IN TROD UCTION """'' "^ | ^ xxxiii 



the wet-belt, where heavy rain fell almost every day, to the higher and drier forest of 

 4000 ft. and upwards, and to the summit of Hualalai. The winter months of 1892 — 

 1893 were spent almost entirely on the western slopes of the Northern end of the 

 Koolau range of Oahu, where the forest-belt was more extensive than elsewhere. This 

 part of the range appears to me to be decidedly inferior for general collecting as com- 

 pared with the Honolulu end, at any rate during so wet a winter as was this one, but 

 here, if anywhere, there seemed to me to be a chance of meeting with certain birds, of 

 which it was specially desired that specimens should be obtained. However, neither 

 the 'Oo,' Acmlocei'ais apicalis, nor the species of Heniignathus and Heterorhyncluis 

 peculiar to the island and obtained by early collectors in the first half of last century, 

 were to be found, either by myself or other ornithologists, and it may be that they had 

 already become extinct there. This, with perhaps one or two exceptions, was as unsuc- 

 cessful a collecting e.xperience, as I ever met with. 



In May 1893 ^ crossed over to Molokai and, the west half of the island being 

 practically forestless, camped on the southern slope of the forest-bearing end, near the 

 middle of the island. All animal life seemed abundant after my experience on Oahu. 

 Common species of birds were plentiful, though not in the extraordinary numbers 

 observed on Hawaii, and of course all the Mollusca and most of the insects were new to 

 me. This was a very wet summer in the mountains, and for the first six weeks there 

 was hardly a day without long and heavy rains in the woods a few miles behind my 

 camp, and when it was not actually raining, these were mostly enveloped in thick fog", 

 through which objects were visible only for a short distance. In spite of this, collecting 

 was good. After a time I pitched a tent in the midst of the highest boggy forest near 

 the back ridge of the mountains. From my different camps I was able to get to Kalae 

 on the west, where I also made a short stay, to the valley of Waikolu, and down into 

 the deep valley of Pelekunu, where I stayed for a time in the then native village on the 

 windward coast. It was not till the autumn that I was able to leave Molokai, owing 

 to the large amount of time spent in securing the rarer birds. And here I should 

 state, that not only on Molokai, but elsewhere the scarce birds are without doubt 

 difficult to get even in moderate series. I should consider that, both on Molokai and 

 other islands, at least half of my whole collecting time was taken up in acquiring 

 those that I obtained. For some of these birds it was necessary to be continually 

 on the watch, and even then, and in the best localities, it was quite possible to spend 

 weeks without seeing, or even hearing, a single individual. For this reason, until I 

 had secured my specimens, I never dared to go about unhampered with gun and other 

 necessaries for bird-collecting, even though I was specially in search of insects. 



When it is considered how small and well-hidden are most of the latter, it will be 

 easily understood that the many days spent specially in search of rare birds, for which 

 both sight and hearing need to be kept constantly strained, did not result in a great 

 accumulation of entomological specimens. 



F. H. I. e 



