96 



BIRDS OF KAUAI ISLAND, HAWAIIAN ARCHIPELAGO. 



outer edges of the secondaries crimson, while the two others have 

 them yellowish biift", which color also ed^es the two outer great coverrs. 

 This may indicate somewhat younger birds, although I am more in- 

 clined to think that they are females, and that the bird described by 

 Mr. Sharpe (Cat. B, Brit. Mus., X, p. 9) as an adult female is really only 

 in transition plumage. 



The ashy under wing-coverts seem to be a character which may sep- 

 arate the present species in most of its plumages from allied species. 



Mr. Knudsen expresses his belief that the Apapane feeds exclusively 

 on flower honey, but Dr. Finsch (Ibis, 1880, p. 80) states that he only 

 found small seeds in their stomachs. 



Measuremeiits. 



? Himatione chloris Cab. 



Auoaiiii. 

 1850. — Himatione chloris Cabanis, Mus. Hein., I, p. 99. 



1853. — Himatione flava Reichenbach, Handb. Spec. Ornith., II Abth., p. 225 {nee 

 Bloxham). — Pelzeln, .Jonrn. f. Ornith., 1872, p. 28. 



It is with considerable doubt that I apply both the specific and gen- 

 eric term of the above heading for three specimens which are in Mr. 

 Knudsen's collection from Kauai. 



H. chloris is usually referred to R. vlrens of Gmelin (Latham's " Olive- 

 green Creeper"), but I think quite erroneously. Latham's description 

 indicates a bird of essentially the same size and proportions as H. san- 

 guinea, with a bill rather straighter than otherwise. The bill of H. san- 

 guinea he describes as "not very hooked, though bent" (Syn. B., L pt. ii, 

 p. 739) ; that of H. virens,* on the other hand, as '• very little curved " 

 {torn. cit. p. 740). Now, Cabanis says that his H. chloris has the bill 

 "perceptibly more curved" than H. sanguinea {I. c), and v. Pelzeln de- 

 scribes birds from the same collection as Cabanis's as being distinguish- 

 able by their more strongly curved bills {torn, cit., p. 29). Knudsen's birds 

 have the bill not only " perceptibly more curved " than that of H. san- 

 guinea, but quite as much so as that of Vestiaria coccinea ; the concavity 

 of the gonys is even much more arched than the convexity of the culmen 

 of H. sanguinea! The bills of these birds are also much stouter at base 

 than are those of R. sanguinea. As will be seen from the table of dimen- 



* H. virens I take to be the form peculiar to Hawaii, .^Y. Jtava of Bloxhaui beiug a 

 strict synonym. It seems to have the same shape and dimensions as H. coccinea, but 

 the colors of H. chloris. * 



