90 Mr. P. L. Sclatev ou the 



wich Islands^ and to tLe presence of a civilized race there, 

 it is much to be wondered at that this investigation has not 

 yet taken place. There can be no doubt, however, that we are 

 still veiy imperfectly acquainted with many branches of the 

 natnral history of the Sandwich Islands, and that there re- 

 mains in this group a most interesting piece of work to be 

 performed by any naturalist who will devote some time to 

 the investigation of the islands, and ascertain exactly what 

 peculiar species are found in each of them, and what are 

 generally distributed throughout the archipelago. 



On the present occasion I have to chronicle three contri- 

 butions made to the avifauna of the Sandwich Islands since 

 1871, each of wliich has added something towards our stock 

 of knowledge on this subject. 



In the ' Bulletin de la Societe Philomathique de Paris ' 

 for ^lay 1877, as already recorded in this Journal"^, M. 

 Oustalet has described a new genus and species belonging to 

 the Hawaian avifauna under the name Lojcioides bailleni. Of 

 this very remarkable type, through the kindness of the autho- 

 rities of the Jai'din des Plantes, who have parted with one of 

 their specimens of it in exchange, I am now enabled to give a 

 figure (Plate II.) . It will be at once observed that Loxioides in 

 general appearance is closely allied to Psittirostra. The form, 

 size, and distribution of colours are similar. When we come 

 to a closer comparison of the skins the result arrived at is 

 the same. The wing-formula is nearly the same in each. 

 There are nine fully formed primaries, of which the first is 

 about equalto the fifth, and the intermediate ones are the longest 

 in the wing. In Psittirostra these three primaries are nearly 

 equal in length ; in Loxioides the second is rather more 

 elongated beyond its fellows. The structure of the feet in 

 the two fonns is also nearly similar, those of Psittirostra 

 being, howevei*, shorter and stouter. The tarsi in both cases 

 are unmistakably Oscinine, and the divisions of the scutes are 

 quite obsolete. In the shape of the bill only, as will be seen 

 by the outlines (a of the bill of Loxioides, and b of that of 

 Psittirostra) given on Plate II., there is considerable diver- 

 * n)i9, 1878, p. 376. 



