THE AXTMAT. TJPE OF TITE riROEP. ^?,3 



Still rarer are the vai'ions species of the o-eniis Lnxops or the akepa, wliieh 

 are foxy-red or oraiiye color, according lo the age and the species of the l)ii-d. 

 As they feed chiefly upon the insects secured from tlie foliage of Ihc 1 rces. they 

 are very active little creatures; they resemble the dlive-oreen aiuakihi in 

 habits, and although possessed of a slioi't liiich-lik-c hill, ihcy may readily be 

 mistaken in the treetops foi' their cousins with the sh'iKh-f i-iirxcd beaks. The 

 striking peculiarity of all Ihe species, however, is that the heal^ is not sym- 

 metrical. The tips of the mandibles cross each other in imicii the same 

 fashion as that of the common "crossbill" finches elsewhere. 



The remaining species are too rare to be met with, except by the merest 

 chance, by any one save a professional ornithologist, and even thfii the enthu- 

 siast is often forced to remain for weeks in the wildest mountain forests before 

 even hearing the voice of the species sought, and more tinn s than not the 

 whole effort to see or secure a specimen results in the most depi-essinu' disap- 

 pointment. 



Rare and Extinct Birds. 



Of the species that have been known to inhabit the islands in times ])ast. no 

 fewer than twenty are now so rare in collections, and for years liave been so 

 scarce in the mountains, as to entitle them to have their names entereil on the 

 list of species no longer in existence, or at least bordering on extinction. The 

 Island of Oahu can make the melancholy boast that it has a greater list i>f 

 extinct l)irds, in proportion to the total number of species known from the 

 island, than any other like area ni the world. On Haw^aii the moho ^ has been 

 extinct for years, having been exterminated, it is thought, by the domestic 

 cats that long ago ran Avild. As it was a small flightless rail resembling its 

 cousin on Laysan, it is doubtful if it would have been able to survive the 

 inroad of the more recentlv introduced mongoose, which has been evervwhere 

 merciless in its attack on ground-nesting birds. 



The fine black mamo '•' was brought to the verge of extinction by the Ila- 

 waiians years ago. From its rump the natives secured the rich goklen-yclli>\v 

 feathers used in the making of their feather cloaks, helmets and leis. 



The 0-0 1" likewise Avas driven to the verge of extinction for similar rea- 

 sons. When the mamo became rare the natives began to substitute the yellow 

 feathers growing under the wings of the o-o foi- the i-unip feathers of the 

 former. Though they were not so I'ich in color, they made acceptable sub- 

 stitutes, and as a result these beautiful birds are now practically all gone on 

 Hawaii, while on ]\Iolokai and Kauai the two species belonging to the same 



^ Pi'tDuiIn lu-auddtn. " I) rfp-riin iircifird. ^" Mulm imhih'x. 



(Description of Plate Cotitinued from Opposite Page.) 



4. INIaui Amakihi (ChlorcxJrcpani.s wilsoui) : Maui. •'). Hawaii llalfl.ill (Heterorhi/ttchus wil- 

 sani) : Hawaii. (5. Mamo {Drepanis parifira) : Hawaii, pxtiiict. 7. Alauhiio (Onniui/stin 

 montana) : Laiiai. 8. ChcetoptUa angustipliuna: Hawaii, extinct. !). Loxops rufa: Oahu, ex- 

 tinct. 10. Lnxops ochracea: Maui, becoming quite rare. 11. Oreomystis mavuhitu: Oahu. 

 12. Iilioclacantliis pulnteri: Hawaii, vcrv rare. 



