172 Mr. Scott Wilson on some 



Mauna Kea (13,805 feet), Mauna Loa, and MaunaHualalai 

 — and accordingly the total extent of forest is comparatively 

 small. Most parts of the interior are thickly wooded to an 

 elevation of about 6000 feet, above which the ohia trees 

 {Metrosideros polymorpha) become mere scrub, and other 

 forest-trees disappear entirely. Certain districts, even of the 

 interior, as, for instance, the vast grassy plains of Waimea, 

 have been entirely denuded of wood, partly through the 

 ravages of feral cattle, partly through fires and other causes 

 quite independent of volcanic action, so that the forests 

 occupy at the present time but an inconsiderable extent of 

 this island. Moreover the existing wooded region is be- 

 coming smaller year by year, owing to the countless herds 

 of cattle which roam through its depths and have already 

 so thrown it open that the impenetrable jungle of primeval 

 Hawaii is a thing of the past. It is to be feared that if no 

 check is put to the depredations of these destructive animals, 

 and if trees are not planted to replace the great tracts of 

 mighty giants which, in certain districts, are dying by hun- 

 dreds, the forests of Hawaii will, at no distant date, become 

 a matter of history. I am glad to say that several large 

 land-owners are becoming alive to this danger, notably my 

 friend Mr. W. H. Purvis, who, being an excellent botanist 

 and practical tree-planter, has been one of the first to recognize 

 the extreme danger of allowing this disforestation to go on, 

 and who, by fencing in his lands against cattle, will assuredly 

 by this wise proceeding preserve some part of the forest, and 

 with it its many interesting birds, for the study of naturalists. 

 I feel sure that all intelligent residents will agree with me 

 that these beautiful islands, well named " the Paradise of the 

 Pacific," would lose much of their charm were their native 

 birds, conspicuous for the brilliancy of their plumage, and 

 remarkable from their peculiarities, to be replaced by the 

 noisy Mynah, the pugnacious Sparrow, and the Singapore 

 Dove, all of which introduced species have already obtained 

 a firm footing on the island of Oahu, and now fill its wooded 

 ravines, formerly the home of far rarer and more beautiful 

 species. 



