il
1 / ■ ' .1
free to confess tlia t th e g reat difference in size between the
two extremes of th e series examined by me renders it
possible th a t two races or sub-species exist in New
Zealand. This subject, however, m u st be le ft to th e field
natiu-alists iu New Zealand to determine. Dr. Buller (T r
N . Z. Inst, v i, j;. 113} and Mr. P o tts (/. c. p. 142) are mistak
e n in supposing th a t Falco australis, H. and J ., is the
large fovjii, tlie “Quail Hawk.” I t is undoubtedly th e small
lorm, th e ir “ Sparrow Hawk,” and as such th e 'l a t t e r will
s /m d as Haiyo, australis. {Gf. Shaipe, Cat. Birds I., p.
2 . F a l c o s u b n i g e r .
Falco subniger, Gray; Buller, B. N . Zeal, p . 16.
The evidence of th is ra re Falcon’s capture in New
Zealand is by no means satisfactory, aud I regard the
occurrence of this species as fa r more improbable th an th a t
of th e Sea Eagle. All th a t is known about it is th a t M.
Ju le s Verreaux assured Mr. Gurney th a t a New Zealand
s])ecimeii had passed through his hands. A t th e same time
F. suhiiyer is a sufficiently striking bird, and M. Verreaux’
knowledge was so excellent th a t there ought to be no
mistaking th e species, b u t I am a t present aware of no
actual specimen of F. suhiiyer from VI J.. nwuwiAjihi 1J.U1U Nx \ec ww Z¿iCeaiulaanncdi imn any
European collection. The following sentence in Dr,
Buller’s work, however, deserves consideration: “ I may
s tate th a t th e account sen t to me by Dr. Haast, of a Hawk
observed by liim in th e Southern Alps, although unfortun
ate ly n o t secured, seems to accord with th a t given by
Captain S tu rt of th e Australian Falco sulnirjer."
3 . C ir c u s g o u l d i .
Circus assimilis, Gray, anted, p. 2.
Circus gouldi, Bjy.-, Finsch, J. f . 0. 1872, p. 93 ; Buller,
B. X . Zeal, p. 11, p i 2.
Circus approximans, Peak; Finsch, J. f 0 1874 r, 176
...........................-7 - ■
- - J bird must
therefore be called G. yoxddi. I n his introduction to his
g reat work Dr. B ulle r is inclined to separate C. wolfi of
New Caledonia, as a good species ajid distinc t from the
p resent bird. Without having seen th e birds themselves,
there is notliing in th e remarks of Mr. Gm-ney or Dr. Buller
which would convince me th a t tliese two Ha irie rs are
specifically distinct, and I incline to the view taken by
Drs. Finscli and H a rtlaub {Fam. Centralpolyn. p. 7) th a t C.
yovI-O.i is th e Marsh H a rrier of Australia and Oceania,
where i t represents th e ordinary Marsh H a rrier (C. mru-
yinosus) of tlie Paleearctic and In d ian regions.
Although Dr. Finsch is most probably eon-ect in styling
thi.s species by P e a k ’s name of approximans, I wisli to
examine specimens from the F iji Islands, as it is not even y e t
certain th a t th e new Caledonian bird, C. wolfi, is absolutely
th e same.
4. H a l ia e t u s l e u c o g a s t e r .
Ic thya etus leucogaster, Bidler, B. N. Zeal, p. 16.
Dr. Buller writes as follows concerning tliis bird (/. e ) :__
“Mr. Gould has presented me with a beautiful .specimen of
th e white-bellied Sea Eagle, wliich was said to ha^'e been
procured in New Zealand. This species has been obseiwed
along th e whole southern coast of Australia, from Moreton
Bay on the east to Swan River on tlie west, including
lasmnnia aud all th e small islands iu Bass’s Straits ; and
as it is a powerful ilier, there is no physical reason why it
should n o t occur sometimes as a straggler on th e New
Zealand coast. Mr, Gould has satisfied' himself th a t this
specimen was obtained there, altlioiish unable to ascertain
tlie precise locality. I n corroboration of its presumed
occurrence, I may mention th a t an officer of th e 14th
Regiment, who was a good sportsman and a tolerable
natura list, assured me tlia t he bad ac tually seen and fired
upon a “Sea Eagle” on the rocks near tlie entrance to
\ \ ellington Harbour.”
I may add th a t there v-ould be nothing improbable iu
th e occin-reiice of th is Eagle on th e shores of N ew Zealand,
and i t is a bird to be looked for. Besides th e localities
mentioned by Dr. Buller, it is found aU over the Malayan
Archipelago to th e Philippines, and occurs in suitable
localities throughout th e Malayan Peninsula, Burmah, and
India. I t has even been said to inhabit Soutli Africa,
though a t present on dealers’ authority, which must be
received with a certain amount of suspicion, as the specimens
I liave seen from th e Cape were marked .ff.
th e la tte r title being founded on th e Blu/jve of Levail'lant,
who said he had found it iu th e above-named locality. The
account of tlie la tte r has, however, always been discredited,
apparently w itb reason, though a t th e same time it must he
remembered th a t th e la te Mr. Cassin did not hesitate to
refer one of D u Chaillu’s Gaboon specimens to th e present
bird.
5. L o p i io ic t in ia is u r a ,
Milviis isurus, Buller, B. iV. Zeal, p . 16.
The history of this species in New Zealand, as a t present
known, is comprised in th e following remarks of Mr, Gurney
{Ibis, 1870,^1. 536):—“ The Norwich Museum possesses a
specimen wliich I obtained from Mr. A. I), Bartlett, who
assured me, a t th e time, th a t he had received it ii-om’New
Zealand, and had satisfied himself th a t it had been killed
in th a t country.”
Sub-order, S t r k ;e s .
C. Sl'lLOGLAUX ZEALAXDI.li.
Athene novæ zealandiæ, Gm.; Gray, anteCt, v. 2 ; Finsch
J. f . 0. 1872, p . 94, et 1314, p . 177.
^S/iloglaux novæ zealandiæ, Bidler, I l K Zeal, p. IV,
Figured by Dr. Buller {I. c.).
7. SCELOGLAUX ALBIFACIES.
P la te 1.
Athene albifacies, Gray, anted, p. 2 ; Finsch, J f .O 1872
p. 95, et 1314,2). 177.
Sceloglaux albifacies, I c.,p. 21, p i 3 . , f 2.
The original edition of th e present work contains the
first de.scription of this remarkable Owl, though th e accompanymg
plate by Mr. Wolf is now for tlie first time
issued. In th e meanwhile Dr. Buller has ]mblished a
good figure of th e species. The name albifacies is not
very appropriate for this species ; only one of th e three in
th e British Museum has a light-coloured aspect, and 1
suspect th a t th e young birds are darker visaged th an the
adults to judge from th e living examples in th e possession
of Mr, G. Dawson Rowley, both of which were quite young
and had duslcy faces when I sav' them.
8 . S c o p s n o v æ z e a l a n d iæ .
Scops novæ zealaudiæ. Bp. Consp. i, p. 47.
1 feel constrained to include th e present bird, although
on somewhat negative evidence. Dr. Buller w ill not adinit
it into Ins work, and this unfortunate little Owl has a t
present no abode in the New Zealand list, notwithstanding
its orthodox title. The type is a t present in Leiden, and
although no one has proved the presence of a Sco2)s in New
Zealand, th e species, as Professor Schlegel remarked to me.
seems to agi-ee with no other member of th e genus, and
may, after all, really come from the country whose name it
bears. A t th e close of his article on tiie two larger Owls
Dr. Buller writes:—“ The natives are acquainted with
anotlier species, which th ey describe as being very diminutive
in size and strictly arboreal in its habits. This is no
doubt th e bird indicated by Ellmaii as S tr ix parvissima
{Zoologist, 1861). Mr. J . D. Emys informed me th a t lie
once captured an Owl ‘ standing only five inches liigh,’
and th a t it was perfectly tame aud gentle. Mr. Potts
records, on hearsay evidence, several instances of tlie
occurrence, in Canterbury, of an Owl ‘ about the size of a
Kingfisher.’ This bird may prove to be the same as
Bonaparte’s Scops novæ zealandiæ, as suggested by Dr.
Finsch ; but, till it has been more accurately determined, it
is impossible to give it a place in our list of species.”
The following is a description of th e type which I mnrle
in th e Leiden Museum :—
AclidL (Type o f species).— Upper surface brown, very
minutely vermiculated with darlrer brown, sometimes
forming an irregular spot, and varied with a few wavy
lines of dull fulvous, ra th e r brighter and more ochraceous
on the outer margin of th e scapulars, ivhere th e alternate
bars of dark browm and fulvous are a little more regular ;
greater wing-covcrts mottled with ashy-gi-ey. especially
towards the tips ; primaries darker brown, externally
notched with fulvous, these marks tolerably distinct,
except towards tlie ti]->s, wliere they are obscured bv
greyish mottling, th e secondaries more asliy-brown mottled
profusely with darker brown and witli indications of five
lighter aud more fulvous bars across tliem ; under surface
of wing uniform brown with slight ashy mottlings towards
th e tip, th e u nder wing-coverts almost entirely ochraceous,
this shade extending some way along th e in n e r web of the
quills, which are also barred w ith greyisli-hrown; tail
brown, mottled w ith darker brown, with indications of
seven fulvescent b a n d s ; crown and hind neck as well as
sides of face and ea r-tufts darker brown th a n the b a c k ;
lores and eai'-coverts ru fe s c e n t; an ind istin ct superciliary
line indicated by fulvous mottling, which also appears on
the inner webs of th e e a r-tu fts ; round th e hind neck a
narrow collar produced by fulvous m o ttlin g ; u nder surface
of body rufous ochre, becoming paler an d more fulvous on
th e abdomen, thiglis and under taO-coverts; feathers of
lower breast mesially strealced with blackish-brown, a little
varied with whitish and mottled with darker b row n ; th e
throat and chest blacker, much mottled w ith irregular ^\'avy
lines of th is colour, especially on tlie sides of th e breast.
Total length 10 inches, culmen 0’85, wing 7'0, ta il 3'8,
tarsus 1-2, middle toe G'8, ear-tufts I 'l .
9. A l u c o d e l ic a t u l a .
Dr. Finsch is inclined to include this species on the
au th o rity of th e late Mr. G. R. Gray, b u t I fancy some
mistake has occurred, as I cannot find any mention in
p rin t of the la tte r stating th a t tliis Owl is an iiiluihitant of
New Zealand, and tlie British Museum contains no specimen
from th a t country. Dr, Buller is therefore right, iu
my opinion, in refusing i t a place in his work.
Order, PSTTTACI.
Family, S t iu n g o p id ^e .
iO. S tRINCOPS nABROPTILUS.
Pla te 7.
Stringops habroptilus, G -a y ; Bailer, B. ?(. Zeal, p>. 27
p i 4 ; Finsch, J. f . 0. 1872, p. 96, ct 1874, p. 178.
I n th e foregoing list of Mr. Gray’s this species does not
appear, and th e description was not published tiU 1847.
The accompanying plate, which is now issued for tlie first
time, ^^’as prepared to accompany th e original worlc, b u t as
Dr. Buller has given an excellent illustration of th e tjqiical
bird (/. c.) I have liere had Mr. Wolf’s original figure,
modified hy Mr. Willis, th e artist, to represent the
Stringops grcyi of Mr. G. 1!. Gray, which has ue^■er before
been figin-ed. The bird in th e back-ground represents tlie
normal coloration, and I am not quite convinced th a t S.
greyi is not sjiecifically distinc t from S. hahroptilv.s.
However, Dr. Buller regards it as a ^'ariety onh', and he
M'ill have proved liis point if no further specimens tu rn up.
Family, P s it t a c id æ .
1 1 . N e s t o r m e p jd io n a l is .
Nestor meiTcIioualis, Gray, anted, p. 9 ; Buller, 1. c., p, -10,
p i 5 , / . 1 : Finsch, J. f . 0. 1872, p . 98, ct 1874, p . 17'J.
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