320 NATURAL HISTORY OF HAWAII. 



Australia and China and on various Pacific islands. Like its neighbors, it is 

 (|iiite fearless and is ahvays bnsy. Tlicy often l)reak into a sweet, strong, 

 melodious warble, that seems ((uite out of place on a low. hot sand island: the 

 song- being entirely out of proportion to the size of the bird. 



The remaining species peculiar to the island is the Laysan honey-eater. 

 It is an island form of the apapani, a related species that is common in the 

 forests of the higher islands of the group. It is a small bird, red in color, that 

 so clearly resembles its better known relative as not to require description 

 here. While not so abundant as the other species just mentioned, theii- bright 

 scarlet plumage renders them more conspicuous. Like their cousins, they are 

 especially fond of the nectar of Howers, and their long, slender, curved bills 

 and tub(^-like tongues make it an easy matter for them to drink the sweet fluid 

 from the blossoms of the Portulaca that grows abundantly al)out the edge of 

 the lagoon. They are also fond of insects and nudve many a meal from the 

 large grey millers on the island. They are most regular in their habits, return- 

 ing hour after hour and day after day to the same bush or flower to search 

 for food. 



A number of years ago the Laysan rail was liberated on ^Midway Island, 

 where it has established itself in a thriving colony. The Laysan canary has 

 also been introduced on Midway and has found conditions there entirely suit- 

 able to its habits. In 1909 ]Mr. D. Morrison purchased a ]iair of the common 

 yellow canaries-" in Honolulu and soon after liberated their young on ^lidway. 

 They have increased in numbers until it was estimated that there Avere more 

 than a thousand birds on the island by the end of the nesting season of 1914. 

 They are sweet songsters, and althougli not (juite so friendly as the Laysan 

 finch, they will feed with a person standing within a yard of them. The 

 future of this colony will l)e followed with much interest 1)y those who are 

 interested in the introduction and naturalization of song and game Iflrds, since 

 it furnishes an excellent example of a species returning to its natural wild 

 habits after centuries of conflnement and artificial breeding and feeding. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

 BIRDS OF THE MARSH. STREAM AND SHORE. 



Moi'c tluin half of the complete list of ])irds i-eeorded as occurring in the 

 Hawaiian group are shore and water hii-ds. Tbis pai-t of the fauna includes 

 resident sjjeeies, regular winter migrants, and a considerable list of occa- 

 sional or accidental visitors. As those si)ecies that are met with in Hawaii 

 (mly at irregular intervals are seldom seen and cannot be expected to con- 

 tribute much to the numerical strength of the meager bird population, the 

 present chapter deals only with the more common forms. 



We have observed in an earlier chai)ter that the city as well as the 



"'' Fr:in(iHI(i ranaria. 



