I 



8 1 o The Sparrow-like Birds 



be checked, most of them must be pushed to the wall. Another cause tending 

 to their decrease has been their destruction at the hands of the natives. A few 

 of them possess bright feathers which were formerly used in decorating cloaks, 

 arm- and head-bands, etc., and as each bird bore but a very small number, it 

 was necessary to sacrifice a great many. The ruling class among the natives 

 exacted a "feather tax," and so difficult was it to procure them even then that 

 it sometimes occupied several generations in securing a sufficient number to 

 manufacture a single garment. These cloaks were looked upon as of almost 

 priceless value, and among the ethnological collections of the U. S. Na- 

 tional Museum is such an one, said to be valued at one million dollars. Origi- 

 nally the birds were caught by snaring or "liming," and although the catchers 

 were expressly enjoined to pluck out the bright feathers and liberate the bird 

 otherwise uninjured, it is improbable that this was usually done; with the advent 

 of firearms the destruction was made certain and complete. Almost all of 

 them had distinctive native names, given in imitation of their notes. 



As these birds inhabit the all but impenetrable forests, it is extremely difficult 

 to observe them, with the result that little is known of their general habits and 

 practically nothing of their nidification. Some feed on insects which they seek 

 among the branches and leaves, among the flower clusters, or in the crevices 

 of the bark; some feed largely on nectar and others almost entirely on berries 

 and fruits. 



Akioloa. In the genus Hemignathus, already mentioned as the one in 

 which the much-curved upper mandible is nearly twice the length of the lower 

 one, the best-known species is the Akioloa (H. obscums), a bird six and a half 

 inches long, bright olive-green above and dull olive-green below, with a stripe 

 above the eye of gamboge-yellow and the lores black. This rare bird, once 

 common to several islands, is now confined to the island of Hawaii, where it 

 inhabits the deep forests. It has stout legs and sharp claws and it runs rapidly 

 over the larger limbs and seeks its food of grubs, beetles, and their larvae among 

 the dense tangles of ferns and mosses. Of the three other species in the genus 

 one rests on a single specimen, another is believed to be extinct, and the other 

 is extremely rare. 



Amakihi. One of the commonest and most widely distributed of the island 

 species is the Hawaii an Amakihi (Chlorodrepanis virens), which is oil-green 

 above and greenish yellow below; its length is four and a half inches. It is 

 very fond of nectar, especially of the imported nasturtium and banana, but it 

 also feeds on minute insects, which it searches for almost entirely on the leaves. 

 It has a low but sweet trilled song and builds a cup-shaped nest of roots and 

 bark, lined with rootlets. Another genus furnishing a number of common 

 Creeper-like birds is Oreomystis. Thus the Kakawahie, or literally "fire-wood" 

 (O . Jlammea), is a beautiful species, being nearly pure scarlet throughout. 



Mamo. The most celebrated member of the group was the Mamo (Dre- 

 panis pacifica), since its feathers were more highly prized than those of any other, 

 being "dedicated solely to the services of the higher chiefs." The general 

 color is a glossy black, with the exception of the rump, upper and under tail- 



