population. My observations of* this species and of the growth rate 
of closely allied species on Oanu leave little doubt in isy mind that 
the descrepancies between the counts lie primarily in the lack of a 
uniform definition of the word "seedling^ In addition, the difficultv 
of counting 7 J 
4 is ag gravated by the density of the population on Nihoa and by the 
numerous, vociferous sea birds that nest in the trees. I believe that 
# 
the population has remained fairly static over the last ^+5 years. 
Mature fruits were collected from both valleys and were distributed 
to the Lyon Arboretum and the Foster Botanic Gardens 
My visit apparently followed recent rains, as the island was 
green, several species were flowering and seedlings were evident. 
} 
