xxii INTRODUCTION. 



distinguished by the very different form of tongue, as well as external characters ; Hemignathus by the long 

 beak, and absence of bristles at the base of the nasal opercula ; Loccops by the short thick beak and long forked 

 tail. Viridonia is hardly more than a large stoutly built species of the genus, slightly more aberrant in one 

 direction than H. parva is in the other, both retaining the characteristic song of the normal species but little 

 modified. The truncate apices of the primaries throw together the genera Himatione, Vestiaria, Drepanis, and 

 probably Ciridops— the latter not being available for examination ; and it is noteworthy that the young of all 

 these birds are wholly or in part of black plumage, as also in Palmeria, which on that account, and for its 

 evident relationship to Himatione, must be referred to the same section, although differing in the form of the 

 primaries. All the other Drepanididce are green or greyish-green in the immature condition, and all have 

 pointed primaries." 



A few words may here be added as to the progress of our knowledge of the Avifauna, 

 and in particular of the Passerine Fauna, of the islands. When Mr. Wilson first 

 visited them in 1887, the species of Passeres known to exist, or to have existed, were 

 those marked in the Table on p. xxii by a cross prefixed to them — Himantopus Jcnudseni, 

 Chasiempis sclateri, Phwornis myiadestina, Oreomyza bairdi, and 0. (Bothschildia) 

 parva having been recently described by Mr. Eidgway and Dr. Stejneger. To these 

 Mr. Wilson was enabled to add the following :—Ch loridops Jcona, Chrysomitridops 

 casruleirostris, Chasiempis gayi, Oreomyza mana, 0. montana, Chlorodrepanis Jcalaana, 

 C. chloridoides, C. stejnegeri ( = Himatione chloris, Stejneger, from Kauai), Hemignathus 

 procerus, H lichtensteini, Heterorhynchus wilsoni 1 , H. hanapepe, Oreomyza fiammea, 

 Phceornis lanaiensis. Two Petrels mentioned by Mr. Dole have proved to be Oceano- 

 droma castro of Harcourt, and (Estrelata phceopygia of Salvin, and a Shearwater 

 described by Dr. Stejneger to be Puffinus cuneatus of Salvin. 



Besides the above, Mr. Wilson had procured a specimen of another fine form (his 

 Telespiza cantans) which had been captured in Laysan, whence T. flavissima was 

 subsequently brought by Palmer; and had shot in Maui a young example of a 

 bird, which he named at the time Himatione dolii, but which proved to be so distinct, 

 when the adult was secured by Palmer, that Mr. Rothschild created for it the genus 

 Palmeria. Clioetoptila angustipluma and Acrulocercus apicalis were not obtained by 

 any of the explorers mentioned. 



Mr. Perkins, as already stated, was fortunate enough to discover another member 

 of the genus Brepanis (D. funerea), and to procure many of the new species that 

 Mr. Rothschild's collectors, Palmer and Munro, between them brought to light, 

 namely, the marvellous Pseudonestor xanthophrys, Bhodacanthis palmeri, R. Jlaviceps, 

 Oreomyza newtoni, Chlorodrepanis wilsoni, Hemignathus lanaiensis, Heterorhynchus 

 affinis, Phceomis palmeri, Acrulocercus hishopi, and Viridonia sagittirostris. 



1 Described and figured in the present work as H. olivaceus, in the belief that it was the species so named 

 by Lafresnaye ; but subsequently shewn by Mr. Rothschild to be distinct, and called by him H. wilsoni. 

 Since the publication of Part V. (where, under the heading of H. lucidus, this matter is mentioned) 

 Lafresnaye's type, which for a time was misplaced in the Boston Museum, has been discovered there 

 with the rest of his collection, and in December 1896 was kindly submitted to our inspexion by 

 Professor Hyatt. 



