218 ON A NEW GENERIC FORM OF FRINGILLl DiE. [Mar. 20, 



4. On VMoridops, a new Generic Form of FnngilUdoe from 

 tlie Island of Hawaii. By Scott Barchard Wilson. 

 (Communicated by Alfred Newton, V.-P.) 



[Received March 19, 1888.] 



Chloridops', gen. nov. 



Bill short and very thick, with culmen and gonys much arched ; 

 maxilla and mandible nearly equal in height, tomia of the former 

 doubly sinuated and overhanging those of the latter, which are in- 

 flected. 



Nostrils basal, supernal, nearly covered by the frontal feathers, 

 and beset with a few hairs. 



Wings moderate, first primary wanting, fourth sliglitlv longer 

 than third and fifth, which again exceed the second and sixth. 



Tail short, slightly forked, rectrices acuminate. 



Feet moderate. 



Chloridops kona, sp. n. ( c? not procured.) 



2 . Bill dull flesh-colour ; lores dusky black. General colour above 

 bright olive-green, pasting into golden-green on the throat and 

 belly ; across the breast a band of olive-green ; ahdomen whitish ; 

 quill-feathers dusky black, edged outwardly with olive-green. 



Total length .t"75 inches, wing from carpal joint 3'2.5 ; tail 2 ; bill 

 — from gape to tip '8, height from chin to forehead '/S; maxilla, 

 width at base '52 ; mandible, width at base ".tQ. 



I obtained this bird, the only one which I have shot, 2 1st June, 

 1887, at an elevation of .5000 feet in the district of Kona on the 

 west coast of Hawaii, in a great tract of forest, consisting princi- 

 pally of Koa-trees {Acacia koa) ; but there were also the Mamane 

 (Sophora chrysophylla),ih& Alii {Dodoncea viscosa), the Sandalwood 

 (Santalum oUjum), and the Bastard Sandalwood {Myoporum santali- 

 num). I think that as Lo.vioides bailleui feeds only, so far as I 

 know,, on the seeds of the Sophora, it is most probable that this big 

 Finch feeds on them also. During my stay of four weeks I only 

 saw three of these birds. The specimen shot was on a tall Myopo- 

 rum. The species must be extremely rare, as I have since been 

 collecting at almost similar elevations, where there are the same 

 , species of trees, but I cannot obtain there either of these Finches, 

 neither do the natives know them, whence I conclude they are 

 peculiar to the Kona district, as also is Coivus hawaiie/isis. 



The general appearance of this bird is that of an exaggerated 

 Greenfinch {Frint/illa chloris, Linn.). 



' Chloridis faciim hahens. 



