110 Dr. O. Finscli^s Ornithological 



the slightest idea that four years afterwards I should be in' 

 the happy position of visiting this fine island myself, and 

 should be able to make some small contribution to its 

 avifauna. 



Leaving Coquille harbour in Kushai (Strong Island) on 

 the 29th of February, the ' Francisca ' reached Ponape on 

 the 2nd of March, and cast anchor in the fine harbour of 

 Jamestown, in sight of the rocky island Tokoiti, one of the 

 most beautiful spots on the north coast. To the description 

 of the island given in my paper (/. s. c), I may add that its 

 appearance from the sea is not so picturesque as Kushai ; 

 the mountains have not the sharp peaks so remarkable in 

 Kushai, and therefore do not appear so high, although in 

 reality they exceed in altitude those of Kushai. Otherwise 

 the islands are similar, as regards their volcanic formation 

 and their vegetation. The whole island of Ponape is covered 

 with dense woods, which makes it almost impossible to reacli 

 the interior without the assistance of a great number of men. 

 Notwithstanding these similarities, and although the distance 

 between the two islands is not very great (being only 300 

 miles), the avifaunas show considerable differences, which are 

 not entirely due to the greater size of Ponape, which island 

 is nearly three times as large as Kushai. While Kushai has 

 only twenty-two species of birds, three of which are peculiar 

 to the island, Ponape has thirty-two species, six being pecu- 

 liar, viz. Trichoglossus rubiginosus, Zoster ops ponapensis, 

 Myiagra pluto, Rhipidura kubaryi, Volvocivora insperata, and 

 Aplornis pelzelni, none of which, except Zosterops, is con- 

 generically represented on Kushai. Are not these facts 

 rather strange and difficult to explain ? We ask in vain 

 why there is no Parrot, no Halcyon, or Muscicapine birds to 

 be found in Kushai ; and we are still less able to answer this 

 question when we find that the geological, Jbotanical, as well 

 as the whole physical character of Kushai is just the same, 

 and that these birds consequently could live on either island. 

 On the other hand, we may ask why some small birds, with 

 little power of flight, such as Erythrura trichroa, do live on 

 both islands, and why Zosterops semperi, wanting on Kushai, 



