/'.- ■ 



southward in autumn to the Sandwich Islands and other groups in the Eastern half of 

 the Pacific Ocean. As a species it is probably not very numerous, though Peale 

 writes that the birds were abundant on Vincennes Island " in the month of September, 

 when they had become exceedingly fat by feeding on the berries of a species of 

 Canthiumfi), then very plenty. The birds were rather tame, and uttered a clear 

 plaintive whistle when flushed." 



Judge Dole, in his Catalogue, only remarks of this species, referring it to JV. australis : 

 " Curlew. Not very common." Dr. Stejneger (Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 1887, pp. 83, 84) 

 gives a short account of some specimens sent him by Mr. Knudsen from Kauai, in 

 which he says : — 



" The bristly thigh-feathers of N. femoralis are quite characteristic, and are not due 

 to abrasion, as has been supposed by some authors, for they are certainly present in a 

 quite young bird collected by Mr. Charles H. Townsend in Alaska during the summer 

 of 1885." 



Dr. Stejneger also states, in another contribution (Proc. U.S. Nat. Mus. 1888, 

 p. 97) : — " Four additional specimens from Niihau show that this bird, originally added 

 to the Hawaiian avifauna by Mr. Knudsen, was by no means an accidental stranger to 

 the islands. In his letter to me he remarks, however, that the " Kioea " is a rare bird 

 there, though almost always to be found in the localities affected by it, but he does not 

 believe it to nest in the islands." 



" The bristly elongation of the shafts of thigh-feathers are well developed in all four 

 specimens. I may add that all four specimens are molting their inner primaries." 



The Kioea 1 is, I believe, generally distributed throughout the Hawaiian group, but 

 in no locality is it plentiful. I myself obtained specimens on Molokai and Oahu, and 

 heard of it on Hawaii and Maui, while Dr. Stejneger, as will be seen above, received 

 others from Kauai and Niihau. Near Kaunakakai, on Molokai, I obtained examples 

 out of a flock of a dozen birds, my kind host Mr. E. W. Meyer having driven me 

 down to the beach at a spot which he knew to be frequented by them. I could 

 not ascertain that the Kioea nests in the Islands ; some natives, however, assured me 

 that it does. 



Description. — Adult. The crown is clear brown, with a pale streak down the centre 

 and another over the eye. The upper parts are dark brown, mottled with cinnamon- 

 brown and ochreous ; upper tail-coverts cinnamon ; tail slightly darker, inclining to 

 tawny and barred with dark brown ; neck, breast, and abdomen pale buff; fore part of 

 breast and flanks tinged with cinnamon and finely streaked and barred with brown ; 

 under tail-coverts pale cinnamon ; primaries brown, shafts white. 



The feathers on the flanks have the shafts (which are white) much elongated, in some 

 cases projecting fully an inch beyond the barbs. 



1 Judge Dole applies the name spelt Kiowea to Chcetoptila angustipluma, whereas Mr. Knudsen gives Kioea as 

 the name of this bird— this latter heing, I believe, the correct orthography. 



