THE ANIMAL LIFE OF THE ^JROFP. 329 



The Elepaio. 



A list of fifty-six species of living- and extinct passerine birds are all that 

 has been known to exist in the forests of tlie inhabited islands of the gronp. 

 This small list must be further reduced by sixteen species which are now 

 regarded hy ornithologist as extinct. Of the remaining- forty species, which 

 are about equally distributed among the six islands, there are none better 

 known or more commonly met Avith than the Hawaiian flyeatchei', oi' elepaio of 

 the natives. 



Kauai. Oahu and Hawaii still have living species of this fea)-less lilt If 

 brown bird tliat on each island can be recognized at once by its pert air and 

 the saucy cock of its fan-shaped tail. They are common on the mountainside 

 all the way from the sea to well up into the higher levels. WIkmi hidden in 

 the forests they are easily identified by their curious, loud, clear, insistant 

 call — "elepaio,"' which is vai-ied by a kissing noise as well as by a inuiibcf of 

 other whistled notes and calls. 



The elepaio^ is one of the best known of any of the Hawaiian birds. Its 

 nest is a beautiful little structure about two and a half inches in diameter, that 

 in appearance is not unlike that of the hiunming-bird. It is composed of very 

 fine grass, mosses and lichens, and is placed in the fork of a tree, usually but a 

 few feet from the ground. While the elepaio is a bird famous in song and 

 story on all of the islands, and according to David Malo was formerly used for 

 food, it seems not to have been seriously reduced in numbers and still remains 

 the most abundant Hawaiian species. 



The Apapane and Iiwi. 



The species most commonly noted by strangers, however, is the beautiful 

 dark blood-red bird, the apapane- of the natives. It is al)out five and a 

 quarter inches in length and can readily be distinguished from the beautiful 

 scarlet iiwi,^^ which is a slightly larger and more brilliant bird, with llic bill 

 and feet vermilion or at least not black, as is the case with the apapane. 



Both these species of red birds occur in the forest on all the larger inhab- 

 ited islands in favorable localities from near the sea-shore to the u{)pei- limit 

 of the large forest trees, but they are most abundant at from two to four thou- 

 sand feet elevation. Both are eciually fond of nectar, and both frequent the 

 flowering ohia trees. The two species are perhaps the most easily observed by 

 visitors in the vicinity' of the Volcano House on Hawaii. wIutc the pleasant 

 though somewhat monotonous song of the apapane ean be heard fi'om early 

 until late. 



Amakihi 



All the larger islands are inhabited by a small green-and-yellow or olive- 

 green bird ^ with a curved beak, known as Hie amakilii. AVliile thi'y differ 



1 Chasiempis f/ayi = Oahu. C. xrlateri = Kauai, C. sandrirensis = H.iwaii. 

 ^ Himatioiie SfiKi/uiiiea. ^ Vegtiiirin coccinca. * Chlorodrri)n)ii.'< spp. 



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