some Hawaiian Birds. 121 



In the genus Loxops, which contains the smallest of the 

 native birds, the different species have mnchtli3 same habits, 

 and the song, Avhich is short and simple, though sweet, is 

 nearly the same in all. Their call is a plain " kecwit,'^ 

 uttered once or repeated, and is constantly to be heard. 

 They seek their food amongst the leaves, especially at the 

 ends of the branches, more rarely on the limbs themselves. 

 It consists largely of caterpillars and the smaller spiders. 

 They also suck the nectar of the oliia flowers (^Metrosideros) ; 

 tliis I saw them do but rarely, and only two of the species, 

 L. aurea and L. caruleirostris. Most often, when seen 

 amongst the blossoms, they were merely seeking insects, 

 thereby attracted ; but several times I shot specimens with 

 the beak dripping, and on tasting the fluid found it to be, 

 beyond doubt, the nectar of these flowers. 



From the other green birds, their green young and females 

 are readily distinguished, at any height, by their more forked 

 tails, which, combined with their short, thick beaks, give 

 them a very Finch-like aspect. 



The young generally follow the parents (some going with 

 the male, and some with the female), who feed them most 

 assiduously even after they appear well able to shift for 

 themselves. 



The diff'erence in colour of the sexes is very marked, 

 while the male of L. aurea is dimorphic (yellow or red), 

 though with occasional intermediate forms. L. caruleiros- 

 tris of Kauai, so far as colour is concerned, has claim to be 

 considered the primitive form, both sexes largely retaining 

 the green plumage, which only appears in the female and 

 young of the red species on the more southern islands. 



On one occasion I saw a pair of L. aurea building, high up 

 in a tall ohia tree, toward the end of a branch. They came 

 down to the ground for material, stripping off the brown 

 down that covered the young fronds of some stunted "pulu'^ 

 ferns. On another occasion I watched a pair sporting on 

 the wing, now ascending, now descending, but gradually 

 rising upwards till they became mere specks in the sky. It 

 must have been several minutes before they finally alighted 



