438 Rev. S. J. Whitmec on Samoan Birds. 



7. MyzoMELA NiGRivENTiiiSj Pcalc. Tolui-ulu. 

 Common near the coast on all the islands. I have not seen 



it far inland. It frequents the trees about the villages. On 

 several occasions one has come inside my house ; but when it 

 enters a house, I believe it is to take refuge from the pugi- 

 listic Ftilotls carunculata, which may frequently be seen 

 chasing it. The male is one of our most showy birds. I 

 have never yet succeeded in obtaining its nest and eggs. 



8. Ptilotis carunculata (Gmel.). Jao. 



One of our most common birds. Most abundant near the 

 coast and about dwellings. It is a very lively bird, and a 

 desperate fighter. It chases birds of any size. I have men- 

 tioned the Eudynamis and the Myzomela as being chased by 

 it. I once had a Cacatua galerita which was greatly tor- 

 mented by this bird. I have also obtained living examples 

 of the Sturnoides atrifusca (a very powerful and bold bird) 

 and the Ptilonopus fasciatus, which had been driven by the 

 Ptilotis until they sought refuge in a house, or were so 

 much distressed as to be easily caught in the bush. It takes 

 great delight in tantalizing cats, as I have often observed to 

 my amusement. Although a honey-sucker, it by no means 

 feeds exclusively on nectar. I see it every day searching the 

 orange-trees and the shrubs in my grounds for caterpillars, 

 spiders, &c., and have seen it eat very large caterpillars. The 

 nest of this bird is pretty weU represented in Hartlaub and 

 Finsch's work (pi. i. fig. 1) ; but the egg (pi. i. fig. 2) is incor- 

 rectly coloured : the ground should have a deeper red tinge, 

 and the spots should be much more sparsely distributed. 



9. Leptornis sAMOENsis, Hombr. Md'oma'o=Mahoniaho. 

 Found throughout the islands, but rarely seen near the 



coast. I know nothing of its nesting. There is a good deal 

 of superstition in the native mind connected with this bird. 

 It has a peculiar wailing kind of cry, which may, under the 

 influence of superstition and fear, be interpreted into language. 

 When travelling in the bush with natives, they have frequently 

 said it was going to rain, because the Ma'oma'o was crying. 

 For my part, I always think the appearance of rain-clouds 



