164 Hesshaw, Birds of Prey as Ocean Waifs. \a^^\ 



is a powerful flier, like its congeners, and I have little doubt of its 

 ability, unaided, under favorable conditions, to fly from Hawaii to 

 the California coast (about 2000 miles), provided a straight course 

 was maintained — a most unlikely supposition. The chances, 

 however, of an individual actually making this long flight are of 

 course extremely slight. 



In October, 1900, when some 500 miles to the northwest of the 

 Hawaiian Islands, the ' Dhu ' was boarded by an owl, which, from 

 its size and description can have been no other than the Short- 

 eared Owl {Asio accipitri7ius) . The bird alighted in the rigging, 

 and was so fagged as to be easily caught by hand. It was placed 

 in a coop but would eat nothing and died in a week or so. 



The chief point of interest regarding this waif is as to the place 

 it came from. Its proximity to the Hawaiian Islands when it flew 

 aboard the ship may be thought to indicate that it was blown out 

 to sea from one of these, every member of the group being inhab- 

 ited by this species. 



Upon the other hand, the season of the year, the direction of the 

 wind (which was from the northeast), and the evident exhaustion 

 of the bird point to the possibility, if not the probability, that the 

 owl was from the northeast and was of American origin. 



There is little doubt that the owls which originally stocked 

 Hawaii came from America and, although the island residence of 

 the species has been long enough to firmly fix the owl in Hawaiian 

 mythology and even to elevate it to a place in the Hawaiian Pan- 

 theon, it has not sufficed to impress upon it distinctive or varietal 

 characters. 



My own opinion upon this latter point is entitled to but little 

 weight, since I have had no opportunity to directly compare island 

 birds with specimens from the mainland ; but so far as I can judge 

 the island specimens are not distinguishable. In confirmation of 

 this opinion I quote the following remarks of Dr. Stejneger : " The 

 four specimens of Short-eared Owls from the Hawaiian islands be- 

 fore me do not justify the retention of Asio sa?idwichensis as a 

 separate race." (Proc. U. S. Nat. Museum, p. 85, 1887.) Mr. 

 Scott B. Wilson states that this opinion was shared by the late Mr. 

 J. H. Gurney (Birds of the Hawaiian Islands). 



So far as I am aware there is no evidence to show that the owls 



