2 



which reminded me much of that of the green Himatione. Once I heard it sing on 

 the wing, as it crossed a gulch l . 



"The unpleasant scent of Pseudonestor, like that of many Drepanididae and other 

 Hawaiian Finches, is very noticeable. 



" Looking at the Hawaiian Finches as a whole, it may be noticed how wonderfully 

 the structure of each of them has been specially developed according to the nature of 

 its own particular and most important article of food. Thus, Pseudonestor, as above 

 mentioned, has an enormous development of beak and skull and muscles attached 

 thereto, for splitting the koa twigs ; Chloridops has a huge beak and still heavier skull 

 and muscles, which enable it to crack the hard nuts of the bastard sandal (Myoporum) ; 

 then there is the strong cutting-beak of BhodacantJiis for dividing up the koa beans, 

 and a large development of the abdominal portion of the body, in accordance with 

 the large fragments that it swallows ; the shorter bill of Loxioides, which deftly cuts 

 off the bean of the mamane acacia [Sophora), while the bird holding it in position 

 with its foot opens the pod and devours the seeds ; and, lastly, the hooked bill of 

 Psittacirostra, with which it digs out the separate components of the fleshy in- 

 florescence of the ' ieie ' (Freycinetia), for this is certainly its natural food, though it 

 has now come to feed largely on various introduced fruits — guavas, oranges, and the 

 like. Besides their special foods, all the Finches vary their diet at times with the 

 larva? of Lepidoptera." 



Description. — Upper parts greenish grey, greener towards the rump and head, a 

 canary-yellow superciliary streak reaching nearly to the nape on each side ; lower parts 

 of the same yellow colour, which extends upwards to the bottom of the sides of the 

 neck ; wings and tail browner with greenish margins ; maxilla blackish, mandible 

 nearly white ; feet slaty black. 



Dimensions. — Total length 5 - 5 inches, wing o, tail 1*9, tarsus '9, culmen 1. 



The female is duller grey above, and less bright below, being smaller in all her 

 dimensions. 



1 " See Ibis, 1893, p. 108." 



