WCP2339

[1]

Otago Museum

Dunedin

12 August 1876

Aplonis zealandicus is certainly a New Zealand bird see Finsch.¹ Trans. N. Z. Inst VIII—p 201.

Sir

As you ask in your preface working naturalists to send you notices of omissions or corrections in your invaluable work on the Geographical Distribution of Animals,² I send you a list of those that I have noticed in connection with the New Zealand fauna. None of them perhaps are of much importance except the statement that the genus Dinornis occurs in Australia. This was a mistake of Krefft's.³

Yours truly | F. W. Hutton⁴ | Director

A. R. Wallace Esq

I have not made all the corrections that the alterations in the families of our Birds will lead to. | F.W.H.

[2]

Corrections

Vol I

164. Dinornis has not been found in Australia. It is Dromornis see Trans Z.S. VIII p 381

400. To Haplochitonidae add New Zealand.

451. Anthochaera & Tribonyx (see Ibis) are not New Zealand— our falcon is Harpa not Hieracidea. Orthonyx is not found in N. Z. our species is Clitonyx (Trans. N. Z. Inst VII. 228). Acanthisitta & Xenicus are considered by Finsch to belong to the Troglodytidae (l.cvii. 227). Ternagra (= Keropia) is placed by Finsch in the Ptilonorhynchidae. Hirundo nigricans and probably Graucalus parvirostris are only straglers [sic].

only 2 species of Authonis & 2 of Xenicus.

452. only 1 species of creadion. This genus with Heteralocha & Callaeas (= Glaucopis) are put by Sundeval and Finsch in a separate family (Trans. N. Z. Inst VII p. 230)

454. It is not the Zosterops that differs from N. Z. specimens but the Chrysococcyx. It is Zosterops that has arrived lately.

455. Spell Kakapo not Kakapoe.

[3]

p 457. The N. Z. species of Agonostomus is entirely marine. A Mugil is found in the north Island. Gunther considers it identical with the M. cephalotus from China (see Trans N. Z. Inst V. p 264).

459. Anas (clangula) finschii has been described by Van Benéden from the Earnscleugh cave, Otago (Ann d l. Soc géol de Belg II. p 123). Also add Aptornis, 2 species, a gigantic rail. Hatteria punctata is extinct on the main land now.

468. No Pteropidae in New Zealand

469. No Motacillidae in New Zealand

472. No Siluridae in N. Z. but add sternoptychidae and Haplochitonidae & Gobiidae (Electris).

Vol II.

p 365. The albatrosses belong to the temperate zone and rarely if off ever extend into the Tropics.

369. I see you adopt Haart's⁵ classification of the Moas. I doubt if you will get any one to follow you. At any rate the characters must [4] be corrected thus. under Dinornithidae omit "had no hind toe. (see Trans Zool Soc IV. p 2) for D. robustus, Trans N. Z. Inst VIII p 267 for D. ingens, and Trans N. Z. Inst VIII p. 108 for D. casuarius). Some of these species have a scapulo-coracoid (see Trans Zool Soc v. p 356 for D. robustus.

370. under Palapterygidae omit "and rudimentary wings. The shoulder girdle is more rudimentary in these species than in the last. They are the typical Dinornithidae.

436. to Psychrolutidae add New Zealand (see Trans N. Z. Inst VIII p. 214 & Am Nat Hist 17. p 395).

446. to Sternoptychidae add New Zealand (see Trans N. Z. Taut VIII p. 214 & Am Nat Hist 17. p 395).

446. to Sternoptychidae add New Zealand (see Fishes of N. Z. p 55. Wellington 1872).

517. To Limax add N. Z. (see cat Pul. Brit. Museum p. 177)

518. to Planorbis add N. Z. (see Pro Zool Soc 1849 p. 167)

Note. You must not take Haarts character of "beak narrow & pointed" for his genus Dinornis, for D. robustus had a very broad & depressed beak (see Trans Zool Soc v p 337) D. ingens was the name. The collection of Moa bones in this Museum, which in some respects is better than Haarts, shows that Owen⁶ is right and not Haart.