some Hawaiian Birds. 127 



shooting. It was thrusting its bill under the wet moss which 

 covered the tree-trunks, in search of insects. I could tell 

 that the long tongue was being darted in and out^ and that 

 so rapidly that it appeared like a liquid streak, the eye not 

 being able to distinguish each separate movement. It had 

 not so silvery an appearance as is familiar in our own Wood- 

 peckers.'^ 



These birds, however, feed mainly on nectar, especially of 

 the blossoms of the tree-Lobeliacese, which depend on some of 

 the native birds for fertilization. The following, as I believe, 

 are the only species capable of performing this act (at any 

 rate as regards the numerous species of Lobeliads that came 

 under my notice) : — AcrulocercuSy Drepanis, Vestiaria, and 

 Hemignathus. Himatione, it is true, also sucks these flowers^ 

 but is even detrimental to the plant, as it pilfers the nectar 

 by boring through the base of the corolla. When ripe the 

 pollen is poured out, on irritation, behind the base of the 

 beak, where the bird's head presses the anthers, and may 

 often be seen adhering as a whitish glutinous mass, almost 

 concealing the feathers. After the flower is fertilized, the 

 blossom splits off, leaving the green hemispherical base, which 

 grows into a yellow fruit with innumerable minute seeds 

 scattered through the pulp. It is sweet, but gritty, and 

 as eagerly devoured by the "Ou^^ [Psittacirostra], and by it 

 the seeds are scattered far and wide. 



Like most other birds, which have been thrust back to the 

 furthest depths of forest, Drepanis is very tame, coming 

 close up out of curiosity, and even perching just overhead, 

 turning its head this way and that to gaze at the intruder. 



The three still existing species of Acrulocercus differ more 

 or less from each other in their habits. A. nobilis on Hawaii 

 usually frequents the loftiest trees, while the Molokai 

 species {A. bishopi) is found in the dense tangled brush of 

 the boggy mountain- tops. This may be largely due to the 

 persecution that the former suffered in past times, from 

 those in quest of the yellow feathers, in which the taxes 

 were paid, to be finally made up into capes, cloaks, and 

 helmets for the chiefs. I could not ascertain that the 



