188 Mr. Scott Wilson on some 



which looks a mere dot in the landscape, so far is it below 

 us. We followed the path a little higher, where it becomes 

 very steep, and the rich light-yellow soil is very slippery 

 from here to the top of the mountain ; the ohia and other 

 trees are here of considerable size, but we could neither hear 

 nor see any birds. However, at a point called Lanaihale, on 

 our return journey, I caught sight of a bright yellow bird in 

 an ohia bush, a few yards down the side of the gulch : I put 

 my gun instantly to my shoulder and fired, down came the 

 bird ; F. and I scrambled down the gulch, and fortunately 

 found it. Its breast was of a brilliant yellow, far brighter in 

 tint than the plumage of any other species I have as yet 

 obtained ; its legs and bill were a light pink ; in dissecting it 

 I found some small larvae." 



No words of mine can convey an idea of the difficulties 

 and dangers of collecting in the mountains of Lanai, diffi- 

 culties due to the almost impenetrable bush which covers 

 the mountain-plateau, to the fogs which render riding ex- 

 tremely dangerous, and to the rains which make the nearly 

 perpendicular mountain-trails dangerous even to a sure-footed 

 Lanai horse. Indeed, hardened as I was to ei steep bits " in 

 my island travels, I must confess that the first trip we made 

 into these mountains surprised me. I must here mention 

 that the discovery of this interesting species is due to the 

 kindness of my friend Mr. Henry Gibson, in kindly acting 

 as our guide on our explorations of these mountain-regions, 

 and also to Mr. Jesse Moorhead's unvarying kindness to me 

 during a stay of some weeks' duration under Mr. F. H. Hav- 

 selden's hospitable roof. 



Genus Hemignathus. " Akihiloa." 



Thanks to the authorities of the Museums of Liverpool and 

 Berlin, I have been able to demonstrate, I think indubitably, 

 the existence of six perfectly distinct species of this remark- 

 able genus in place of the two, or at most three, which had 

 been before recognized. The paper containing my remarks 

 on the subject was printed in 'The Annals and Magazine of 

 Natural History ' (ser. 6, vol. iv. pp. 400-402) for November 



