514 MacCauGHEy: GUAVAS OF HAWAIIAN ISLANDS 
of wild and domestic live-stock and birds. The Chinese dove 
(Turtur chinensis), mynah bird (Acridotheres tristis), rice bird 
(Carpodacus mexicanus obscurus), sparrow (Passer domesticus), 
Chinese reed-warbler (Trochalopterum canorum), and other intro- 
duced birds, as well as the steadily decreasing indigenous birds, all 
feed freely upon the guavas, and disseminate them to the most 
remote regions. The wild swine, goats, sheep, and cattle also 
feed upon the fruits, and assist in the distribution of these 
ubiquitous plants. Numerous insects, especially of the Orthop- 
tera, gnaw holes in the ripening fruit, and devour the pulpy 
interior. | 
As a result of their marked adaptability to local conditions 
the Hawaiian guavas have become serious pests, particularly on 
the arable lands. The wild guava, together with Hawaii’s other 
chief woody pest, the lantana (Lantana Camara L.), occupy 
thousands of acres, to the practical exclusion of indigenous vege- 
tation. The main guava zone is in the lowland area, including 
the valleys, ridges, and foothills, up to an elevation of about 
300 meters. Isolated trees are not uncommon above this level, but 
the great tracts of almost unbroken guava ‘‘scrub”’ lie below it. 
On the islands of Maui and Hawaii, which rise to 3,000 and 4,200 
meters, respectively, the upper limit of the guava scrub is usually 
about 100 meters, but the general proportions of the zones are 
about the same as on the lower islands. 
Land desired for agricultural purposes, that has become over- 
grown with guava scrub, is very difficult to clear. The roots are 
so deep, tough, and interwoven that their removal necessitates 
arduous hand labor; they cannot be plowed up by ordinary 
methods. Moreover, the roots are so long-lived, even when cut 
into fragments, and sprout so freely, that every piece must be 
removed from the soil if the clearing is to be permanent. In 
hurried or careless clearing of the land, when many roots are left, 
they quickly send up vegetative shoots and again take possession 
of the soil. So laborious is the clearing of guava-land that the 
usual contract price, in the vicinity of Honolulu, is from fifty to 
one hundred dollars per acre, varying with the density of the ‘ 
scrub and the stoniness of the land. : 
On side-hills and valley slopes and other waste land that has 
