15 



Cheysomiteidops <leruleirosteis. 

 This little bird agrees in most of its important features either with Loxops or with 

 Oreomyza. 



Bemignathus peoceeus. (PI. III. figs. 42-46.) 



Bill enormously elongated and curved, not serrated. The cutting margins of the 

 mandibles are sharply curved inwards and are therefore partly overlapped by those of 

 the premaxilla, which projects nearly 1 centim. beyond the tip of the mandibles. 



Tongue as long as the mandible, forming nearly throughout its length an almost 

 complete tubular brush. Otherwise the tongue is formed exactly like that of the other 

 Drepanididse. 



Pterylosis also like that of the other Drepanididae. The tenth primary is very slender 

 and 07 centim, long,, like its covert. The tip of the wing is formed by the eighth, 

 seventh, and sixth primaries ; but the ninth is slightly shorter than the sixth and 

 a little longer than the fifth. The tail is soft, nearly square, and short. 



The scutellation of the metatarsus is intermediate between those of Oreomyza and 

 Acrwlocercus, owing to the tendency of the four anterior scales to- fuse with each 

 other and with, the lateral row, which, however, is composed of one long proximal 

 scute and several very small distal scales. The median side is protected by one long 

 unbroken scute, which forms a rounded-off and not a prominent ridge. 



Alimentary canal.— The oesophagus is thin-walled and has an elongated but not 

 pouch-like dilatation, which internally is furnished with nearly twenty longitudinal 

 ridges, apparently permanent ; it contained one smooth caterpillar. The stomach is 

 quadrangular and extremely muscular ; it was crammed full of comminuted remains of 

 caterpillars and spiders. Digestion was assisted by several angular bits of lava. In 

 another specimen it contained, besides insects and bits of lava, several peculiarly shaped 

 seeds, very hard and smooth. Whether these seeds were likewise swallowed in order 

 to help in the trituration of the food appears doubtful, because of their smooth surfaces. 

 The absolute length of the gut, which forms a typical central spiral, though with a 

 peculiarly twisted returning branch (marked 6, 7 in fig. 45), is 20-5 centim., giving the 

 relative length- of 4"5. 



Hemignathus olivacbus: (PI. III. figs. 47, 48.) 

 This species differs from the long-billed form chiefly in the formation of its short 

 mandible. The tongue is consequently short and less tubular, being intermediate in 

 structure and appearance between those of Him-atione and Vestiaria. The stomach 

 is, as in H. procerus, quadrangular and strong ; it contained, however, only spiders 

 and a huge caterpillar, with no stones or other triturating matter. The convolutions 

 of the intestinal canal are like those of the other species ; but the central spiral has 

 one twist more, owing to the greater length of the gut, the total length being as 

 much as 25*5 centim., giving the relative length- of 6; 



