

HIMATIONE MONTANA. 



Himatione montana, S. B. Wilson, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1889, p. 446. 



This hitherto undescribed species I obtained in the mountain-region of Lanai, at a 

 spot called Lanaihale (the house of Lanai), at a height of about 3000 feet, the 

 brilliant yellow of the underparts in the freshly killed male and its nearly straight 

 bill clearly showing it to be distinct from any other member of the genus. I only met 

 with four specimens, of which I secured an adult male and female on the same day in 

 the locality mentioned above, and subsequently two immature examples in a gulch at 

 a much lower elevation. As, perhaps, an account of our mountain trip on the day on 

 which I shot the former may be of interest, I here transcribe from my Journal 

 some notes, taken on the spot : — ■ 



" 1st June, 1888. — To-day we took two natives, one of them armed with an axe with 

 which to clear the path for us. The day was fine, and the trail by which one ascends 

 to the plateau was consequently in good order, so we arrived there without accident. 

 Here we tied up our horses, and then all of us started down a narrow forest-path, the 

 same which we had followed the day before. For a few hundred yards it is thickly 

 overhung with ferns (Gleichenia) and the climbing Ieie (Freycinetia arbor ea), and we 

 had almost to take to our knees, which was intensely tiring work. After this thick bit it 

 becomes more open, owing to the presence of wild pigs; and here F. and I, with one of the 

 natives, waited, as it was at this spot that Mr. Gibson had shot some birds the previous 

 day. I was very unlucky in not finding several specimens which I killed ; Mr. Gibson 

 soon returned with a few birds, but of the same species that I had already obtained 

 in Hawaii. From here we started about 12 o'clock, following the path, to try to make 

 the summit of the mountain. Before long the path emerges from the thick scrub and 

 comparatively tall trees on to a plateau, where the scrub only reaches to one's knees. 

 From this open plateau we had a magnificent view of the west side of the island, with 

 Molokai and Maui in the far distance, surrounded by a bright blue sea. The path then 

 ascends gradually till we reach a point overlooking Palawai Valley, which looks a mere 

 dot in the landscape, so far is it below us. We followed the path a little higher ; 

 here it becomes decidedly steep, and the rich light yellow soil is very slippery as 

 far as the top of the mountain ; the ohia and other trees are of considerable size, but 

 we could neither hear nor see any birds. However, at a point called Lanaihale, on 

 our return journey, I caught sight of a bright yellow bird in an ohia bush, a few yards 

 down the side of the gulch ; I put my gun instantly to my shoulder and fired, and 

 down came the bird ; F. and I scrambled down the gulch and fortunately found it. 



