Stephens Island Wren
Conservation status
Extinct  (1895?)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Acanthisittidae Genus: Xenicus Species: X. lyalli
Binomial name
Xenicus lyalli (Rothschild, 1894)

The Stephens Island Wren (Xenicus lyalli) is famous for being (erroneously) considered the only known species to be entirely wiped out by a single living being. This bird was a flightless, nocturnal native of Stephens Island, New Zealand which fed on insects. Image File history File links Xenicus_lyalli. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_none_EX.svg‎ Graphic diagram for the IUCN Red List categories. ... The Dodo, shown here in illustration, is an often-cited[1] example of modern extinction. ... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... “Animalia” redirects here. ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... “Aves” redirects here. ... Families Many, see text A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. ... Genera Acanthisitta Xenicus Pachyplichas Dendroscansor The New Zealand wrens, Acanthisittidae, are a family of tiny passerines endemic to New Zealand. ... Genera Acanthisitta Rifleman Xenicus Traversia (extinct) Pachyplichas (extinct) The New Zealand wrens, family Acanthisittidae, are tiny passerines restricted to New Zealand. ... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal method of naming species. ... Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild (February 8, 1868 - August 27, 1937) was a British banker and zoologist from the international Rothschild financial dynasty. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biodiversity. ... Stephens Island is at the northern most tip of the Marlborough Sounds in the South Island of New Zealand. ... {{Taxobox | color = pink | name = Insects | fossil_range = Carboniferous - Recent | image = European honey bee extracts nectar. ...

According to the common lore, the entire population was killed by the lighthouse keeper's cat named Tibbles in 1894, but this is not what actually happened (see below). The scientific name commemorates the assistant lighthouse keeper, David Lyall, who brought the bird to the attention of science. Originally, it was described as a distinct genus, Traversia, in honor of naturalist and curio dealer Henry H. Travers who procured many specimens from Lyall, but usually it is considered to be part of the Xenicus "wrens", which are not wrens at all, but a similar-looking New Zealand lineage of primitive passerines, better referred to as acanthisittids. A HDR image of a traditional lighthouse For other uses, see Lighthouse (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Felis lybica invalid junior synonym The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Families Many, see text A passerine is a bird of the giant order Passeriformes. ...

Archeological work has revealed that Xenicus lyalli was widespread on the main islands of New Zealand in earlier times. Its disappearance from there was probably due to predation by the kiore (Polynesian Rat, Rattus exulans), which was introduced by the Māori or maybe arrived by accident even earlier. How the flightless bird crossed the 3.2 km of ocean to Stephens Island is not clear, although the presence of Hamilton's frog (which is killed by exposure to salt water) suggests that rafts of vegetable matter would cross the sea often enough. Thus, it is a matter of sheer luck that the Stephens Island Wren was found alive by scientists (at least for some months), because anything that could bring them to the island would just as well allow kiore to cross over. Binomial name Rattus exulans (Peale, 1848) The Polynesian Rat or Pacific Rat (Rattus exulans), known to the Maori as Kiore, is the third most widespread species of rat in the world behind the Brown Rat and Black Rat. ... This article is about the indigenous people of New Zealand. ... Binomial name Leiopelma hamiltoni McCulloch, 1919 Range of Leiopelma hamiltoni. ...

It is the best known of the extremely few (five or fewer) flightless passerines known to science (Millener, 1989), all of which were inhabitants of islands and are now extinct. The others were two or three relatives of Xenicus and the Long-legged Bunting from Tenerife, all of which were only discovered recently and became extinct in prehistoric times. ... Flag of Tenerife Tenerife, a Spanish island, is the largest of the seven Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. ...

Extinction

Much of what is commonly assumed to be established knowledge about this species' extinction is wrong or misinterpreted, starting with the account by Rothschild (1905) who claimed that a single cat had killed all the birds. The research of Galbreath & Brown (2004) and Medway (2004) has uncovered much of the actual history of the bird during the short time it was known to researchers.

• 1879

Early June?: A track to the site of the proposed lighthouse site is cleared, starting the period of human activity on the island.

• 1881

February 22: Marine Engineer John R. Blackett surveys the site for the proposed lighthouse.

• 1891

April: Preparations for the construction of the lighthouse are begun by starting to build a tramway and a landing site for boats.

• 1892

April: Clearance of land for the lighthouse and the associated farm begins (3 lighthouse keepers and their families, 17 people in total, would eventually be living on the island). The first report of the species was a note on the island's birdlife made by the construction worker F. W. Ingram, which mentions "two kinds of wren" (the other was probably the rifleman).

• 1894

January 29: The lighthouse commences working.

February 17-20?: This is a likely date for introduction of cats to Stephens Island. What can be said with any certainty is that at some time in early 1894, a pregnant cat brought to the island escaped.

June?: A cat - probably one of the young animals taken in as a pet; the name "Tibbles" is apparently conjectural and it does not seem to have belonged to Lyall - starts to bring carcasses of a species of small bird to the lighthouse keepers' housings. Lyall, who was interested in natural history, has one taken to Walter Buller by A. W. Bethune, second engineer on the government steamboat Hinemoa.

Before July 25?: The specimen reaches Buller, who at once recognizes it as distinct species and prepares a scientific description, to be published in the journal Ibis. Bethune lends Buller the specimen so it can be sent to London for the famed artist John Gerrard Keulemans to make a lithograph plate to accompany the description.

Winter - early spring (Southern Hemisphere): Lyall finds several more specimens. He tells Buller about 2 more (but does not send them to him), and sells 9 to Travers.

October 9: Travers, who recognizes the commercial value of the birds, sidelines Buller and offers the birds to Walter Rothschild, who was wealthier and thus more likely to pay a high price, further piqueing Rothschild's interest by writing, "in a short time there will be [no "wrens"] left". Rothschild acquires his 9 specimens.

October 11/12: Edward Lukins makes a list of birds on Stephens Island; he apparently confuses the species with the South Island Wren.

December 19: Rothschild has quickly prepared a description of the bird, as Traversia lyalli, which is read by Ernst Hartert at the British Ornithologists' Club meeting. Philip Sclater, the Club's president and editor of the Ibis who knows of Buller's article in preparation, brings up the matter to Hartert, who says he cannot withdraw Rothschild's description without consent.

December 29: Rothschild's description appears in the Bulletin of the British Ornithologists' Club.

• 1895

January 24: Travers offers Rothschild a specimen preserved in alcohol (with viscera intact) for £5 (about £415 in 2002's money: UK House of Commons Library, 2003). Rothschild apparently agrees, but never receives the bird.

February 4-9: Travers and three assistants searched the island for the bird, but found none.

Before February 11?: Lyall writes to Buller: "...the cats have become wild and are making sad havoc among all the birds."

March 7: Travers supplies Rothschild with some details of the bird's habits. To his knowledge, the species had only been seen alive twice until then. He has only been able to procure one additional specimen, brought in by the cat as the bird was dying, which also had been preserved in alcohol.

March 16: The Christchurch newspaper The Press writes in an editorial,

"there is very good reason to believe that the bird is no longer to be found on the island, and, as it is not known to exist anywhere else, it has apparently become quite extinct. This is probably a record performance in the way of extermination." 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... February 22 is the 53rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1891 (MDCCCXCI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Binomial name Acanthisitta chloris (Sparrman, 1787) For other uses, see Rifleman (disambiguation) // The Rifleman (Acanthisitta chloris), or Tītitipounamu in Māori is a small insectivorous passerine bird that is endemic to New Zealand. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... January 29 is the 29th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... February 17 is the 48th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... February 20 is the 51st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Sir Walter Lawry Buller (October 9, 1838 - July 19, 1906) was a New Zealand lawyer, naturalist and ornithologist. ... Paddle steamers — Lucerne, Switzerland. ... July 25 is the 206th day (207th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 159 days remaining. ... Ibis (ISSN print 0019-1019; online 1474-919X), subtitled the International Journal of Avian Science, is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the British Ornithologists Union. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... John Gerrard Keulemans (June 8, 1842 - March 29, 1912) was a Dutch bird illustrator. ... Lithography is a method for printing on a smooth surface, as well as a method of manufacturing semiconductor and MEMS devices. ... October 9 is the 282nd day of the year (283rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Lionel Walter Rothschild, 2nd Baron Rothschild (February 8, 1868 - August 27, 1937) was a British banker and zoologist from the international Rothschild financial dynasty. ... October 11 is the 284th day of the year (285th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... Binomial name Xenicus gilviventris Pelzeln, 1867 The South Island Wren, (Xenicus gilviventris), is a small New Zealand wren (family Acanthisittidae) endemic to South Island in New Zealand. ... December 19 is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Ernst Johann Otto Hartert (October 29, 1859 - November 11, 1933) was an German ornithologist and oologist. ... The British Ornithologists Club (BOC) was founded in 1892 to promote discussion between ornithologists and to produce a journal, their Bulletin, which has been published continuously since that year. ... Philip Lutley Sclater (November 4, 1829 - June 27, 1913) was an English lawyer and zoologist. ... December 29 is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 2 days remaining. ... The Bulletin of the British Ornithologists Club (ISSN 0007-1595) is an ornithological journal published by the British Ornithologists Club. ... 1895 (MDCCCXCV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... January 24 is the 24th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... In anatomy, the viscera are the internal organs of an animal, in particular the internal organs of the head, thorax and abdomen. ... For album titles with the same name, see 2002 (album). ... February 4 is the 35th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... February 9 is the 40th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... February 11 is the 42nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... March 7 is the 66th day of the year (67th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... March 16 is the 75th day of the year (76th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Christchurch (disambiguation). ... The Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand. ...

April: Buller's description of Xenicus insularis appears in the Ibis. The name is immediately reduced to a junior synonym. In the same issue, Rothschild's description is reprinted, with some additional remarks on the bird's apparent flightlessness. The race to describe the bird sparks much animosity between the two men, and Buller never forgives Rothschild beating him; for details and quotes, see Fuller (2000).

August: In a paper for the Wellington Philosophical Society, Buller speaks of a female bird he recently had examined. He later purchases this specimen.

November 28: Travers informs Hartert that Lyall was not able to find more specimens during the winter, and believes the bird to be extinct. He offers 2 alcohol specimens for sale, for the price of £50 apiece (nearly £4200 in 2002's money - to compare, the average lighthouse keeper's wage in 1895 was £140 a year).

December: Travers tries another search for the bird, again without success.

• 1896

May 13: Travers, unable to sell the birds at such a high price, now wants to sell his specimens for £12 each, about £1000 in 2002's money.

June: Lyall gets assigned to another lighthouse and leaves Stephens Island.

December 31-January 7 or longer: Hugo H. Schauinsland collects birds on Stephens Island, but cannot find many and no "wrens" at all. On January 7, he collects the only specimen of the local South Island Piopio acquired during his stay. It is the last record of these birds.

• 1897

July 31: The principal lighthouse keeper Patrick Henaghan requests shotguns and ammunition from the Marine Department to destroy the "large number of cats running wild on the island."

• 1898

September 5: Travers writes James Hector that he has one more specimen available. At some time before this date, he had sold Buller one specimen for Henry Baker Tristram and claimed he had two additional ones.

December 27: Travers writes to Hector, saying that Stephens Island "is now swarming with cats".

• 1899

August 1: The new principal lighthouse keeper, Robert Cathcart, has shot over 100 feral cats since his arrival on November 24, 1898.

• 1901

Travers offers "his specimen of the Stephen's Island Wren" to the government for £35 (c. £2700 in 2002); apparently, the bird is bought and deposited at the Colonial Museum with other skins. The collection is not reviewed until 1904, by which time a fifth has to be discarded due to insect damage. No record is made of the specimen since the offer, but the eventual sale's price suggests it was among the collection deposited at the Colonial Museum.

• 1905

Travers sells one specimen to the Otago Museum.

Buller pubishes his Supplement, in which he keeps using his name, Xenicus insularis. He furthermore quotes an anonymous correspondent to The Press,

"And we certainly think that it would be as well if the Marine Department, in sending lighthouse keepers to isolated islands where interesting specimens of native birds are known or believed to exist, were to see that they are not allowed to take any cats with them, even if mouse-traps have to be furnished at the cost of the state." In zoological nomenclature, synonyms are different scientific names that pertain to the same taxon, for example two names for the same species. ... November 28 is the 332nd day (333rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1896 (MDCCCXCVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display calendar). ... May 13 is the 133rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (134th in leap years). ... December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... January 7 is the 7th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Binomial name Turnagra capensis (Sparrman, 1787) The South Island Piopio, Turnigra capensis, also known as the New Zealand Thrush, was a passerine bird of the Turnagridae family, found only in New Zealand. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... July 31 is the 212th day of the year (213th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... September 5 is the 248th day of the year (249th in leap years). ... James Hector, circa 1858 Sir James Hector (March 16, 1834–November 06, 1907) was a Scottish geologist, naturalist, and surgeon who accompanied the Palliser Expedition as a surgeon and geologist. ... The Reverend Henry Baker Tristram (May 11, 1822 - March 8, 1906) was an English clergyman, Biblical scholar, traveller and ornithologist. ... December 27 is the 361st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (362nd in leap years). ... Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... August 1 is the 213th day of the year (214th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... The Otago Museum is a museum situated in Dunedin. ...

• 1907

Rothschild publishes his book Extinct Birds. In a remarkable breach of nil nisi bonum (especially considering both men's social standing), it contains several acrimonious attacks on Buller, who had died the previous year.

In conclusion and considering Buller's August 1895 note, it is probable that the species was exterminated by feral cats during the winter of 1895. Assuming the date of February, 1894, for cat introduction was correct (there were certainly cats around in the winter months of that year), the winter months of 1895 would see the second generation of cats born on the island reaching an age where the Stephens Island wren would have made ideal prey. Habitat destruction, sometimes given as an additional reason for the birds' disappearance, was apparently not significant: in 1898, the island was described as heavily forested, and there was little interference with habitat beyond the lighthouse and its associated buildings. Large-scale destruction of habitat started in late 1903, by which time X. lyalli was certainly extinct. 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Latin phrase de mortuis nil nisi bonum dicendum est is usually shortened to de mortuis nil nisi bonum or sometimes just nil nisi bonum. ...

Cats were eradicated on Stephens Island between 1916 and 1925. 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Specimens

15 specimens (excluding prehistoric bones) are known nowadays. Additionally, there are some uncertainties suggesting that some additional ones might have existed, but this is not very likely.

• Rothschild's specimens, all of which were collected between July and October, 1894:
  • Natural History Museum, London: three (NHM 1895.10.17.13; 1939.12.9.76; 1939.12.9.77).
  • American Museum of Natural History, New York City: four (AMNH AM 554502; AM 554503; AM 554504; AM 554505).
  • Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia: one (ANSP 108,631).
  • Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts: one (MCZ 249,400).
• Buller's specimens, collected at unknown dates between 1894 and 1899:
  • Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh: one (CMNH 24639), labelled as fermale and dated 1894 in Buller's handwriting. Apart from the date discrepancy, it could be the bird Buller spoke of in August, 1895; possibly the specimen was collected months before Buller had examined it. Alternatively, it could be the Bethune bird in case Buller kept it (he initially seems to believe it to be a female), as Rothschild (1907) believed. DNA analysis could at least clarify the bird's sex.
  • Canterbury Museum, Christchurch: AV917 and AV918, a pair from the collection of Buller's son, dated 1899. They were acquired between late 1896 and 1899, but may have been collected before that date.
• World Museum Liverpool: one (B 18.10.98.10). Purchased by Buller from Travers for Tristram, probably after late 1896 (but may have been collected earlier). Sold to the museum in October, 1898.
• Te Papa, Wellington: one (5098) mounted specimen without data; may be Travers' specimen sold in 1901 or another one. This photograph by Dr Paddy Ryan shows the Te Papa specimen and another one - possibly the Otago Museum bird, but the matter is not clear.
• Otago Museum, Dunedin: one, but two catalog numbers (AV739 and AV7577) exist. It is not clear whether they represent re-cataloging of the one specimen sold by Travers in 1905, or whether a specimen was lost.
• Unaccounted for (all collected in 1894 or very early in 1895):
  • Bethune's specimen: lent to Buller for the description, apparently later given back. If so, it was probably deposited at the Colonial Museum (now part of Te Papa) for safekeeping between 1895 and 1897, or
  • Buller's female mentioned in August, 1895, or even both (if neither is CMNH 24639).
  • 2 of Lyall's first 3 specimens (one was given to Bethune) remain unaccounted for. They may be part of Rothschild's 9, or Buller's 3. They were not in Buller's possession as of early February, 1895.
  • Travers' "lost" specimen referred to in January, 1895. It is not certain that this specimen was indeed lost; it may have been one of the alcohol specimens mentioned in November, 1895, and Travers may simply have withheld it so he could fetch a higher price as the bird became extinct.

For other similarly-named museums see Museum of Natural History. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Nickname: Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1625 Government  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area  - City  468. ... The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia was founded in 1812 to expand knowledge of the natural world. ... Nickname: Motto: Philadelphia maneto - Let brotherly love continue Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States Commonwealth Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Government  - Mayor John F. Street (D) Area  - City 369. ... Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: Country United States State Massachusetts County Middlesex County Settled 1630 Incorporated 1636 Government  - Type Mayor-council city  - Mayor Kenneth Reeves (D) Area  - City  7. ... The Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh are operated by the Carnegie Institute and are located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ... Nickname: Motto: Benigno Numine (With the Benevolent Deity) Location in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States Commonwealth Pennsylvania County Allegheny Founded November 25, 1758 Incorporated April 22, 1794 (borough)   March 18, 1816 (city) Government  - Mayor Luke Ravenstahl (D) Area  - City 151. ... The structure of part of a DNA double helix Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions for the development and function of living organisms. ... The Canterbury Museum is located in Christchurch, New Zealand. ... Christchurch is the regional capital of Canterbury, New Zealand. ... Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Liverpool Museum and Library steps Liverpool Museum and Library World Museum Liverpool is one of Britains finest museums, with extensive collections covering archaeology, ethnology and the natural and physical sciences. ... Look up October in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Te Papa (Our Place), The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum of New Zealand. ... For other uses, see Wellington (disambiguation). ... The Otago Museum is a museum situated in Dunedin. ... Dunedin (ÅŒtepoti in Maori) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the region of Otago. ... Te Papa (Our Place), The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa The Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa is the national museum of New Zealand. ... 1897 (MDCCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

References

• Buller, Walter L. (1895): Stephen Island Wren. Ibis 7(1): 236-237.
• Buller, Walter L. (1905): Supplement to the 'Birds of New Zealand' (2 volumes). Published by the author, London.
• Fuller, Errol (2000): Extinct Birds, 2nd edition. Oxford University Press, Oxford. ISBN 0-19-850837-9
• Galbreath, Ross & Brown, Derek (2004): The tale of the lighthouse-keeper's cat: Discovery and extinction of the Stephens Island wren (Traversia lyalli). Notornis 51(4): 193–200. PDF fulltext
• Medway, David G. (2004): The land bird fauna of Stephens Island, New Zealand in the early 1890s, and the cause of its demise. Notornis 51(4): 201–211. PDF fulltext
• Millener, P. R. (1989): The only flightless passerine: the Stephens Island Wren (Traversia lyalli: Acanthisittidae). Notornis 36(4): 280–284, PDF fulltext
• Rothschild, Walter (1894): A new species from Stephens Island. Bull. B. O. C. 4(22): 10.
• Rothschild, Walter (1895): [Notes on Xenicus lyalli]. Ibis 7(1): 268-269.
• Rothschild, Walter (1905): On extinct and vanishing birds. Proceedings of the 4th International Ornithological Congress, London: 191-217.
• Rothschild, Walter (1907): Extinct Birds.
• UK House of Commons Library (2003): Inflation: the value of the pound 1750-2002. House of Commons Library Research Paper 03/82 PDF fulltext

Ibis (ISSN print 0019-1019; online 1474-919X), subtitled the International Journal of Avian Science, is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the British Ornithologists Union. ... The Bulletin of the British Ornithologists Club (ISSN 0007-1595) is an ornithological journal published by the British Ornithologists Club. ... Ibis (ISSN print 0019-1019; online 1474-919X), subtitled the International Journal of Avian Science, is the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the British Ornithologists Union. ...

External links

• TerraNature - Wren
• New Zealand wrens, including picture
• Extinct New Zealand Birds