Sandwich-Island Birds. 187 



of Lanai), at an elevation of about 3000 feet. The brilliant 

 yellow of the underparts of the male caused the late Mr. W. 

 M. Gibson (to whom the greater part of the island of Lanai 

 belonged), in a conversation which I had with him soon after 

 my landing in Honolulu, to refer to this bird as the Canary - 

 like Amakihi, and when I held the freshly-killed male in my 

 hand his accurate description of its brilliant yellow colour 

 made me feel sure I had obtained the bird he had spoken of. 

 As I only obtained two specimens, male and female, and 

 these on the same day and in the same locality, I can say 

 nothing of its habits ; but I may as well quote from my 

 journal some short notes, taken on the spot where we found 

 this species : — 



" 1st June, 1888. — To-day we took two natives, one of 

 them armed with an axe with which to clear the path for us. 

 The day was fine, and the trail by which one ascends to the 

 plateau was consequently in good order, and we arrived there 

 without accident. Here we tied up our horses, and then all 

 of us started down a narrow forest-path, the same which we 

 had followed the day before. For a few hundred yards it is 

 very much overhung with ferns [Gleichenia) and the climbing 

 tree (Freycinetia arborea), and we had to stoop down almost 

 on our knees, which was very tiring work. 



" After this thick bit it becomes opener, owing to the 

 uumber of wild pigs ; and here F. and I, with one of the 

 natives, waited, as it was at this spot that Mr. Gibson had 

 shot some birds the previous day. I was very unlucky in 

 shooting several birds which I could not find : Mr. Gibson 

 soon returned with several birds, but of the same species that 

 I had already obtained in Hawaii. From here we started 

 about 12 o'clock, following the path, to try to make the 

 summit of the mountain. The path soon emerges from the 

 thick scrub and comparatively tall trees on to a plateau, 

 where the scrub only reaches one's knees. From this open 

 plateau we had a magnificent view of the west side of the 

 island, with Molokai and Maui in the far distance, sur- 

 rounded by a bright blue sea. The path then ascends gra- 

 dually till we reach a point overlooking Palawai Valley, 



