46 
PACIFIC SCIENCE, January, 1947 
we have of the original home of these intro¬ 
duced birds is the name of the port from 
which they were shipped, and this tells 
little. It was hoped that the subspecific deter¬ 
mination of the Hawaiian birds might aid 
in revealing the native home of the intro¬ 
duced stock. However, H. G. Deignan, of 
the United States National Museum, has 
graciously examined 15 of our specimens 
from the Hawaiian Islands and has identified 
them as Lelothrix lutea lutea. The type local¬ 
ity of this race is the mountains of Anhwei 
Province south of the Yangtze. Since lutea 
ranges over all of China south of the Yang¬ 
tze and east of the Kansu frontier, the origi¬ 
nal home of the breeding stock now in the 
Hawaiian Islands cannot be further specified. 
DISTRIBUTION IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS 
Caum (1933: 39) noted that large flocks 
were present on Kauai and rightly assumed 
that the birds were breeding successfully on 
that island. However, he was uncertain about 
the status of the species on other islands, 
simply saying that the birds were "reported” 
to be breeding on Molokai, Maui, and Ha¬ 
waii and "believed” to be breeding on Oahu. 
Subsequent unpublished observations have 
indicated that the birds are reproducing and 
are increasing the extent of their ranges on 
Hawaii, Oahu, Molokai, Kauai, and Maui. 
The bird is abundant, widespread, and nest¬ 
ing successfully on Hawaii. It is numerous 
and nesting in the Koolau and Waianae 
mountain ranges on Oahu. In early June, 
1945, adults were observed feeding nearly 
fledged young in the mountain valleys at 
Mapulehu, Molokai, at an elevation of 500 
feet. On Maui it is generally present in the 
moderately wet to wet forests of Haleakala 
and probably West Maui. 
The vertical distribution on individual 
islands is unrecorded except on Oahu, Molo¬ 
kai, Maui, and Hawaii, where we have ob¬ 
served the species. On Oahu the species 
ranges from 400 to 3,000 feet in the Koolau 
Range and probably goes to about 4,000 feet 
in the Waianae Mountains. In other words, 
its vertical distribution includes all elevations 
available except those below 400 feet, and it 
seems likely that the species might be found 
below this level if all suitable cover condi¬ 
tions in deep valleys were to be investigated. 
Although the altitudinal range is consider¬ 
able, the birds are most abundant above 600 
to 800 feet; this fact may be due to the lack 
of sufficient cover at lower elevations. 
On Hawaii the bird has been found chiefly 
at elevations ranging from near sea level 
(Puna district and windward Hawaii) to 
7,500 feet on Mauna Loa. We may assume 
that the upward limit of their livable range 
on Hawaii is between 8,000 and 9,000 feet. 
However, there is no definite upper limit to 
the distribution in fall and early winter, 
when the birds band together and wander all 
over the island. Flocks have frequently been 
seen at more than 13,500 feet on Mauna Loa, 
but these flocks are soon reduced by deaths 
caused by exposure and starvation. 
Temperature may be a factor in limiting 
upward distribution; this is indicated by in¬ 
creased mortality rates above 9,000 feet on 
Hawaii, where the mean temperature is 40° 
to 50° F. with but little seasonal variation. 
However, it is not likely that temperature is 
the important factor below this altitude, and 
even above 9,000 feet, food, wind, and cover 
conditions are probably the more important 
limiting factors. 
Throughout its range (vertical and hori¬ 
zontal) the species is limited to the more 
moist, forested areas having a dense under¬ 
story of plant growth. On Oahu this means 
it is restricted to the mountain valleys; sel¬ 
dom is the bird observed on the higher ridges 
except during its movements from one valley 
to another. Despite the bird’s proclivity for 
moist valleys, rainfall apparently is not the 
determining factor except possibly in areas 
having less than 40 inches a year, for yearly 
