May., 1902. 
THE CONDOR 
59 
to keep the rope in one hand as it 
would otherwise have hung out several 
feet from the mouth of the cavity, and 
this of course made matters still more 
difficult. This was my first set of eggs 
for 1901 and the only one of this species 
I had ever taken, so I was much pleased 
and the thought of getting back to 1113’' 
partner did not worry me in the least. 
I placed the roll of shirt between m3' 
teeth and after twenty-five feet or so of 
hard climbing came to a resting place, 
where I took the roll of shirt in one 
hand and gave myself a chance to 
breathe. 
The rest of the way to the top was 
not so hard as the cliff was more broken 
and not quite perpendicular. My part- 
ner looked rather anxious as I scram- 
bled over the edge of the cliff, for I had 
been out of his sight at least twenty 
minutes. He cracked a smile when I 
tried to tell him (without removing the 
roll from between my teeth) that “I got 
’em,” w'hile I packed the eggs in a 
larger can which I had left on top of 
the cliff. He coiled up the rope and 
we w’ere soon in camp once more. 
Notes on a Small Collection of Birds From the Island of Maui, Hawaii. 
RICHARD C. MC GREGOR. 
D uring the winter of 1899 and 1900 it was my fortune to spend several 
months among the Hawaiian Islands and a considerable part of that time at 
various points on Maui. This island is the second in size of the group, being 
about 48 miles long by 30 miles wide and covering some 760 square miles. It appears 
to have been, until recently, geologically speaking, two circular islands which are 
now connected b3' a strip of low coral sand-hills, either raised from the ocean or 
drifted in by the wind. 
East Maui rises to 10,000 feet elevation with the volcano of Haleakala, now ex- 
tinct, at its top. West Maui is but little over half as high, but its sides are far 
more precipitous, and deeply water-worn. The sand dunes bear but scant vege- 
tation, except where cane fields, through the all-powerful agenc3' of artificial ir- 
rigation, have been pushed out in green patches. Save for a few doves and oc- 
casional bunches of golden plover or a wandering troupe of weaver birds there is 
nothing in the sand-hills of interest to the bird-man. 
From near the town of Kahului, one may follow up the beautiful lao valley 
into the mountains of West Maui. From the desert-like sand dunes to the deep 
forests of the highlands the change is remarkable. In a short distance from the 
beach one is confined to the road b3' the high, thick brush on either side. Here 
there are a few of our old California friends, the house finches, but nothing else. 
My impressions of the woods were jotted down at the time I was there and are 
here transcribed: “As we get up the canyon the brush thins out and trees of fair 
size, thirty to fifty feet high, occur in bunches. The ground is moist and one can 
walk absolutely noiselessly. There are no flies and no mosquitoes, and no sound 
except a chirping, as of some cricket. Birds are scarce. The common intro- 
duced species do not get up here.” 
I will not attempt to describe the plants as they are all unknown to me. Col- 
lecting was very unsatisfactor3', there being but little open countr3' and but few 
birds so far as I could see. A number of interesting earth-worms were taken. 
One species, over seven inches long, found under stones in the sand3' soil was as 
quick as a young eel, which it greatly resembled in its movements. Some small 
mollusks and a shrimp inhabit the streams. Several rats were seen and a speci- 
men shot was identified by Dr. Merriam as the common ^^us rattus which he says 
