INSESSORES. 



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Colors. — Head and neck above dark brown, every feather having 

 a longitudinal central stripe of dull white, tinged with greenish-yellow 

 on the latter. Other upper parts, including wings and tail, brown ; 

 on the back with longitudinal stripes of white; quills and tail-feathers 

 edged with olive-green on their outer webs ; rump tinged with olive. 

 Wide stripe, from the base of the bill under the eye, ending in a large 

 spot on the cheek, black. Throat dull white, tinged with yellow ; 

 breast and abdomen dull white, every feather margined with brown ; 

 flanks and under tail-coverts dark rufous; bill and legs dark. 



Dimensions. — Total length (of skin), thirteen and a half inches; 

 wing, six inches; tail, six and a half inches; bill, from the angle of 

 the mouth, one and three-fourths inches ; tarsus, about one and three- 

 fourths inches. 



Hab. — Island of Hawaii. Specimen in Nat. Mus. Washington. 



Though we suspect that the bird above described is not in mature 

 plumage, it appears to be a distinct species of the genus Moho, Lesson, 

 of which the only species heretofore known are Molio noh'dis (Merrem), 

 and probably the bird described as Gertlna pacifica, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. 

 I, p. 470 (Vieill. and And. Ois. Dor. Plate LXIII), and Moho bmccata, 

 Cassin. It does not appear to belong to the genus Strigiceps, Less. 

 Rev. Zool. 1840, p. 2G6, though evidently related to it. 



The feathers of the head and breast in this bird present a remark- 

 able character on account of the filaments composing the webs of the 

 feathers being unusually few in number, and at such a distance from 

 each other as not to touch, nor become adherent. This structure of 

 the feathers gives to the plumage of the parts mentioned, a somewhat 

 hairy appearance, and prevails also, in some measure, on the abdomen 

 and other under parts of the body. Many of the feathers on the 

 throat and neck in front terminate in bristles curved outwardly, and 

 readily discernible on viewing the specimen in profile. 



Respecting this curious bird, Mr. Peale's remarks are as follows : 



" This rare species was obtained at the Island of Hawaii. It is very 

 active and graceful in its motions, frequents the woody districts, and 

 is disposed to be musical, having most of the habits of a Meliphaga ; 

 it is generally found about those trees which are in flower." 



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