XVIll 



FAUNA HAWAIIENSIS 



later lavas from the younger Koolau range, so that between the two ranges is an 

 elevated plateau rising to nearly looo ft. above the sea. This plateau was once 

 densely forested, but is now practically denuded, having served as pasturage for 

 cattle, while more recently it has been partly put under cultivation for the production 

 of pine-apples. The extent of forest on the Waianae range is now small, the intro- 

 duced goats and cattle having been largely responsible for its destruction. 



The Koolau range is much more heavily forested, though it has been greatly 

 denuded during the last half century. The backbone of these mountains is much 

 serrated, and the highest point Konahuanui, rather more than 3000 ft., lies a few 

 miles behind the town of Honolulu, while there are several other peaks between 

 2500 ft. and 3000 ft. On the windward side for a long extent the erosion has been 

 very great, forming perpendicular or very steep cliffs ; on the leeward side the slopes 

 are much more gradual, but are channeled by many valleys and gulches, which, in 

 the more southern part especially, are often separated from one another by very narrow 

 and sharp ridges at least towards their heads. 



More recent than the Koolau range proper ace some other craters, e.g. the 

 Tantalus series, lying close behind Honolulu, and forming a favourite collecting 

 ground, owing to their nearness to the city and easiness of access, while younger 

 still are various isolated craters situated on or near the coast, e.g. Punchbowl, Diamond 

 and Koko heads and others. Diamond head near Honolulu is interesting from the 

 fact that it contains in a subfossil state great numbers of the shells of land molluscs, 

 including several species of the Achatinellid genus Aniastra and Leptachatiria as well 

 as Succinea, Pupa, Eudodonta and others. Achatinella itself does not appear to be 

 found with these. A species of Succinea is still living there, but molluscs such as 

 Leptachatina, Eudodonta and Aniastra could no longer exist under the present dry 

 and barren conditions. Formerly vegetation and moisture must have been very 

 different to support these creatures. 



Oahu, though the area of its forests is much diminished, is certainly rich in the 

 number of species of the plants that compose this. The most extensive forest is 

 found in the north-western area of the Koolau range. Parts of this area, however, 

 appeared to me to afford much less variety in their botanical productions than the 

 southern and more northern ends of the range. I have reason to suppose that the 

 part of the range nearest to Honolulu (and containing, as has been said, the highest 

 peak) has the richest fauna. 



Kauai, Plate V, the most northern of the forest-clad islands, is separated from 

 Oahu by a channel of rather more than 70 miles, where narrowest, a much greater 

 distance than divides any other island from its nearest neighbour. It is of 'slighdy 

 less area than Oahu, and its outline is more nearly circular. The culminating peak 

 is near the centre of the island, and is above 5000 ft. high. From this summit, 

 Mt. Waialeale, and the adjoining plateau, valleys and gulches radiate to the coast. 



