), 194 - duboisi (Ardea), 114 - duboisi (Mascarinus), 64 - duboisi (Nesoenas), 166 - - ecaudata (Pennula), 137 - echo (Palaeornis), 68 - Ectopistes, 167 - effluxus (Microtribonyx), X - elapsa (Anas), IX - elegans (Palaeocasuarius), 220 - elephantopus (Pachyornis), 214 - ellisi (Prosobonia), 118 - ellisianus (Hemignathus), 33 - Emeus, 209 - eques (Palaeornis), 67 - erythrocephala (Ara), 53 - Erythromachus, 135 - erythronotus (Cyanorhamphus), 69 - erythrotis (Cyanorhamphus), XI - erythrura (Ara), 54 - excelsus (Dinornis), 192 - exilis (Emeus), 211 - exsul (Palaeornis), 65 - - falconeri (Cygnus), X - ferreorostris (Chaunoproctus), 9 - finschi (Anas), 103 - firmus (Dinornis), 193 - Flacourtia, 233 - flaviceps (Telespiza), XI - {241} - Foudia, XI - forsteri (Cyanorhamphus), 69 - fortis (Anomalopteryx), 203 - franciae (Columba), 163 - francicus (Necropsittacus), 62 - Fregilupus, 3 - fuscatus (Psittacus), 70 - fusco-fulvus (Nesacanthis), 7 - - gallinacea (Progura), X - Gallinago, 121 - gigantea (Leguatia), 151 - giganteus (Dinornis), 193 - genibarbis (Myadestes), XI - Geospiza, 11, 12 - geranoides (Cela), 206 - gossei (Ara), 52 - gracilipes (Dromaius), X - gracilis (Cnemiornis), 98 - gracilis (Dinornis), 194 - grandidieri (Aepyornis), 226 - gravipes (Emeus), 210 - Grus, X - guadaloupensis (Ara), 54 - guildingi (Amazona), XII - gutturalis (Cinclocerthia), XI - - haasti (Emeus), 210 - haasti (Palaeocasuarius), 220 - habroptilus (Stringops), XII - haesitata (Aestrelata), 159 - hamiltoni (Circus), 81 - hamiltoni (Megalapteryx), 197 - Harpagornis, 85 - harrisi (Phalacrocorax), XII - hasitata (Aestrelata), 159 - hawkinsi (Diaphorapteryx), 133 - hectori (Megalapteryx), 197 - Hemignathus, 33 - Hemiphaga, 161 - herberti (Didus), 131 - Heterorhynchus, 35 - hildebrandti (Aepyornis), 228 - hochstetteri (Notornis), 142 - huttonii (Megalapteryx), 199 - Hypotaenidia, 123 - hypsibata (Branta), IX - - immanis (Pachyornis), 215 - impennis (Alca), 153 - imperialis (Aphanapteryx), 131 - ineptus (Didus), 172 - ingens (Dinornis), 193 - inhabilis (Pachyornis), 216 - insignis (Ocydromus), 129 - insularis (Xenicus), 23 - Ixocincla, XI - - jamaicensis (Aestrelata), 157 - - labati (Conurus), 59 - labradoria (Camptolaimus), 105 - lanaiensis (Hemignathus), XII - lautouri (Biziura), 109 - leguati (Bubo), 71 - leguati (Erythromachus), 135 - leguati (Necropsar), 6 - Leguatia, 151 - lentus (Aepyornis), 228 - leucopogon (Strigiceps), 30 - leucoptera (Prosobonia), 118 - Lithophaps, X - Lophopsittacus, 49 - Loxops, 39 - lucidus (Heterorhynchus), 35 - lyalli (Traversia), 23 - lydekkeri (Casuarius), X - lydekkeri (Prociconia), X - - mackintoshi (Porphyrio), X - {242} - macroura (Ectopistes), 167 - madagascariensis (Mascarinus), 64 - madagascariensis (Upupa), 3, 4 - magnirostris (Geospiza), 11 - major (Carbo), 88 - majori (Centrornis), 95 - mantelli (Notornis), 141 - martinicana (Amazona), 57 - martinicus (Ara), 53 - Mascarinus, 63 - mascarinus (Mascarinus), 64 - mauritiana (Ardea), 115 - mauritianus (Lophopsittacus), 49 - mauritianus (Sarcidiornis), 101 - maximus (Aepyornis), 225 - maximus (Dinornis), 192 - mayeri (Nesoenas), 165 - medius (Aepyornis), 227 - megacephala (Ardea), 111 - Megalapteryx, 195 - melanocephala (Anthornis), XII - melitensis (Columba), X - melitensis (Grus), X - melitensis (Strix), IX - melitensis (Vultur), IX - Metapteryx, X - meyeri (Columba), 165 - Microtribonyx, X - migratoria (Ectopistes), 167 - millsi (Pennula), 137 - minor (Cnemiornis), 98 - minor (Dromaius), 237 - minor (Ocydromus), 129 - minor (Pezophaps), 177 - Miro, XI, 15 - modestus (Aepyornis), 229 - modestus (Cabalus), 127 - Moho, 27 - Monarcha, XI - moorei (Harpagornis), 85 - moriorum (Palaeocorax), 1 - mulleri (Aepyornis), 229 - mulleri (Hypotaenidia), XI - Mullerornis, 231 - murina (Pyrrhula), XII - murivora (Athene), 75 - murivora (Strix), 75 - - nanus (Plotus), 89 - nazarenus (Didus), 177 - Necropsar, 5 - Necropsittacus, 61 - Nesoenas, 165 - Nesolimnas, 125 - Nestor, 45 - newelli (Puffinus), XI - newtoni (Foudia), XI - newtoni (Genyornis), X - newtoni (Palaeolimnas), 149, 150 - newtoni (Strix), 79 - nigra (Pomarea), 13 - nitidissima (Alectroenas), 163 - nobilis (Palaeopelargus), X - norfolcensis (Nestor), 47 - Notornis, 141 - novaezealandiae (Cereopsis), 99 - novaezealandiae (Coturnix), 183 - novaezealandiae (Dinornis), 194 - novaezealandiae (Psittacus), 69 - novaezealandiae (Thinornis), XII - - oahensis (Phaeornis), 19 - Ocydromus, 129 - Oestrelata, 157 - olivacea (Ixocincla), XI - olivacea (Psittirostra), 37 - {243} - otidiformis (Aptornis), 147 - oweni (Cela), 206 - Oxynotus, XI - - Pachyornis, 213 - pacifica (Drepanis), 31 - pacifica (Hypotaenidia), 123 - pacificus (Cyanorhamphus), 69 - pacificus (Pareudiastes), XII - Palaeocasuarius, 219 - Palaeocorax, 1 - Palaeolimnas, 149 - Pelaeopelargus, X - Palaeornis, 65 - papa (Fringilla), 9 - parkeri (Emeus), 211 - parvus (Anomalopteryx), 202 - patricius (Dromaius), X - Pelecanus, X - Pennula, 137 - peralata (Gallinula), X - peroni (Dromaius), 235 - perspicillatus (Carbo), 87 - perspicillatus (Phalacrocorax), 87 - Pezophaps, 177 - Phaeornis, 19 - pisana (Fulica), X - Platibis, X - plenus (Palapteryx), 194 - Plotus, 89 - Pogonornis, XI - Pomarea, 13 - ponderosus (Pachyornis), 216 - potens (Dinornis), 193 - primigenia (Grus), X - principalis (Campephilus), XII - prior (Fulica), X - prisca (Palaeolimnas), 150 - proavus (Grus), X - proavus (Pelecanus), IX - productus (Nestor), 45 - propinqua (Branta), IX - Prosobonia, 117 - Psittirostra, 37 - pugil (Alopochen), IX - purpurascens (Anodorhynchus), 55 - pusilla (Gallinago), XII - pygmaeus (Pachyornis), 217 - pygmaeus (Ocydromus), 127 - pyrrhetraea (Tringa), 118 - - queenslandiae (Dromaius), X - - Rhamphocinclus, XI - rheides (Cela), 207 - roberti (Tribonyx), 139 - robusta (Aythya), IX - robustus (Dinornis), 193 - rodericana (Alectroenas?), 164 - rodericana (Drymoeca), XI - rodericanus (Necropsar), 5 - rodricanus (Necropsittacus), 61 - rothschildi (Pachyornis), 215 - rudis (Flacourtia), 233 - rufa (Loxops), 39 - rufescens (Bowdleria), 21 - rufifacies (Sceloglaux), 77 - - sandviciensis (Nesochen), XII - sandwichensis (Pennula), 138 - Sarcidiornis, 101 - sauzieri (Strix), 80 - scaldii (Anser), IX - Sceloglaux, 77 - Scops, 73 - sibilans (Myadestes), XI - Siphonorhis, 43 - sirabensis (Chenalopex), 93 - {244} - solitarius (Didus), 175 - solitarius (Pezophaps), 177 - spadicea (Hemiphaga), 161 - subflavescens (Cyanorhamphus), 70 - subtenuis (Platibis), X - sumnerensis (Chenopsis), 91 - stanleyi (Notornis), 143 - strenuipes (Gallinula), X - strenuus (Dinornis), 194 - Strigiceps, 30 - Strix, 79 - struthioides (Dinornis), 194 - sylvestris (Ocydromus), XI - - tannaensis (Platycercus), 70 - tanagra (Turnagra), XI - teauteensis (Circus), 81 - tenuipes (Megalapteryx), 198 - terrestris (Cichlopasser), 17 - terrestris (Geocichla), 17 - terrestris (Turdus), 17 - theodori (Anas), 103 - titan (Aepyornis), 223 - torosus (Dinornis), 194 - traversi (Miro), 15 - Traversia, 23 - Tribonyx, 139 - tricolor (Ara), 51 - trifasciatus (Nesomimus), XII - Turnagra, XI - Turdus, 17 - turfa (Grus), X - Tympanuchus, 181 - typicus (Oxynotus), XI - - valgus (Pachyornis), 216 - validipennis (Dendrocygna), IX - validus (Dinornis), 193 - varia (Fregilupus), 3 - varia (Upupa), 3 - velox (Palaeocasuarius), 220 - versicolor (Amazona), XII - violaceus (Amazona), 57 - - ulietanus (Cyanorhamphus), 70 - ulnaris (Lithophaps), X - unicolor (Cyanorhamphus), XI - - wardi (Palaeornis), 66 - wilsoni (Pennula), 138 - wolstenholmei (Loxops), 39 - - zealandicus (Cyanorhamphus), 69 - - * * * * * - - - PLATES. - - * * * * * - -PLATE 1 - -[Illustration] - - PREGILUPUS VARIUS - (NATURAL SIZE) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 2 - -[Illustration] - - 1. FOUDIA BRUANTE - (NATURAL SIZE) - - 2. NECROPSAR RODERICANUS - (TWO-THIRDS NATURAL SIZE--_from description_) - - 3. NECROPSAR LEGUATI - (TWO-THIRDS NATURAL SIZE) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 3 - -[Illustration] - - 1. GEOSPIZA MAGNIROSTRIS - - 2. GEOSPIZA STRENUA - - 3. NESOENAS MEYERI - - 4. CHAUNOPROCTUS FERREIROSTRIS - - (ALL THREE-FOURTHS NATURAL SIZE--_from skins_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 4 - -[Illustration] - - 1. HEMIGNATHUS ELLISIANUS - - 2. HETERORHYNCHUS LUCIDUS - - 3. PSITTIROSTRA PSITTACEA DEPPEI - - 4. CIRIDOPS ANNA - - (ALL FIVE-SIXTHS NATURAL SIZE--_from skins_: No. 3 _from type_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 4A - -[Illustration] - - 1. MOHO APICALIS - (FOUR-FIFTHS NATURAL SIZE--_from skin_) - - 2. CHAETOPTILA ANGUSTIPLUMA - (FOUR-FIFTHS NATURAL SIZE--_from skin_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 5 - -[Illustration] - - 1. MIRO TRAVERSI - (FOUR-FIFTHS NATURAL SIZE) - - 2 & 2A. TRAVERSIA LYALLI [male] [female] - (FOUR-FIFTHS NATURAL SIZE) - - 3. BOWDLERIA RUFESCENS - - * * * * * - -PLATE 5A - -[Illustration] - - SIPHONORHIS AMERICANA - (NATURAL SIZE) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 6 - -[Illustration] - - FIG. 1. NESTOR NORFOLCENSIS - _From the plate in the Bulletin of the Liverpool Museum_ - - FIG. 2. HEAD OF NESTOR PRODUCTUS - _From the specimen in the Tring Museum_ - (FIVE-SIXTHS NATURAL SIZE) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 7 - -[Illustration] - - LOPHOPSITTACUS MAURITIANUS - (ELEVEN TWENTY-NINETHS NATURAL SIZE--_from drawing and description_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 8 - -[Illustration] - - NECROPSITTACUS BORBONICUS - (TWO-FIFTHS NATURAL SIZE--_from a description_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 9 - -[Illustration] - - MASCARINUS MASCARINUS - (THREE-QUARTERS NATURAL SIZE) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 10 - -[Illustration] - - ARA TRICOLOR - (ELEVEN-THIRTEENTHS NATURAL SIZE--_from specimen in Liverpool Museum_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 11 - -[Illustration] - - ARA GOSSEI - (FOUR-FIFTHS NATURAL SIZE--_from Gosse's description_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 12 - -[Illustration] - - ARA ERYTHROCEPHALA - (SIX-TENTHS NATURAL SIZE--_from Gosse's description_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 13 - -[Illustration] - - ANADORHYNCHUS PURPURASCENS - (TWO-FIFTHS NATURAL SIZE--_from a description_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 14 - -[Illustration] - - ARA MARTINICUS - (TWO-FIFTHS NATURAL SIZE--_from description_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 15 - -[Illustration] - - ARA ERYTHRURA - (ONE-HALF NATURAL SIZE--_from description_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 16 - -[Illustration] - - CONURUS LABATI - (NATURAL SIZE--_from Labat's description_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 17 - -[Illustration] - - AMAZONA VIOLACEUS - (TWO-THIRDS NATURAL SIZE--_from description_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 18 - -[Illustration] - - AMAZONA MARTINICANA - (TWO-THIRDS NATURAL SIZE--_from Labat's description_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 19 - -[Illustration] - - PALAEORNIS EXSUL - (THREE-QUARTERS NATURAL SIZE) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 20 - -[Illustration] - - PALAEORNIS WARDI - (THREE-QUARTERS NATURAL SIZE) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 21 - -[Illustration] - - HEMIPHAGA SPADICEA - (TWO-THIRDS NATURAL SIZE) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 22 - -[Illustration] - - ALECTROENAS NITIDISSIMA - (NATURAL SIZE) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 23 - -[Illustration] - - PEZOPHAPS SOLITARIA - (ABOUT ONE-THIRD NATURAL SIZE--_from descriptions and drawings_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 24 - -[Illustration] - - DIDUS CUCULLATUS - (ONE-THIRD NATURAL SIZE--_from drawings_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 24A - -[Illustration] - - 1, 2, 3. DIDUS CUCULLATUS (_see explanation_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 24B - -[Illustration] - - 1-9. DIDUS CUCULLATUS - - * * * * * - -PLATE 24C - -[Illustration] - - 10-13. DIDUS CUCULLATUS - - * * * * * - -PLATE 25 - -[Illustration] - - DIDUS SOLITARIUS - (ONE-THIRD NATURAL SIZE--_from a Dutch picture taken from living bird in - Amsterdam, beak and wing restored_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 25A - -[Illustration] - - DIDUS SOLITARIUS - (ONE-THIRD NATURAL SIZE--_from Dubois' description_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 25B - -[Illustration] - - FIG. 1, 2, 3. PEZOPHAPS SOLITARIA - FIG. 4, 5, 7, 8. DIDUS SOLITARIUS - - * * * * * - -PLATE 26 - -[Illustration] - - 1. HYPOTAENIDIA PACIFICA - (TWO-THIRDS NATURAL SIZE--_from Forster's drawing in British Museum_) - - 2. PENNULA SANDWICHENSIS - (THREE-FIFTHS NATURAL SIZE--_from skin_) - - 3. PENNULA MILLSI - (THREE-FIFTHS NATURAL SIZE--_from skin_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 27 - -[Illustration] - - NESOLIMNAS DIEFFENBACHI - (SEVEN-EIGHTHS NATURAL SIZE) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 28 - -[Illustration] - - 1. CABALUS MODESTUS - (NATURAL SIZE) - - 2. COTURNIX NOVAEZEALANDIAE - (SEVEN-EIGHTHS NATURAL SIZE) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 29 - -[Illustration] - - APHANAPTERYX BONASIA - (ONE-HALF NATURAL SIZE--_from a drawing_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 30 - -[Illustration] - - ERYTHROMACHUS LEGUATI - (ONE-HALF NATURAL SIZE--_from a description and a tracing_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 31 - -[Illustration] - - LEGUATIA GIGANTEA - (ONE-SIXTH NATURAL SIZE--_from description and drawings_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 32 - -[Illustration] - - APTERORNIS COERULESCENS - (ONE-HALF NATURAL SIZE--_from descriptions_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 33 - -[Illustration] - - NOTORNIS ALBA - (FIVE-NINETHS NATURAL SIZE) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 34 - -[Illustration] - - NOTORNIS HOCHSTETTERI - (ONE-HALF NATURAL SIZE) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 35 - -[Illustration] - - 1. AECHMORHYNCHUS CANCELLATUS - (NATURAL SIZE) - - 2. PROSOBONIA LEUCOPTERA - (NATURAL SIZE) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 36 - -[Illustration] - - CAMPTOLAEMUS LABRADORIUS - (ONE-HALF NATURAL SIZE--_from Nature_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 37 - -[Illustration] - - AESTRELATA CARIBBAEA - (FIVE-SIXTHS NATURAL SIZE--_from stuffed specimen in Dublin Museum_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 38 - -[Illustration] - - ALCA IMPENNIS - (FIVE-EIGHTHS NATURAL SIZE--_from stuffed specimen_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 39 - -[Illustration] - - CARBO PERSPICILLATUS - (SEVEN-SIXTEENTHS NATURAL SIZE) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 40 - -[Illustration] - - DROMAIUS PERONI - (ONE-THIRD NATURAL SIZE--_from type specimen_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 41 - -[Illustration] - - MEGALAPTERYX HUTTONI - (ONE-QUARTER NATURAL SIZE--_restored drawing from feathers and mummified - remains_) - - * * * * * - -PLATE 42 - -[Illustration] - - DINORNIS INGENS - (ONE-ELEVENTH NATURAL SIZE--_restoration from skeleton and feathers_) - - * * * * * - - -NOTES - -[1] "_Psittacus_ brachyurus fuscus, facie nigra, cauda albente. Habitat in -Mascarina. Rostrum incarnatum. Caput caerulescens." - -[2] See Findlay's South Pacific Ocean Directory, p. 642. - -[3] Ibis 1862, p. 214. - -[4] Proceedings of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club, II, 1898, 17. - -[5] Wintle, Birds of Montreal, 1896, 51. - -[6] In collection of Dr. J. Dwight, Jr. - -[7] Minot, Birds of New England, 1895, 395. - -[8] Auk, XX, 1903, 66. - - * * * * * - - -Corrections made to printed original. - -Page xvii, entry 1674. In "et Bourbon", the original ampersand in the title -of the French work was incongruously expanded to "and" in the present work. -So also in the same title on Pages 3 & 64, an on page xviii, entry 1773, in -"et sur les hommes". - -Page xvii, entry 1707:--"Compagnons", printed as "Compagnos" in original. - -Page xviii, entry 1782 at "aux iles orientales":--"aux", printed as "aus" -in original. - -Page xix, entry 1830 (also on p. 184 and Plate 28). "Coturnix -novaezealandiae" retained as printed, but the correct spelling is -"novaezelandiae" as printed in the species heading. - -Page xx, entry 1861:--"1861", printed as "1681" in original. - -Page xx, entry 1868 (Millies):--"Verhandelingen", printed as -"Verhandlingen" in original. - -Page xxv, entry 1896 (Hartlaub) in "Ein Beitrag":--"Ein", printed as "En" -in original. - -Page xxv, entry 1902 (Henshaw):--first occurence of "Hawaiian" printed as -"Hawaian" in original. - -Page 3, in "Dauphine ou Madagascar":--"ou", printed as "on" in original. - -Page 15, in "disappeared from Warekauri":--"disappeared", printed as -"disapppeared" in original. - -Page 64, in "identified by himself with the Mascarine -Parrot":--"Mascarine", printed as "Marcarine" in original. - -Page 74. "13 1/2 inches = 345 mm": this seems the most likely intention of -the erroneous conversion "13 1/2 inches = 365 mm" of the original. - -Page 112-3, table. Width at distal extremity "13.5" printed "0135". Four -other entries similarly. - -Page 144, date for "Porphyrio melanotus var. alba":--"1844", printed as -"1144" in original. - -Page 167, authors for "Columba migratoria":--"Audubon", printed as -"Andubon" in original. - -Page 188, in "cervical vertebrae":--"cervical", printed as "cervicle" in -original. - -Page 191, in "profile of the inner condyle":--"condyle", printed as -"cordyle" in original. - -Page 215. "228 mm. = 8.9 inches": this seems the most likely intention of -the erroneous conversion "228 mm. = 9.9 inches" of the original. - -Page 216, in "24 to 24.1":--"24.1", printed as "21-1" in original. - -Page 217, synonymy of "Pachyornis pygmaeus":--"Euryapteryx", printed as -"Euryapterxy" in original. - -Page 237, Tarso-metatarsus upper limit:--"287", printed as "277" in -original. - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Extinct Birds, by Walter Rothschild - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EXTINCT BIRDS *** - -***** This file should be named 40000.txt or 40000.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/0/0/0/40000/ - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Keith Edkins and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive. 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