Notes 071 the Birds of the JVaza?tae Mountains . 47 



The site chosen was in a stunted Ohia growing in rather open scrub 

 on the mountain side at an elevation of from 1800 to 1900 feet 

 above the sea. It was seven feet up from the ground in a vertical 

 crotch. The outside diameter of stru(5lure is about three inches ; 

 the diameter of the bowl is 1.75 in., with a depth of about 1.25 in. 

 The coarser materials used in the outside of the nest are the soft 

 blades of the Pili grass. The lining is made up of fine rootlets 

 together with the silky fibre (Pulu) which is gathered from a large 

 tree fern. Another nest, taken at about the same altitude from an 

 Ohia tree, thirty feet up from the ground, agrees with the nest 

 just described in size, shape and material, with the exception that 

 some Pili grass stems have been introduced into the lining. A 

 dilapidated nest was taken on January 30. It was found in the 

 open scrub, five feet or more from the ground. P'ebruar}' 27 a 

 nest was taken from thirty feet up in an Ohia tree which agrees 

 closely with the foregoing specimens. Later in the day on the 

 last mentioned date a most interesting and unique nest was col- 

 ledled. It was placed in a large fern, down close to the stem and 

 within a foot of the ground. The plant which held this specimen 

 was growing at some 2500 feet elevation on the verj^ top of a ridge 

 which was exceedingly narrow and precipitous. The Pili grass 

 which entered into the composition of the nest taken on January 

 28 was here replaced by a judicious use of moss, but the bulk of 

 the material was pulu. Though I saw nothing of the parent birds 

 I am satisfied that this is the nest of C. chloris. 



These birds frequent the blooming Koa, as well as Ohia, and 

 are usually found in loose flocks from four to six in number, On 

 alighting in a tree they go industriously to work looking it over 

 for inse(5ls. This operation only requires a few minutes. When 

 the)^ have exhausted the food possibilities of the tree in question 

 they will all take wing at a call note from their leader and fly away 

 to another tree and there continue their feeding. They seem to 

 prefer to feed among the smaller terminal twigs of the Koa, though 

 specimens were colledled from all the various species of trees com- 

 mon in the mountains, and not infrequently they were found in 

 quite low scrub and bushes. Just at this season of the year they 

 seem to be unusually quiet, rarely uttering more than a faint occa- 

 sional tswe-et. 



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