THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



47 



There are six bog regions of importance, each situated on 

 or near the summits of lofty volcanic mountains. Named in 

 order, from west to east, they are : Wai-ale-ale, on Kauai ; 

 Ka-ala, on Oahu ; Halawa Swamps on Molokai ; Puu Kukui, 

 E-eke, and Wai-a-napa-n'apa. on Maui; and the Kohal 

 Swamps, on Kohala. There are also swampy areas on the 

 slopes of Mauna Loa, Mauna Kea, and Hualalai, on Hawaii, 

 but these lack the distinctive vegetation of the summit areas 

 listed. These summit bogs all lie within the cloud zone, at 

 elevations of from four thousand to seven thousand feet. 



The Ala-kai Swamp, on the upper slopes of Mount 

 Wai-ale-ale, Kauai, is unquestionably the largest, wettest, and 

 most dangerous bog in the archipelago. Its elevation is 3500 

 to 5000 feet, and its occupies an area of some sixteen square 

 miles. The treacherous morasses are fog-swathed almost con- 

 tinuously throughout the year. The total annual precipitation 

 is enormous, indeed well-nigh incredible, and probably exceeds 

 eight hundred inches (sixty-five feet). There are authentic 

 U. S. Hydrographic Survey rain-gauge records of over 120 

 inches in a single month. The atmosphere, vegetation, and 

 spongy soil are continuously saturated. 



The quaking morass is covered with thin turf of alpine 

 character, mosses, and stunted ligneous vegetation. In many 

 places there is no solid ground, the quagmire trembles at every 

 step, the hazardous trail is very indistinct, and a misstep 

 plunges the chihed and water-soaked adventurer waist deep 

 into the gray mud. Large areas of the bog are absolutely im- 

 passable. The prevailing temperatures are low, and a night 

 spent near the summit is a chilling and thoroly uncomfortable 

 experience. 



The testimony of Professor William A. Bryan, who 

 made extensive ornithological expeditions into this region, 

 may be taken as representative of the hardships encountered 



