( "i ) 



His Honour, Mr. Justice Dole — in the ' Proceedings ' of the Boston Society of Natural 

 History ; but, owing to the want of opportunity of comparing specimens and consulting 

 original descriptions, this otherwise useful list contains several errors, while considered 

 at its best it is little more than a catalogue. Some years after its appearance, 

 Mr. Sclater, who had long taken an interest in the Avifauna of the Sandwich Islands, 

 endeavoured to compile from it an improved list, but, for want of sufficient materials, 

 combined with the fact that the habitat of some of the originally described species was 

 unknown or overlooked, this list, accurate at the time, is now misleading, while the 

 Author believes that his own investigations have added nearly a dozen new species to 

 it. Mr. Sclater, however, made more evident than it had before appeared the great 

 peculiarity of the Hawaiian Avifauna, and all that has been done since tends to prove 

 that the peculiarity is even greater than he had thought. Comparisons of this kind are 

 not easily made, but the peculiarity would really seem to be in its way as great as that 

 of Madagascar or New Zealand ; while as an expiring population it must be regarded 

 as of equal interest with that of the latter country. 



The beauty of many of the birds of the Sandwich Islands has long been known, 

 chiefly from the marvellous helmets and robes of feather-work, some of which are still 

 to be seen, though too often moth-eaten and disfigured, in various Museums. To form 

 one of these mantles thousands of birds must have been sacrificed, and it is apparently 

 in consequence of this that one of the finest species — Drepanis pacifica — has become 

 extinct. Of this beautiful bird a single specimen, brought back by the Author, and 

 now in the Museum of the University of Cambridge, seems to be the only one now in 

 Great Britain ; while the number of examples on the continent of Europe must be very 

 limited. This, moreover, is by no means a singular instance. The Author succeeded in 

 obtaining specimens of two other species, wholly unrepresented in European Museums, 

 though one was met with by Cook's companions, and the other — for a long time 

 believed to be unique — was obtained by the United States' Expedition. 



Thus the Author hopes that a work on the Birds of the Sandwich Islands 

 will, for some or all of the reasons above stated, be acceptable to the Ornithological 

 public, and he proposes to issue it of the size and on the plan of the first edition of 

 Sir Walter Buller's ' Birds of New Zealand,' with plates giving a figure or figures of 

 each of the species peculiar to the group, which cannot be fewer than forty in number. 

 The plates will be executed by Mr. Feohawk and carefully coloured by hand. The 

 Subscription price will be £4 4s. for the complete work. 



Intending Subscribers will please send their names direct to the Publisher, 



R. H. PORTER, 



18 Princes Street, Cavendish Square, London, W. 



