﻿110 
  iMr. 
  R. 
  C. 
  L. 
  Perkins 
  on 
  

  

  circumstance^ 
  the 
  female 
  probably 
  being 
  a 
  young 
  specimen 
  

   breeding 
  before 
  it 
  had 
  assumed 
  adult 
  plumage. 
  The 
  male 
  

   Avas 
  quite 
  typical. 
  The 
  adult 
  female 
  closely 
  resembles 
  the 
  

   male, 
  but 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  black 
  under 
  the 
  gorge, 
  and 
  I 
  believe 
  

   the 
  feathers 
  there 
  become 
  blacker 
  in 
  the 
  breeding-season, 
  

   just 
  as 
  the 
  hackles 
  of 
  our 
  common 
  Starling 
  lose 
  their 
  white 
  

   tips 
  at 
  this 
  season^ 
  bat 
  the 
  change 
  is 
  less 
  marked 
  in 
  Chasi- 
  

   empis. 
  I 
  have 
  no 
  doubt 
  all 
  the 
  Kona 
  birds 
  belong 
  to 
  one 
  

   species, 
  the 
  rufous 
  birds 
  nearly 
  always 
  having 
  an 
  entirely 
  or 
  

   partially 
  unossified 
  skull. 
  These 
  birds 
  live 
  chiefly 
  on 
  insects 
  

   and 
  their 
  larvae. 
  The 
  insects 
  they 
  often 
  take 
  on 
  the 
  wing, 
  

   their 
  beaks 
  closing 
  with 
  a 
  very 
  audible 
  snap, 
  often 
  nearly 
  as 
  

   loud 
  as 
  the 
  " 
  cracking 
  " 
  of 
  Chloridops. 
  They 
  frequently 
  

   descend 
  to 
  the 
  ground 
  or 
  on 
  to 
  fallen 
  trees, 
  where 
  they 
  get 
  

   wood-boring 
  larvse 
  or 
  small 
  myriapods. 
  With 
  reference 
  to 
  this 
  

   habit 
  I 
  had 
  the 
  following 
  anecdote 
  from 
  a 
  native 
  woman 
  in 
  

   Kona 
  ; 
  — 
  '' 
  Of 
  all 
  the 
  birds 
  the 
  most 
  celebrated 
  in 
  ancient 
  

   times 
  was 
  the 
  Elepeio, 
  and 
  for 
  this 
  reason. 
  When 
  the 
  old 
  

   natives 
  used 
  to 
  go 
  up 
  into 
  the 
  forest 
  to 
  get 
  wood 
  for 
  their 
  

   canoes, 
  when 
  they 
  had 
  felled 
  their 
  tree 
  the 
  Elepeio 
  would 
  come 
  

   down 
  to 
  it. 
  If 
  it 
  began 
  to 
  peck 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  bad 
  sign, 
  as 
  the 
  

   •wood 
  was 
  no 
  good, 
  being 
  unsound 
  ; 
  if, 
  on 
  the 
  contrary, 
  

   without 
  pecking, 
  it 
  called 
  out 
  ' 
  Ona 
  ka 
  ia' 
  ' 
  Sw^eet 
  the 
  fish,' 
  

   the 
  timber 
  was 
  sound. 
  ^' 
  The 
  names 
  Elepeio 
  and 
  Ona 
  ka 
  ia 
  

   (pronounced 
  dnokdid) 
  are 
  both 
  creditable 
  Avord-imitations 
  of 
  

   the 
  cry 
  of 
  Chasiempis 
  under 
  various 
  emotions, 
  here 
  pre- 
  

   sumably 
  of 
  disgust. 
  

  

  Phoiornis 
  obscvrus, 
  though 
  a 
  dull-coloured 
  species, 
  is 
  an 
  in- 
  

   teresting 
  bird 
  and 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  finest 
  songster 
  of 
  any 
  that 
  I 
  have 
  

   so 
  far 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  the 
  islands. 
  Its 
  song 
  somewhat 
  resembles 
  

   that 
  of 
  our 
  Thrush^ 
  but 
  it 
  also 
  utters 
  many 
  curious 
  sounds 
  

   under 
  different 
  emotions. 
  Especially 
  noticeable 
  are 
  a 
  deep 
  

   gruff" 
  single 
  note, 
  and 
  a 
  noise 
  somewhat 
  approaching 
  to 
  a 
  hiss. 
  

   Were 
  it 
  not 
  for 
  Dr. 
  Gadow's 
  investigations"^ 
  I 
  should 
  have 
  

   considered 
  it 
  a 
  close 
  ally 
  to 
  Chasiempis, 
  which, 
  instead 
  of 
  

   developing 
  in 
  colour, 
  lias 
  developed 
  entirely 
  in 
  voice. 
  In 
  

  

  * 
  Cf. 
  'Birds 
  of 
  the 
  Sandwich 
  Islauds/ 
  by 
  S. 
  B. 
  ^Vilson 
  and 
  A. 
  II- 
  

   Evans, 
  part 
  ii. 
  

  

  