AVIFAUNA OF LATSAN, ETC. 



257 



64. NUMENIUS TAHITIENSIS (Gm.). 



(Synonymy, description, etc. : see Part I. p. 17.) 

 Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxiv. p. 368 (1896). 



Palmer shot two males on Molokai in February 1893, and one on Niihau in July of the 

 same year. It is also recorded from Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai, and was seen on Lanai. 

 Since I wrote about this bird on Laysan, I have received from that island a fine series of 

 eight specimens collected by Professor Schauinsland. It is evident from the series now 

 before me that the female has, as a rule, a much longer bill than the male, and the smallest 

 males have much shorter wings than any female before me. 

 Schauinsland's series measure as follows : — 



Bill from end of feathering 

 Wing. in straight line. 



mm. mm. 



a. « $ » 255 83 



b. " % " 262 94 



c. " $ " 253 88 



d. " $ * 255 103 



c. " $ » 236 68 



/. « $ 99 260 87 



g. " $ " 259 85 



h. " S " 250 86 



In three of Professor Schauinsland's females, and in the one bird marked " 2 99 by 

 Palmer, the fore-neck and chest are very heavily streaked with deep brown, while in all the 

 other specimens the striping is much narrower and fainter. It is probable, from what is 

 known of other species of Numenius, that the heavily striped birds are the perfectly adult 

 ones. 



According to Schauinsland, it is quite evident that this bird, though very frequent on 

 Laysan, never breeds there \ 



