First Impressions of Hawaiian Birds 121 



bare rock they la^' their eggs, and from their dim recesses the baby Noddy 

 catches its first ghmpse of the outer world through the mist of the breakers 

 as they thunder beneath it. The Noio is extremely sociable and is always 

 found in large colonies, which live together in the utmost harmony. 



In holes far up the faces of the same cliffs nests the Tropic Bird, the 

 Koae of the natives. Only occasional glimpses of the Koae are caught, 

 as singly or in pairs they wing their way along the cliffs or oceanwise for 

 food. Several pairs of this fine bird have always nested in the cliffs on 

 the west side of Kilauea, and from the Volcano House the birds may 

 often be seen, floating idly in the air or actively chasing each other in 

 play over the pit. 



No one unfamiliar with such a solitary coast as Hawaii can realize 

 how greatly the charm of the seaside is enhanced by the presence of birds. 

 It may, at least, be claimed for Hawaii that its desert shores are not the 

 result of man's act. In the way of sea birds Nature has been as prod- 

 igal to America as she has been niggardly to Hawaii. But the teeming 

 shores of the mainland have been stripped of Tern and Gull, Pelican and 

 Grebe to satisfy man's greed and woman's caprice. It is to the deep 

 and turbulent waters offshore, to the absence of inshore shoals, and to 

 the general lack of suitable nesting grounds that must be attributed the 

 general absence of waders and sea birds around the island of Hawaii. 



But let us leave the coast and its infrequent birds and bend our steps 

 to the forest, where a different experience awaits us. 



The Hawaiian forest is a veritable jungle, and to explore its depths 

 one should employ a native who is skilled in the use of the heavy cane- 

 knife, by means of which a passage is cut through the tangle with sur- 

 prising rapidity. A short time since there was no other way to penetrate 

 the forest, but now it is far easier to follow one of the numerous trails 

 that pass from the infrequent road to the coff^ee clearings, far within the 

 woods. Many of these have been ferned, that is, have been paved with 

 the trunks of tree ferns halved and laid down for walks, along which 

 the observer may pass swiftly and with noiseless steps. Let us suppose 

 ourselves upon such a trail at an altitude of some two thousand feet. 

 At this height the bulk of the forest proper consists largely of the ohia 

 tree, which attains a height of upward of 100 feet, and supports upon 

 its stalwart trunk and ample branches a whole forest of vines, ferns and 

 berry -bearing shrubs. For so fierce is the struggle for existence in the 

 Hawaiian forest that such plants, and even trees, as are denied a foothold 

 on Mother Karth prc(-mpt a home upon their more fortunate brethren, 

 and thus each tree perforce has to furnish standing room for a whole 

 plant colorn . 



In some localities at an altitude of about four thousand feet a beautiful 

 acacia, the well-known and highly prizeil koa of the natives, largely replaces 



