18 (Di.) AVIFAUNA OF LAYSAN, ETC. 



" I was at once told that an Alaska Snow-Goose was here, but very wild. It was the first 

 ever seen here. I went out, saw it, and had at last a shot from a long distance, but did 

 not get it. It seems to be a large bird, snow-white, with the wings brown or black at the 

 tips, bill dark. Some time ago three such geese were seen on Maui, of which two were 

 captured, so I suppose this one was the one that escaped the hunters on Maui. 



" March 13//*. — I made my first acquaintance with a forest on Oahu, or at least the 

 outskirts of one. It will hardly be believed if I assure you that we did not see a single 

 native bird to-day, although I think I heard a Ilimatione. I was always told that bird-life 

 was very scarce on Oahu, but this day's experience surpassed all I had expected. Afternoon 

 and evening heavy rains and thunderstorm. 



"March lith.— The rain of yesterday had set all the flats underwater and was one of the 

 heaviest rainfalls known for many years on Oahu. My assistant and I rode up to the distant 

 hills, where I shot two Ckasiempis and saw one building a nest. Several Himatione were 

 seen, but none shot. Mynahs are extremely common. 



"March 15th. — I made again a camp on the outskirts of the forest in a deep ravine, 

 surrounded by open forest of Lauhala (Screwpine), Mountain-Apple, Koa, Ohia, and other 

 trees of which I do not know the names. Mosquitoes were plentiful. 



"March 16th.— We had again to cut a trail on the hills, for there was no way high up as 

 far as we wished it for our purposes. Although we now had a road to walk on and the forest 

 was high and fine, I saw but a few birds and shot nothing except a native duck (Anas 

 wyvilliana, Scl.). Never anywhere did I see such scarcity of birds. I don't know whether 

 there have always been so few or whether cats or what else may be the reason of their rarity. 

 [There is no doubt that not very long ago there were many more birds on Oahu, and cats 

 and the foolishly-introduced foreign birds no doubt play a part in the drama of the 

 disappearance of the interesting ornis of Oahu. — TV. R.] 



"March 20th.— On the stream a colony of Nycticorax was found. Most of the nests 

 contained two eggs each. 



"March 21^.-1 broke up my camp and rode to TVaialua or TVailua, where I was glad 

 to meet Mr. Perkins, the collector. He has collected for a good time and on different places 

 on the island, but nowhere did he find any sign of Hemignathus or Heterorhynchus. He only 

 found four species of native Passerine birds, i. e. Vestiaria coccmea, Himatione sanguinea, 

 Cklorodrepanis chloris (Cab.), and Ckasiempis gayi, Wilson. Of the white-backed and 

 rufous-backed specimens of this Flycatcher he says he is sure, from many observations, they 

 are young and old of one species. 



« I went up with Mr. Perkins to the mountain-house he was staying in, and found it the 

 most favourable place that could he selected. Therefore I decided to come here with my 

 camp, and so I did. 



"After having hunted here for several clays, I am again astonished about the scarcity 

 of birds. Why all the birds should have died out I cannot yet sufficiently understand 

 No doubt the abundance of cats, the disappearance of forest, and the Mynahs, who certainly 

 destroy many other birds' eggs, have to do with it; but there is still good forest enough to 

 keep lots of birds, and cats could not have destroyed all. 



"There have been 'Akialoas' \_Hemignathm and Zeterorhynchus.-W. R.] and 'Ons' 



