78 HAWAIIAN BIRDS. 



BUBONID^. OWL FAMILY. 



Asio accipitrinus sandwichensis (Bloxam). Pueo. Short-eared 

 Owl. 



That the pueo must have been long a resident of the islands is 

 evident both because the bird is diffused throughout the entire 

 group and because it figures prominently in Hawaiian folk-lore^ 

 the bird being formerly worshipped as a God, one of the poe akua 

 mana. 



The following is a fair specimen of the animal myths current in 

 ancient Hawaii, and illustrates the place held by the owl in Ha- 

 waiian mythology:* 



"There lived a man named Kapoi, at Kahehuna, in Honolulu, 

 who one day went to Kewalo to get some thatching for his house. 

 On his way back he found some owl's eggs which he gathered to- 

 gether and brought home with him; in the evening he wrapped 

 them in ti leaves and was about to roast them in hot ashes when 

 an owl perched on the fence which surrounded his house and called 

 out to him, "O Kapoi ! give me my eggs." Kapoi asked the owl,. 

 "How many eggs had you?" "Seven eggs,'' replied the owl. 

 Kapoi then said, "Well ! I wish to roast these eggs for my sup- 

 per." The owl asked the second time for its eggs and was. 

 answered by Kapoi in the same manner. Then said the owl, "O 

 heartless Kapoi! why don't you take pity on me? Give me my 

 eggs." Kapoi then told the owl to come and take them. 



The owl having got the eggs told Kapoi to' build up a heiau- 

 (temple), and instiructed him to make an altar and call the temple 

 by the name of Manua. Kapoi built the temple, as directed ; set 

 kapu days for its dedication and placed the customary sacrifice on 

 the altar. 



News spread to the hearing of Kakuihewa, who was then King 

 of Oahu, living at the time at Waikiki, that a certain man had 

 kapued certain days for his heiau, and had already dedicated it. 

 This King had made a law that whoever among his people should 



*From the Hawaiian Annual for 1892. 



