A^o/(S oil tJic Birds of Kauai. 13-^ 



It is not uncoininon to have them approach to within a few feet of 

 one, and after satisfying their curiosity to resume their feeding and 

 calling, so that they are easily studied while alive. They are met 

 with almost invariably in pairs. The ochreous-colored immature 

 birds keeping together and the adult white-rumped ones keeping 

 together, so that we have not yet seen au adult and an immature 

 bird mated. No nests were taken. Everything indicated that it 

 was past the nesting time. An adult was seen feeding a young 

 which was just able to fiv. At another time, April iS, a pair of 

 adults were seen feeding four young w^iich were quite able to fly- 

 however, they were being cared for with as much solicitude as they 

 would have been if the}^ were perfe(5lly helpless. One of the four,, 

 a juvenile female (Mus. No. 9408), was taken, and since there is. 

 no description of this interesting plumage it might be well to note 

 that it more nearly resembles the mature bird than it does the im- 

 mature plumage which intervenes. The plumage all over has a 

 cottony appearance. The sides, top and back of the head are pale 

 ochraceous mixed with brown, and with bluish gra}' bases to the 

 feathers. The throat is white with some buffy markings. The 

 breast whitish with faint smoky and ochraceous markings to most 

 of the feathers. The abdomen is whitish. The back and rump mot- 

 tled with sepia, pale ochraceous and whitish. The wing feathers 

 and coverts are sepia-tipped and narrowly edged with pale ochra- 

 ceous. The tail is dark sepia with whitish tips on the inner web 

 of all but the centre pair of feathers, and with a faint indication of 

 whitish on the outer edge of the outer pair. The bases of the 

 feathers of the bod}- all over are mouse-gray which in life adds 

 much to the adult appearance of the fledgling stage. The feet are 

 bluish; the eye dark hazel, and the upper mandible dark while the 

 lower is quite yellowish. Length 4.75, wing 2.50, tarsus i.oo, 

 culmen .44. Aside from the fledgling just described the series 

 taken is divided into ochraceous immature, and adults, indicating 

 that it requires at least two years to reach the adult plumage. 



Acridotheres tristis (Linn.). False Mina. 

 Common everywhere, ranging to the summit of Waialeale. 



Carpodacus mexicanus obscurus McCall. House Finch. 



''Rice Bird." 



Common on lowlands ; one specimen taken at Kaholuamano. 



Munia nisoria (Temm.). Chinese Sparrow. 



Common in flocks in the valleys. 



Vestiaria coccinea Forster. liwi. 



A fine series was taken in both immature and adult plumage. 

 It seems to require at least two years for the liwi to assume the 

 plumage of the adult. 



