THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
119 
not perceive that it was at all drained, or even that the abun¬ 
dance had any way decreafed. 
The birds of thefe iflands are as beautiful as any we have 
feen during the voyage, and are numerous, though not va¬ 
rious. There are four, which feem to belong to the trochili , 
or honey-fuckers of Linnaeus; one of which is fomething 
larger than a bullfinch ; its colour is a fine glofly black, the 
rump, vent, and thighs a deep yellow. It is called by the na¬ 
tives hoohoo . Another is of an exceeding bright fcarlet co¬ 
lour ; the wings black, and edged with white; and the tail 
black; its native name is eeee<de. A third, which feems to 
be either a young bird, or a variety of the foregoing, is va¬ 
riegated with red, brown, and yellow. The fourth is en¬ 
tirely green, with a tinge of yellow, and is called akaiearooa. 
There is a fpecies of thrufh, with a grey breafl; and a fmall 
bird of the flycatcher kind; a rail, with very fhort wings 
and no tail, which, on that account, we named ralius ecau¬ 
dal us, Ravens are found here, but they are very fcarce; 
their colour is dark brown, inclining to black; and their 
note is different from the European. Here are two fmall 
birds, both of one genus , that are very common; one is 
red, and generally feen about the cocoa-nut trees, particu¬ 
larly when they are in flower, from whence it feems to de¬ 
rive great part of its fubfiflence; the other is green; 
the tongues of both are long and ciliated, or fringed at 
the tip. A bird with a yellow head, which, from the 
llrudture of its beak, we called a parroquet, is likewife 
very common. It, however, by no means belongs to that 
tribe, but greatly refembles the lexia flavicans , or yellow- 
ifli crofs-bill of Linnaeus. 
Here are alfo owls, plovers of two forts, one very like 
the whiffling plover of Europe; a large white pigeon; a 
bird 
P 779- 
March. 
