HIMANTOPUS NOV^E-ZELANDIJE, Gmid.
New Zealand Stilt.
Himmtopus Novae-Zelandite, Gould in Proc of Zool. Ijtoc for January 26,1841.
As might be expected, the colonization of New Zealand has brought to light many ornithological novelties
peculiar to those islands,- tjie natural productions of which are even'' at this tiip^-so imperfectly known.
J®£species here represented is, perhaps, one'of % most interesting of those forwarded to'the New Zealand
Company by Dr. DiefTenhach, and which thafhwly have very liberally placed at my disposal, for the
purpose ^describ ing and T particularize this species as being interesting, not so much for Its.
beauty; as for its forming another member m f the very limited genus Himantopus, of which until lately only
one species was known- ' f fe g r e t to say. that no information as to its habits, changes of plumage, or the localities
in which it is ©van}, has been forwarlld‘« K t h e specimens; they were merely labeled/-1 ‘ Waders killed
at Port. Nicholson." The two specimens sent not! onlj d if j r from every other known species, but are also
very-c&sijmlar ficom each «therm plumage an^in si?e,.one being very much larger than the other; though the
Idiasimilarityin size is not greater than I have ojigeiwed to ,e$ist between the sexeB o f the White-headed Stilt.
•T% least o f the two, which I presume to be tlmifcmale, has the/whole of the plumage black or blackish
while the’ other has the forehead, the front of the neck and the breast white; the tail and all the
remainders of’ the plumage being black, like the?$%r. I?am inclipedUp believe that the difference m
fcolouring is ’ either attributable to youth, or that i t^ 'a seasonal character • in all probability, the entirely
black plumage is that of summer. ^ ,
The whole-of the plumage sooty black, with thp exception of the b a eK f^ g s . and tail, which are glossed
with green; bill bla ck; feet pink-red: the other specimen has the forehead,- lor^-chini. front and sides o f
the neck, chest and under tail-coverts white.
/The figures are o f the natural size.