AVIFAUNA OF LAYSAN, ETC. 



217 



THE GENUS MOHO. 



Moho, Less. Traite d'Orn. i. p. 302 (1831). 

 Acrulocercus, Cab. Arch. f. Naturg. 1847, p. 327. 

 Mohoa, lleichenb. Syst. Av. pi. 41 (1850). 



Mr. Scott Wilson lias adopted Cabanis's name of Acrulocercus for this genus, under the 

 pretext that, as Lesson's name of Moho was based on an error, Moho being the native name 

 of the Rail Tennula ecaudata, while that of the M. nobilis was O-o, it could not be used. He 

 also says it was not used in a strictly generic sense by Lesson, but I find that Lesson on 

 page 302 says: " § 4. Les Mohos ; Moho. 91 The §'s of Lesson are subgeneric groups, mostly 

 of full generic value according to modern ornithological views, and the word Moho is spelt in 

 italics, thus showing that it was meant to be a Latin term for " Les Mohos." Such subgeneric 

 terms of Lesson are generally accepted by ornithologists as generic names, and so was the 

 name of Moho ; only Cabanis, in his usual way, altered the " barbaric " name into a proper 

 classic word, thus creating the long name Acrulocercus to replace the short Moho. I cannot 

 see the necessity of abandoning the well-known Moho, and shall use it, as nearly all ornitho- 

 logists have done. Mohoa, of course, was only an amendment of Moho. 

 Moho is a genus of the Meliphagidce. 



The bill is a little longer than the head ; the large nostrils are bare, but covered with a large 

 operculum. Both maxilla and mandible serrated near the tip, the maxilla more so. 

 Tongue very protractile. 



The plumage is very soft and long, except on the head, where it is short and scaly. 



The wing has ten primaries and nine secondaries. The first primary is about half to nearly 

 two-thirds of the second, the second considerably shorter than the next. The fourth 

 primary is longest, and but little longer than the third and fifth. The tail is much 

 graduated, and varies according to the different species. Large yellow pectoral tufts 

 are developed most conspicuously in most of the species. Plumage brown or black 

 generally. 



Tarsus and feet large and strong. The large scales in front of the tarsus more or less fused 

 together. On the back of the tarsus is a prominent ridge, connected with the lateral 

 sheathing by soft skin. (See Gadow, I. c, for anatomical remarks and others.) 



The sexes are similar in coloration, but differ in size, the males being larger. 



