"My friend, Julius Haart, a German, who was my travelling companion in New Zealand, and in the beginning of the year 1860 undertook an exploring expedition to the southern and western parts of the province of Nelson, writes to me in a letter, dated July, 1860, dated from ten miles above the mouth of the river Buller, on the mountains of the Buller chain, which at a height of from 3000 to 4000 feet, were at that time, it being winter in New Zealand, slightly covered with snow, that the tracks of a large Kiwi of the size of a turkey were very common in the snow, and that at night he had often heard the singular cry of this bird, but that as he had no dog with him he had not succeeded in getting an example of it. He had, nevertheless, left with some natives in that district a tin case with spirit, and promised them a good reward if they would get him one of these birds in spirits, and send it to Nelson by one of the vessels which go from time to time to the west coast."
In concluding this brief report, we wish to call attention to the importance of obtaining further knowledge respecting the recent species of this singular form of birds, whilst it is yet possible to do so. We see that one of them—the Apteryx Mantelli—is already fast disappearing, whilst its history, habits, mode of nidification, and many other particulars respecting it are as yet altogether unknown. We therefore trust that such members of this Association as have friends or correspondents in any part of New Zealand will impress upon them the benefits that they will confer on science, by endeavouring to procure more specimens of, and additional information concerning, the different species of the genus Apteryx.
In looking through the plates and letterpress of Johnston's Physical Atlas and the works of other authorities who treat of the geographical distribution of the Mammalia, I have observed that the northern limit of the range of the Quadrumana in the New World is altogether incorrectly laid down, and that the species assigned to the countries north of the isthmus of Panama are wrongly named. Although I cannot pretend to be able to set this matter quite right, as the correct determination of the species of Quadrumana which inhabit the northern (or trans-panamanic) province of the Neotropical region must remain in abeyance, until more specimens of these animals have been brought to Europe from Central America, and their differential characters more carefully studied, yet I have been able to acquire, through the kindness of some of my correspondents and during visits to several Zoological Museums, some information upon this point which I hope will be sufficient to rectify a not unimportant error in geographical distribution.
