

that at the time of year that the guava is ripe it may be seen in great numbers feeding 

 on its yellow fruits. I think that I found it most plentiful among the trees which 

 clothe the abrupt sides of the deep ravine running down to the leper settlement on 

 the island of Molokai; and very lovely these little birds looked, flying continually 

 to and fro, up and down this stupendous gorge — their yellow necks flashing in the 

 bright sunlight, as they darted out from among the dark green ohias or from the 

 silvery foliage of the kukui (Aleurites triloba). The food of Psittacirostra consists 

 entirely of fruits, and chiefly of that of the ieie (Freycinetia arborea), the ripe seeds 

 of which I found in most cases in the stomach when dissecting specimens ; I noticed 

 also, particularly in one place on the outskirts of a forest in the district of Kona, 

 that a very large proportion of the fruits of the climber were eaten away at the apex, 

 and here I shot a good number of examples. I killed others as they were busily 

 engaged in feeding on the small crimson fruit of the wild mulberry (Morus papyrifera), 

 the juice of which had dyed their throats a deep crimson. 



Necklaces, " leis," used sometimes to be made from the bright green plumage of the 

 back and underparts of this bird, but they were commonly used in combination with 

 the black feathers of Acrulocercus nobilis and the scarlet feathers of Vestiaria coccinea. 

 I saw a wreath thus made at Olaa in the district of Puna, which I attempted to 

 purchase, but the native woman wanted a higher price than I was inclined to give. 



Description. — Adult male. Head and neck gamboge-yellow, all the rest of the upper 

 parts olive-green inclining to yellow on the rump ; whole of the under surface greenish 

 yellow with the exception of the breast, which is grey ; remiges and rectrices dusky 

 brown margined with olive-green ; irides dark hazel ; bill and feet pinkish. 



Adult female. Head and neck olive-green above and grey beneath ; the rest of the 

 under surface greyish white ; under tail-coverts pure white. 



Dimensions. — Adult. Total length 6"30 inches, wing 3*85, culmen -70, tarsus -95, 

 tail 2-20. 



Woodcuts are here given of the heads of two examples to show the difference in size 

 and shape of the bill ; in the first figure it is of an abnormal size and extraordinarily 

 decurved. Other specimens vary between the two extreme types figured. 



Obs. — An immature female from Kauai has the upper wing-coverts tipped with light 

 olive-yellow. This specimen has also more yellow on the underparts than have others 

 of that sex in my collection. Dr. Stejneger, in a paper entitled " Notes on Psittirostra 

 psittacea from Kauai, Hawaiian Islands " (Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 1887, pp. 389, 390), 



k2 



