First Impressions of Hawaiian Birds 123 



ings and along the roads, lives the Amakihi, a small greenish bird which 

 finds its insect food among the foliage. It has a characteristic upward 

 tilt to the tail, somewhat like our Titlark. The Amakihi, too, is fond 

 of nectar by wa}^ of dessert, and in many ways it is a very interesting 

 species. I must pass it by with the statement that of all Hawaiian 

 birds the Amakihi, in habits and motions, most nearly resembles our 

 Wood Warblers. Oddly enough, its song is a faint, simple trill, which 

 recalls the song of our Pine Warbler. Go where you will in the 

 Hawaiian woods, if one of these little birds is not visible, one has but 

 to squeak a few times, when a pair appear with answering notes, full 

 of curiosity as to the nature of your business. 



The ieie vine has a spike of nutritious seeds, which form the chief 

 food of the Ou, the thick bill of which, developed, no doubt, chiefly 

 for the purpose of extracting these same seeds, together with its yellow 

 head and green plumage, always inspires the stranger with the idea that 

 the bird belongs to the Parrot family. In fact, Latham, its first his- 

 torian, called it the Parrot-billed Grosbeak! The trim, finch-like shape 

 of the Ou, and its beautiful plumage, are enough to inspire regard in 

 the breast of any bird observer, but the Ou possesses an even stronger 

 claim to affection, for it is the most beautiful songster of the Hawaiian 

 forest. The song is unmistakably fringilline in character, and so much 

 resembles the Canary's, that it is the generally received opinion among 

 the settlers that the forest is full of escaped cage-birds ; yet in purity, 

 sweetness and power the song of the Ou far surpasses the Canary's best 

 efforts. Unfortunately the Ou, as a rule, is not very generous with its 

 song, and too often the listener has to be content with snatches of 

 melody in place of the finished performance. Yet I remember on one 

 occasion to have heard more than a dozen males singing in a small 

 patch of woods for at least an hour, and the chorus was worth going 

 far to listen to. 



The Ou has a soft, plaintive call, much like a Goldfinch's, which 

 can be imitated so closely as to always elicit a response if an Ou is 

 within hearing. More than once I have called down a passing party 

 from mid-air to a perch in low trees. Often, too, when quietly resting 

 in the forest, I have sent forth the soft call -note of the Ou at a 

 venture, to be instantly answered, and to find myself in the midst of a 

 party of these birds which, unnoticed, had been quietly feeding in the 

 trees overhead. While the fruit of the ieie forms the chief food of the 

 Ou, the bird is fond, also, of several kinds of berries, especially of 

 mamaki berries, of bananas, and even of guavas. Such a varied fare 

 leads to the belief that this beautiful songster might be domesticated in 

 the warmer portions of the United States. It may be doubted, how- 

 ever, if the bird would be welcomed by the fruit-grower, as cherries. 



