KHODACANTHIS 1 PALM EEL 



Rhodacanthis palmeri, Rothschild, Ajm. & Mag. N. H. (6) x. p. Ill (July 1892) ; Perkins, Ibis, 

 1893, p. 103. 



In the paper here cited Mr. Eothschild describes the above as a species of a new 

 genus from Kona in Hawaii, and in 1892 I received two examples from that district, 

 while about the same time Mr. Perkins obtained many others from the forests at an 

 altitude of 4000 feet. 



He writes (' Ibis,' 1893, pp. 103-104) of them as follows :— 



"The Koa Finch (Rhodacanthis palmeri) is the largest and most beautiful of all the 

 Hawaian Finches. It frequents the tallest and most leafy acacias, both when growing 

 on the roughest lava-flows and in the grassy openings in the forest. It belongs 

 entirely to the upper forest, and is probably most numerous at about 4000 feet. Its 

 peculiar whistle, though not very loud, is very clear, and can be heard for a consider- 

 able distance. If imitated closely it will readily answer, and sometimes, after fruitless 

 hunting for hours without even hearing a sound from this bird, a whistle has been 

 immediately responded to. At other times a distant bird has been drawn close by the 

 imitation of its whistle and easily secured. It devours the beans of the acacia, and 

 these it swallows in very large pieces. I think that the enormous development of the 

 abdominal portion of the body must be connected with this habit. I have seen both 

 male and female feeding the full-grown young, and as I could find nothing but the 

 large pieces of koa bean in the latter, I conclude that the young are fed on pieces 

 similar to those swallowed by the parents, without mastication. The young male soon 

 acquires the peculiar whistle, for I have shot one in almost perfect song in quite 

 immature plumage and with the skull still cartilaginous. It does not restrict itself 

 to the koa bean, but varies its diet by feeding on lepidopterous larvae, just as the 

 Psittacirostra does ; for this purpose it generally descends into the aaka or bastard 

 sandal-wood trees, and, as was the case with that bird, I have found in the crop of 

 Rhodacanthis larvae with conspicuous ' warning ' colours. When it has been feeding 

 on the koa beans its bill is often much stained with their green juice and green frag- 

 ments. The female I have heard to utter a rather deep single note when alarmed. 

 On one occasion when I had shot a male I heard his mate repeatedly utter this note, 

 and she continued to do so for some five minutes, but seemingly possessed some 



1 To prevent misapprehension it should be noticed that the genus is not closely allied to the bird called 

 Acanthis by classical writers, or to the supposed genus (see ' Ibis,' 1892, p. 556) of that name, nor is it rose- 

 coloured. 



2c 



