248 Henshaw, Miyratio7i of the Pacific Plover. [f^^ 



ago some thousands of Pacific Plover and other species, when 

 following the usual southward migration route along the Asiatic 

 coast in fall were accidentally driven to sea, and that a greater or less 

 number were able to maintain themselves on the wing long enough 

 to make a lucky landfall of the low islands to the northwest of 

 Hawaii, The flight from Japan to the nearest island eastward 

 would involve a flight about as prolonged as that from the Aleutian 

 Archipelago to Hawaii, or some 2000 miles. The chain of low 

 islets once gained, it would be but a question of time for migrants, 

 step by step, to reach the larger islands of Hawaii, 2000 miles 

 or so to the eastward. After wintering, a sufficient number may have 

 essayed the flight back across the ocean to the Asiatic coast the 

 following spring, and then northward to their Siberian breeding 

 grounds with their Asiatic fellows. Having once discovered the 

 islands and learned their suitability as winter quarters, they would 

 no doubt return over the same route, and thus in time establish a 

 regular fly line or migration route from the Asiatic mainland to the 

 islands. Later, as the position of the islands became better known, 

 the part land, part water route would naturally be exchanged for a 

 shorter all water route. It is possible, however, that the old Asiatic 

 route has never been wholly abandoned, and that it is still favored 

 by a certain number of the island migrants; for plover, turnstones, 

 curlew and tatlers have been observed on Laysan, about 600 miles 

 northwest of Hawaii, late in May. These birds were probably 

 about to migrate, but it is of course impossible to tell whether they 

 were headed directly for America or for America via Asia. 



Absence of fog. — The original discovery of the Hawaiian Islands 

 by birds was undoubtedly greatly facilitated by the fact that, al- 

 though fog is common on the mountains at altitudes of 5000 feet 

 and upwards, it never occurs at sea level; and as its absence favored 

 the original avian discoverers so it continues to favor annual 

 migrants. 



Date of discovery of the Islands by American migrants. — As to 

 the length of time the Pacific Golden Plover and its fellow migrants 

 have been visiting the Hawaiian Islands, or when they first dis- 

 covered the group, it were idle to speculate. Their arrival prob- 

 ably antedated by thousands of years that of the Natives, which is 

 supposed to date back only some twenty centuries. Certain of 



