8o Director's Annual Report. 



It is remarkable that the nesting habits of this bird, which has 

 in times past been common on all the islands of the group and has 

 been so generally colle(5led and studied, should as j-et remain en- 

 tirely unknown. 



Moho bishopi (Roths.). 



After two months in the forest of the island, I have no hesi- 

 tancy in pronouncing the Bishop Oo a very rare bird. During that 

 time not a specimen was secured, nor was I able to hear so much 

 as a sound that could be even attributed to it. This is the more 

 remarkable since we know that its characteristic call can be heard 

 in the forests, especially in the more favorable districts — as at the 

 heads of the great valleys mentioned — for a half mile or more. 



My disappointment at not securing this species was most keen. 

 However, as the Museum received but three imperfect specimens 

 as its third share of the collecftion made by Mr. Perkins, I feel 

 sure the species was at that time (September and August, 1893) by 

 no means common. Since the above date it has certainly very ap- 

 preciably decreased in numbers, as Mr. Munro and I are ready to 

 testify. The requirements of the Museum's exhibition and study 

 series, no less than my desire to see and study the l)ird alive, nerved 

 me to put forth ever}' effort to discover its whereabouts. No pains 

 were spared in making a thorough examination of every locality 

 suited to its habits, as well as every place where it had been merely 

 reported as having been seen in recent times. As a result, the 

 wildest and most dif^cult parts of the island forests were visited, 

 not once, ))ut repeatedly. On several occasions a night or more 

 was spent, sleeping in the open, in the centre of promising locali- 

 ties not to be reached otherwise, in the hope of hearing, if possi- 

 ble, the call of the Oo either in the late afternoon or earl}' morning. 

 Feeding grounds where the bird was reported to have lieen seen 

 ''in small flocks" a few months before, were revisited, usually 

 accompanied by the persons reporting the observation, with the 

 uniformly discouraging result. Virgin forest, unfrequented by 

 man or beast, was traversed to no avail. Many hours were spent 

 in silently watching and listening in places, where according to 

 the oldest natives and even those of the present generation, birds 

 were formerly to be met with, almost always on even the most 

 casual day's ramble in the woods. Its feeding grounds among the 



[170] 



