Vol.^XX-j Y\s.YiEK, Birds of Laysan Island. 387 



Laysan Finch. Telespiza cantans IVilsoii. 



The Laysan ' Finch ' is a stocky, independent creature about 

 the size of a Black-headed Grosbeak, and its appearance strongly 

 suggests one of the big-billed finches. The fully adult bird is a 

 light rich yellow, greenish on the back, and a deep brownish on 

 the wings and tail, the coverts and secondaries edged with yel- 

 lowish, and this plumage is not assumed until the individual is 

 over a year old, or perhaps not before the second season. The 

 female is like the male but a trifle duller in tone. Both illustra- 

 tions of Plate XII show the species in the subadult, brownish, 

 streaked feathering, which it will be seen is worn through the 

 first nesting season. 



Telespiza and the next species considered, Hbnatione freethi^ 

 are placed in the Drepanidida:, a family peculiar to the Hawaiian 

 Islands. The differences between these two birds seem great, 

 and in fact about the only common character uniting the many 

 diverse species into the composite family is the peculiar disa- 

 greeable musky scent said to emanate from birds in the flesh. I 

 detected no such odor on either of the Laysan species, but it may 

 have escaped me. The origin of the Drepanidid;ii remains still a 

 sealed book, but their affinities seem to be American. 



We much enjoyed the company of the Laysan Finch. He is a 

 sociable, saucy and fearless fellow, and captivates one by his 

 nonchalant, independent air. We could not walk anywhere with- 

 out encountering them singly and in little companies — the latter 

 being mostly males — diligently searching for food among the 

 bushes or frolicking, toward the center of the island, in open 

 stretches covered with portulaca and a pinkish flowered sesuvium. 

 When disturbed they eye the intruder in an inquisitive, half- 

 doubting manner, and utter their mellow, linnet-like call. If 

 pursued they do not fly far, but escape by running along the 

 ground, or suddenly crouching under a grass tussock. Not 

 infrequently they hopped about the piazza where we were pre- 

 paring specimens, and sought for food beneath the chairs. One 

 day when I was alone and quite still, a handsome male alighted 

 on a table at my elbow and proceeded to explore a large heap of 

 loose papers. He was soon lost in the rustling pile, which he 

 demolished with great energy in his search for novelties. 



