Report of a Mission to liuani. 57 



ite resorts, where they can always be seen feeding among the 

 blossoms, doubtless attracted by the insedls as well as by the honey 

 and pollen. Their .stomachs were filled with insects, many also 

 containing traces of the coconut honey and pollen. Their size, 

 color and adtions remind one ver\' much of the Apapane ( Himationc 

 sanguinea) of Hawaii. They have a sweet little song of some 

 eight or ten notes, usually to be heard about sunrise. A series of 

 twenty-one specimens was secured, also a number of nests and eggs. 

 The adult female of this bird is well described by Mr. Hartert in 

 Nov. Zool., v., p. 55, but in Id., VI., he makes the statement, 

 "The adult female differs from the male only in the smaller size," 

 which is probably an error, as No. 9551 (Bishop Museum), a sex- 

 ually adult female, as shown by the organs (See carcass No. 1502), 

 is much lighter in color, as well as smaller in size. However, they 

 may breed before they are fully adult. The juvenile males are 

 usually darker than the adult females. Six specimens selected at 

 random give the following measurements: — 



The adult male has the head, neck, breast, back, rump, upper 

 tail coverts, sides and the anterior part of the belly scarlet ; wings, 

 wing coverts, tail, under tail coverts, lower belly, flanks, thighs, 

 .shoulders and under wing coverts blackish brown ; lores dusky. 

 The under coloring of the feathers is dark gray, almost black where 

 it meets the scarlet outer tip of the feather ; feet and tarsus dark ; 

 ej-e dark hazel. The sexually adult female has the shoulders, wings, 

 tail, belly, sides and thighs olive brown. The scarlet coloring on the 

 remainder of the body, head and neck is not so bright or so thick 

 as in the adult male. They are smaller in size than the adult 

 males. The immature males are very much like the females, but 

 are usually a little darker in color and larger in size. The young, 

 Nos. 9466 and 9467, are olive brown above, yellowi.sh on under 

 parts, washed with red on the sides of the fore breast and back ; bill 

 dark, yellowish on the base of lower mandible ; feet and iris dark. 



The nests were neat little cup-like structures of small rootlets, 

 fibre of plants, and wild cotton. ( Fig. 5. ) The internal size, 2 X i .95 

 and 1.25 deep; external, 2X3 and 2 deep. They were usually 

 placed among the outer branches of the wild orange, or Kaman- 

 cheti trees, eight to fifteen feet from the ground. There are usu- 

 ally two eggs in each ne.st. These eggs are white, marked with 

 brownish dots and splotches which are especially thick on the 

 larger end of the &^^. Size .75X.57. Hah. Caroline Islands, 

 Pelew and Marianas Islands. 



