The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-11-14

The following compositions of pupils |
of the public schools are taken from
Hawaiis Young People for November:
HAWAIIAN FEATHER WORK.
In former times the kings and chiefs
required the common people to bring
feathers as a tax. The birds that sup
piled the choicer kind of feathers lived
! in the mountains; but the people
thinking that evil spirits also dwelt
there, were afraid to go after them.
After a while class of men who had
grown holder used to endure the cold
| and hardships of mountain climbing In
order to get those precious feathers
They knew where the birds were to be
| found and stualed their habits, food
| and the season when the plumage was
at it's best They knew the birds would
be attracted by certain kinds of trees,
and also by unfamiliar things. So they
planted trees in the open places in the
! forests Here, where the birds rested
at night, were placed sticks smeared
with bird-liIne so the birds could not
| fly away The bird-lime which was
made from the sap of the papala tree
was the kind preferred; but that which
was made from the bread-fruit and
other trees were also used.
| Nets and Snares made of light thread
with wide meshes were often thrown
over the flying birds SO as not to in
jure them.
Bows and arrows would have been
useless even if the Hawaiians had
owned them, for the rarer birds were
seldom killed, but captured alive, their
Feathers plucked out and the birds set
free. New feathers grew for the next
season. After the feathers were gath
cred they were tied in little punches
with a thin, strong fiber called olona
From these little punches the royal
cloaks and helmets were made.-By
Charlie Paaluhi
BIRDS FURNISHING FEATHERS.
The feathers from the iiwi, the 90
and the mamo We're the three kinds es-
pecially claimed by the Hawaiian
kings.
The iiwi, beautiful bird having
bright red plumage, was found on all
the Stands of the group. Its home was
in the mountains, although 1t was
sometimes driven down into the val
leys and lowlands by the storms. 1t is
still found in these islands. There are
a number of specimens in the Bishop
Museum The iiwi is a small bird about
six inches long. The wings and tail
are black while the body is scarlet
The breast feathers, which are the
incest, were used for making the bor-
ders of the cloaks. This little bird is
very fond of honey, which it gets from
the ohia and lobelia fiowers.-By Emily
Moses.
THE 90.
The 90 is larger than the iiwi. 1t is
found on the islands of Hawaii, Maui
Molokai and Kauai. The 90 that is
found on Hawaii has prettier feathers
than those found on the other islands
1t is the only one that has tufts with
fifteen to twenty feathers under each
wing The two middle feathers of the
tail are larger and twisted.
, The plumage is made up of yellow
and glossy black feathers. The yellow
feathers were used in making cloaks
1 helmets and leiS, while the black were
5 used in making figures and lines or
the cloaks, and were also used in ka
hills
The 90, like the iiwi, is a honey suck
er, and has long curved bill. The
e male is about twelve inches long, anC
, the female three inches less. The o,
: was the favorite food Of the hunter
9 By Emily Moses.
q THE MANIC.
This bird is very rare in collections
In the Bishop Museum there are blu
four specimens. Probably the bird il
extinct now. The mamo is eight inche
r long. 1t has a curved bill. The feath
= ers overlapping the tail above and be
low and where the legs join the body
are a rich dark orange color The res
of a few white feathers on the breast
The feathers Of the mamo are s.
d much like those of the 90 that it i
. difficult to tell them apart TIL
e feathers of both birds have blacl
> bases, but there is a white stripe il
. those of the mamo. Also the mann
Z feathers are thinner, more pointed an
: less fluffy than those of the oo.-By 10
|, Cabrak Lima
n GREEN FEATHERS.
The birds that have green feather
e are the iiwi, awakihi and. ou. The hea
v feathers are brilliant yellow, Will
9 those of the body are dull green Their
are about fifty-three species of bird
found and described in these islands
u The best known are found along tn
e shores and on the lowlands. But tn
y greater number live in the mountains
l. They are not so we'll known Thei
, nests are built in the jungles or high
> lands where people do not live an
s. seldom go.-By Julia Kaeo.