This bird, whose sex I unfortunately cannot give with certainty, is evidently much less robust than A. haastii; and the phalanges of the foot are much smaller, the scutella also, and consequently more numerous.
In Apteryx haastii the bill is a dirty ivory in colour, the feet and legs dark brown-black, claws horn-colour.
The adult male is like the female, but smaller, the light spot in the feather is narrower than in the female; hence the whole bird looks darker than she does, and the plumage affords a decidedly sexual difference, which is constant and strongly observable in both adult and young.
There are two other specimens of this Apteryx in the Canterbury Museum; and these six are all at present known; the fifth one of my series was said to have been destroyed by the dogs.
It appears to me, on reading Dr. Buller's description of the two birds now in New Zealand, that the lighter one is a female and the darker a male. He says, "They are supposed to be females. If they are males it may reasonably be inferred that the female of this species is considerably larger than Apteryx australis." It is, however, clear that they are certainly not both of the same sex.
The dimensions given by Dr. Buller of the largest bird are as follows:—
"Total length 25·5 inches; bill, along the ridge 4·75, along the edge of the lower mandible 5·4; tarsus 2·75; middle toe and claw 3·1; hallux or hind tarsal claw ·75." He remarks, "The form appears to be an intermediate one, combining in some degree the distinguishing characters of both," i.e. Apteryx australis and A. owenii. This is in some respects the case; but the characters are well marked and distinct: no suspicion of hybridism can attach to Apteryx haastii; it appears a conspicuously well-marked species.
Perhaps Apteryx haastii may fairly be allowed, from its size and beauty, to stand at the head of the others. Though the anatomy of Apteryx attests its relation to the Struthious group, yet the female is larger than the male; while in Struthio camelus, on the contrary, the male slightly exceeds the female. A reason for this may be found in the enormous size of the egg of
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