Sandwich-Island Birds. 189 



1889, and I here need only give a brief summary of the chief 

 facts. I found each of the islands of Hawaii and Kauai to 

 be inhabited by two distinct species, a large one and a small 

 one, and obtained examples of all four; while I have ascer- 

 tained that the island of Oahu also had two other species, spe- 

 cimens of which I have examined, though I myself did not 

 meet with a single bird of the genus there, owing, no doubt, 

 to the destruction of the forests on that island. These six 

 species are as follows : — 



1. H. obscurus (Gmel.).~) u 



v . . 5- Hawaii. 



2. H. olivaceus (Lair.). J 



3. H. lichtensteini, mihi. ") ^ , 



4. H. lucidus, Licht. J 



5. H. stejnegeri, mihi.") ^ 



6. H. hanapepe, mihi. J 



Of which nos. 2, 4, and 6 may be regarded as belonging to 

 the subgenus Heterorhynchus. All the birds of this genus 

 are very shy and difficult of approach, and consequently my 

 notes on their habits are meagre; but as no observations of 

 the kind seem to have been ever made before, my own will 

 be almost like the breaking of new ground. I propose to 

 treat of these species according to what seems to be their 

 affinity, and begin with No. 1 of the above list, which, as it 

 happens, is also the species which has been known for the 

 longest time : indeed Latham's type specimen, procured on 

 Cook's third voyage, when the Sandwich Islands were first 

 discovered, still exists in very decent condition in the Liver- 

 pool Museum, and through the kindness of Mr. T. J. Moore 

 I have been able to compare it with my own specimen obtained 

 over one hundred years later. 



9. Hemignathus obscurus. 



Hookbilled Green Creeper, Latham, Synops. i. p. 703. 



Certhia obscura, Gmelin [ex Latham). 



This is the larger of the two species peculiar to the Island 

 of Hawaii, where it occupies the lower forest-zone, say from 

 1100 to 2500 feet, among the large ohia trees. It invariably 

 chooses a rotten or half-dead tree for its hunting-ground, and 



