File:Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand (1870) (14781557262).jpg

Identifier: transactionsofro70roya (find matches)
Title: Transactions of the Royal Society of New Zealand
Year: 1870 (1870s)
Authors: Royal Society of New Zealand
Subjects: Science
Publisher: Wellington, N.Z. : The Society
Contributing Library: Brigham Young University Hawaii, Joseph F. Smith Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Consortium of Church Libraries and Archives

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50, a series of specimens was exhibited before theZoological Society of London, when Mr. Bartlett pointed out characters whichas he contended, established the existence of two species hitherto confoundedunder the specific name of Apteryx australis (Proc. Zool. Soc, 1850, p. 276).Mr. Bartlett stated, at this meeting, that an Apteryx belonging to the lateDr. Mantell having been placed in his hands by that gentleman, he hadremarked its dissimilarity to ordinary examples, and that after a carefulcomparison with a number of other specimens he had come to the conclusionthat it was a new species. On comparing Dr. Mantells bird, however withthe original specimen in the Earl of Derbys collection, he found that theywere identical. He accordingly referred his supposed new species to Ap.australis, and distinguished the more common bird as Ap. Mantelli— Ahumble effort, as he says, « to commemorate the exertions of WalterMantell, Esq., to whom we are indebted for so many valuable- discoveries in
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53 the natural history of New Zealand. The characters which distinguish itfrom Shaws Ap. australis are,— its smaller size, its darker and more rufouscolour, its longer tarsus which is scutellated in front, its shorter toes andclaws which are horn coloured, its smaller wings which have much strongerand thicker quills ; and also in having long straggling hairs on the face. Mr. Bartlett stated further, that the Apteryx belonging to Dr. Mantellwas collected by his son, in Dusky Bay, whence the original bird, figured anddescribed by Dr. Shaw, was also obtained, and that so far as he had been ableto ascertain, all the known specimens of Ap. Mantelli were from the NorthIsland. Inan Report on the present state of our Knowledge of the Species ofApteryx by Drs. Sclater and Hochstetter, read at a meeting of the BritishAssociation, in September, 1861, and published for general information in theNew Zealand Gazette, in May, 1862, the following observation occursrespecting Ap. austral is:— In f

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