182 Mr. Scott Wilson on some 



the contrast of its deep black wings and tail. It is a bird 

 well known to every Hawaiian, owing to its attractiveness of 

 colour, but still more from the fact that its breast-feathers 

 were largely used in the fabrication of the famous feather 

 capes and helmets of ancient times, which were worn only 

 by the chiefs, and thus its name " Iiwi " occurs in many 

 an ancient tale of Hawaiian chivalry, and in their " meles " 

 or songs, which every native loves so well to chant. 



The immature birds are not so well known to the natives, 

 or are else referred by them to a distinct species called in 

 Hawaiian " Iiwipopolo," an error into which Mr. Dole, in 

 his well-known ' Catalogue of Hawaiian birds/ also falls, 

 describing a young specimen of the present species under 

 the name of Drepanis rosea ; and that he fell into this error 

 is hardly to be wondered at, seeing that the yellowish and 

 spotted plumage of the immature birds is so very unlike that 

 of the adult. The note of the " Iiwi " is a very peculiar 

 one, clear and powerful for so small a bird — ta-weet, ta-weet, 

 ta-wee-ah. The flute-like clearness of this call-note is 

 unsurpassed by that of any other Sandwich-Island species. 



The " Iiwi " has, however, besides this note a somewhat 

 sweet and plaintive song, which I heard on a few occasions, 

 usually soon after sunrise. The call-note first mentioned is, 

 however, by far the most characteristic, and is the most 

 frequently heard. 1 regret to say that I did not obtain the 

 eggs of this bird, but I found a nest which seems to have 

 belonged to it. Perhaps I may as well quote from my notes 

 made at the time (June 10, 1887, Kona, 5000 feet) : — 



" There are a number of stunted ohia trees (Metrosideros) 

 growing right among the clinker beds of a comparatively 

 recent lava-flow, which is as yet destitute of any herbaceous 

 vegetation save for a few ferns growing here and there in 

 the crevices of the lava blocks. These trees are a mass of 

 crimson blossom, and among their branches the Iiwi was 

 in great numbers busily engaged in probing the flowers in 

 search of nectar. We found a nest in one of the small 

 trees, which probably belonged to this bird, as it was the 

 only species we observed in this vicinity ; and this supposi- 



