68 Natural History of Fanning’s Group. (February, 
are the kinds of life that we should look upon as being the first 
_ to adapt themselves to the altered condition of things. Unfortu- 
nately we were not able to procure a specimen of either. Our 
stay was so limited (but a part of one day was spent there), 
that we could not make as thorough an examination of the island 
as its interesting nature called for. 
The richest results obtained in our brief visit were in the 
department of ornithology. The lake and peat-bogs were ten- 
anted by a diminutive species of duck of the genus Chaulelas- 
mus. ©. Couesi we have named it, in honor of Dr. Elliot Coues. 
(Bull. Nuttall Orn. Club, vol. i. p. 46, 1876.) This is the 
second species of the genus known to exist. The other, as 
streperus, the common gadwall, is almost cosmopolitan ; the one 
is as restricted in its habitat as the other is wide-spread. The 
markings on the plumage of the two species are almost identi- 
cal; they differ only in size, and in some minor details of bill 
and feet. : 
By far the handsomest of all the feathered tribe of the island 
is a little lory, the Coriphilus kuhli. It belongs to the Poly- 
nesian group of parrots, which are distinguished by the predomi- 
nance of red in their plumage. Though not new to science, yet 
its discovery, or rather re-discovery, was an important event as 
determining its habitat. Finsch in his “ Papagien’’ has the fol- 
lowing concerning it: ‘* This is one of the rarest parrots existing, 
only to be found in few museums. It was erroneously said by Wag- 
ler to come from the Sandwich Islands. Latterly this rare spe- 
cies does not seem to come to Europe at all, which is surprising, 
inasmuch as the Society Islands, which thus far have been re- 
garded as their only home, have considerable traffic with Europe. 
As a special locality, Vigors mentions Tubuititiruba, near Tahiti : 
Lesson gives Borabora. Bourjot’s specimen in the Paris Museum 
is said to have come from Fanning Island, northwest of Christmas, 
and northeast of the Phoenix group. But although everything is 
diametrically opposed to this assertion, it might nevertheless not 
be improbable that this very island is its true home.” Fanning 
Island is one of this group, and is situated about seventy miles 
south of Washington Island. These two islands are without 
doubt the true habitat of this lory, and it is highly improbable 
that it ever came from any other locality. 
The following untechnical description, which is copied from 
Fanning’s Voyages, is sufficient to prove that C. kuhli inhabited 
Fanning’s Island at the time of its discovery in 1798. “ Amongst 
