I&irli-lore 



A BI-MONTHLY MAGAZINE 

 DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND PROTECTION OF BIRDS 



Official Organ of the Audubon Societies 



Vol. Ill July — August, 1901 No. 4 



First Impressions of Hawaiian Birds 



BY H. W. HENSHA"W 



THE first experiences of the bird lover in the Island of Hawaii are 

 likely to prove disappointing. The towns are enshrouded in trop- 

 ical foliage, which of][ers inviting homes to birds, but the greenery 

 harbors no avian life, save the Mynah and the little Rice Bird, both 

 introduced species. Moreover, the harbors and coast line of Hawaii are, 

 for the most part, almost as barren of native bird -life as the towns. The 

 waters flash in the glorious tropical sunlight; the tidal pools, full of gor- 

 geously colored fish, reflect the tropical vegetation that overhangs them; 

 the sandy and rocky shores stretch invitingly away; everything is present 

 to welcome the birds- — -they alone are absento 



Yet not quite solitary are the shores of Hawaii. Its rocky islets and 

 coasts have proved a magnet strong enough to draw hither as a permanent 

 resident the Wandering Tattler, the Ulili of the natives, whose running 

 note, as he flits from rock to rock, forms a fitting accompaniment to the 

 murmur of the waves as they break against the rocky barriers. I say a 

 permanent resident, for, although the Ulili is not known to breed on 

 Hawaii, the bird never wholly abandons its shores. The greater number 

 leave, presumably for Alaskan breeding grounds, in April, but many remain 

 the year round. The summer residents are the barren birds and such 

 as are still too im.mature to breed, or too weak to essay the long ocean 

 flight. 



Moreover, if the observer lingers along shore till just before dark, or 

 happens to be abroad at daybreak, he will see large flocks of Turnstones, 

 accompanied by a few Plover, as they wing their way from the uplands, 

 where alone they feed. Here, in pastures or on freshly plowed land, 

 or among the sprouting sugar-cane, the birds find an abundant feast of 

 worms and small insects. By destroying vast numbers of insects they do 

 the planter good service, and in turn are protected by him — for upon 



AUG Siyoii 



