38 Director" s Annual Report. 



have spent much time by the sea. When heavy seas were run- 

 ning I have been perfectly astonished at the rapidity with which 

 they followed up the retreating waves, gathering up the dainty 

 bits of food cast up, and judging with perfect accuracy how far 

 they could follow down the rocks in safety before the next wave 

 came on. They are a wary bird and difficult to approach. One 

 has to advance when they are busy feeding, and "freeze" — i.e., 

 be perfedlly motionless — when the}' are looking until they fancy 

 ■one is a rock, their power to discriminate their enemies being less 

 than that of the native land birds. When alarmed they fly up with 

 a cry like U-1-i-l-i, uttered in a voice clear as a bell. 



During the winter months these birds can usually be found 

 singly or in pairs along any rocky portion of this coast, being about 

 as common here as they are on the west coast of the United States 

 or AlavSka. Three specimens were taken in the vicinity of Wai- 

 manalo December 23, and one at Heeia January 3. These were 

 all in winter plumage and showed no signs of the barred breast 

 markings. The nasal groove w^as two-thirds as long as the culmen. 

 Length, 12; wing, 7.56; tail, 2.87; tarsus, 1.50; mid-toe and claw, 

 1.33; culmen, 1.63; nasal groove, i.io. 



Order LIMICOL^. Famii.v Charadriidse. 



272a. Charadrius fulvus, Gmel. Kolea. 



Pacific Golden Plover. 



During the past four months, November-March, the Pacific 

 Golden Plover has been very abundant, especially in the rocky 

 pastures, along the seashore, and in the inland valleys, to an ele- 

 vation of 200 feet. On December 21a walk of three miles, in the 

 vicinity of Kaliuku, resulted in seeing 205 of these birds by aclual 

 count ; they were scattered about singly or in groups of three or 

 four. These birds have a clear whistled note which changes to an 

 entirely different and rapid alarm cry as they take to their wings. 

 I have frequently decoyed them by throwing my hat in the air. 

 About nightfall the plovers come in bands to feed by the shallow 

 ponds and sloughs near the shore, a habit that results in the de- 

 struction of hundreds of birds by Still Hunters. 



December 21 eleven specimens were shot along the northern 

 shore of the island in the vicinity of Kahuku. Nine of these were 

 males in characteristic winter plumage, showing no black on the 



