XX FAUNA HAWAIIENSIS 



time of my earliest visit mostly dead, and what remained alive were scattered trees, 

 outside the limits of true forest, and quite unproductive. 



On the north side of the island there has been much erosion, forming the deep 

 valleys of Waikolu, Pelekunu and Wailau. 



Lanai, Plate VII, is the smallest of the forest-bearing islands, and its highest 

 point is 3400 ft. above the sea. The forest occupies only a small area of the whole 

 island, in the neighbourhood of its highest ridge, above the Palawai valley. Catde, 

 sheep and wild goats have been responsible for this deforestation. It is quite obvious 

 on examination that parts of the higher mountains of Lanai, though now much drier, 

 were once of the boggy nature of the wettest parts of Molokai and other of the islands. 

 A few of the insects peculiar to such boggy uplands still maintain their existence in 

 spite of the drying up of the forest, but, doubtless, many have disappeared. I found 

 a large variety of mostly small-sized trees in the remaining wooded parts of the island, 

 but, as on Molokai, Koa forest is wanting. One feature in 1896 was the compara- 

 tive abundance of the half-dozen species of native land-birds in this small patch of 

 forest, their number being out of all proportion greater than that of the species on 

 Oahu with its comparatively large forest area. The large Maunalei gulch on the 

 north side contains the one permanent stream of water ; in 1894 the forest on its sides 

 had already been destroyed by wild goats, so that it was difficult and dangerous to 

 descend into the upper parts of the valley from above, since, in climbing down, the 

 bare rocks and earth were easily dislodged both by the climber and by the numerous 

 flocks of startled goats. 



Maui, Plate VI, a large island with an area of 728 square miles, lies east of 

 Lanai and Molokai and is separated from these islands, at the nearest points, by channels 

 of only about 8 to 10 miles in width. When standing in the mountains of Molokai 

 above Kamalo and looking at West Maui it is quite easy, under favourable conditions 

 of light, to distinguish several of the trees, which are chief components of the forest 

 of the latter, the different colours of their foliage being obvious to the naked eye. 



Maui consists of two geologically distinct islands united into one, the connection 

 being a sandy isthmus. The west division is much older than the larger eastern 

 mountain, but the connection between them does not rise to any considerable height 

 above the sea (about 150 ft.) as compared with the intermediate plateau of the Oahuan 

 ranges. Probably it has never borne more than a scrubby vegetation, and this fact is 

 of importance in considering the means of distribution of species from Haleakala to 

 West Maui and vice versa. 



The highest altitude of West Maui is nearly 5800 ft., Eke with its boggy summit 

 being about 1 200 ft. lower. These high altitudes are usually wrapped in mists and 

 rain ; the ground, mosses and other vegetation are always saturated with moisture, so 

 that, unless under exceptional circumstances, collecting in a general way is almost 

 impossible. The streams issuing from these watersheds have eroded great numbers 



