Page:Rothschild Extinct Birds.djvu/15

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INTRODUCTION
xi

Type, a caste of the distal portion of the right tibio-tarsus, in the British Museum. The original is preserved in the Museum at Sydney and was obtained from the pleistocene cavern-deposits in the Wellington Valley in New South Wales.

A bird usually stated to be extinct is Monarcha dimidiata, from Rara-Tonga, but in March, 1901, two specimens, male and female, were procured by the Earl of Ranfurly. Doubtless this is a species which will one day vanish entirely, but at present it hardly comes within the scope of this work.

The birds known to be more or less on the verge of extinction which I have not thought advisable to give in the main part of this book might, for convenience of reference and to avoid possible controversy as to my having omitted any species, be given here, but it must be understood that of these species I only know the fact that their numbers have been greatly reduced and mostly almost to vanishing point. I have already mentioned before that some of them may already have disappeared, but in many cases recent investigations are wanting, and all, therefore, that can be said of them is that they are threatened and may soon become extinct, if they still exist.

Myadestes sibilans St. Vincent.
Myadestes genibarbis Martinique.
Cinclocerthia gutturalis Martinique.
Rhamphocinclus brachyurus Martinique.
Ixocincla olivacea Mauritius.
Phedina borbonica Mascarene Islands.
Trochocercus borbonicus Mascarene Islands.
Oxynotus typicus Mauritius.
Foudia newtoni Bourbon.
Drymoeca rodericana Rodriguez.
Cyanorhamphus cooki Norfolk Island.
Cyanorhamphus erythrotis Antipodes Island.
Cyanorhamphus unicolor Antipodes Island.
Turnagra tanagra North Island, New Zealand.
Sceloglaux albifacies Middle Island, New Zealand.
Miro albifrons North Island, New Zealand.
Miro australis Middle Island, New Zealand.
Clitonyx albicilla North Island, New Zealand.
Pogonornis cincta North Island, New Zealand.
Hypotaenidia mülleri Auckland Island.
Mergus australis Auckland Island.