Ecology of Manana Island, Hawaii — Tomich et al. 
357 
Fig. 3. Outer southwest slopes of Manana Island. Dominant grasses are sandbur ( Cenchrus echinatus ) 
and bristly foxtail ( Setarza verticillata) ; shrubs include ahuhu (Tephrosza purpurea ) as dark patches in 
middleground, and wild tobacco ( Nicotiana tabacum) scattered in foreground. (Photo by K. Wodzicki, 
February 29, 1964.) 
typically an agouti dorsal color with reddishness 
behind the ears. The throat puff and lower 
abdominal patches are buff -colored; ventral 
parts, inclusive of the tail, are otherwise gen- 
erally white (Fig. 4). However, traces of 
domestic color traits are still evident in the 
rabbits on Manana. One of the 1961 specimens 
was a male with patches of white on both fore- 
legs. Of 13 rabbits examined in 1964, 2 males 
had similar markings: one a white paw (Fig. 
5) and the other an entire white foreleg. These 
appear to be expressions of the genetic Dutch 
pattern. 
Rabbits have been on Manana for 70 years 
and perhaps longer. One anonymous writer 
(1901) stated that, "A few of the small rodents 
(sic) were taken there many years ago by some 
party or parties unknown and now they are in- 
numerable.” There have been reports in the 
literature suggesting that species other than 
Oryctolagus cuniculus may have been introduced 
to Manana, but none of these reports is well 
founded in fact. W. A. Bryan (1915) listed the 
rabbit under the misnomer of Lepus, the genus 
of hares, but perhaps properly referred to the 
animals as a "mongrel breed.” De Vos et al. 
(1956) quote a letter from Ernst Schwarz to the 
effect that, "A hare, believed to be of Russian 
origin (species unknown), is found ... off 
Oahu.” A partial source of Schwarz’ informa- 
tion may be Bryan’s notation of Lepus. Watson 
(1961) states, "The Manana rabbits closely 
resemble the American cottontail in color and 
ear length and it is conceivable that these 
rabbits are in fact cottontails ( Sylvilagus spp.) .” 
The source of his information is not given; how- 
ever, it is known that Watson did not see the 
rabbits himself. 
Several brief notes record the status of the 
population through the years. The anonymous 
writer (1901) reports that, as he approached 
Manana by boat, "Almost every foot of the 
ground is seen to be occupied by a rabbit; in 
fact, it is one of the most thickly populated rab- 
bit colonies in the world. . . . They have so 
denuded the place of all edible vegetation that 
they are obliged to subsist on small shell fish 
which they find along the beach. . . . Mr. John 
Cummins has several hundred of them killed 
off every year, the meat being salted down and 
eaten as required.” 
W. A. Bryan does not indicate whether his 
report in 1915 that Manana was thickly popu- 
lated with rabbits was the current condition, or 
