The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-04-08
ADVENTURES OF A SCIENTIST
IN CHASE OF A RARE BIRD
1t Took Vim. AIanson Bryan Seven Weeks Be-
fore He Saw Single Specimen of the
Hoa in MoIokai Woods.

kins calls II. IS exceedingly rare SO
rare. indeed. that seven weeks of con-
tinueus field work in the forests of
Molokai. its only habitat. were neces-
sary before seeing or hearing, let alone
securing single specimen. The species
was brought to our knowledge by Mr..
Perkins. who first secured specimens in
the forests at the head of Pelekunu
valley in 1898. Judging by the num-
Der of specimens in the Bishop Mu-
scum, which received one-third OF all
the specimens he collected, not more
than six birds were secured by him.
The following year Mr.. Theodore
Meyer. a resident of Molokai, secured
six specimens from the same locality,
in six months of more or less confirm
Gus collecting. He believed the species
to be extinct, as neither he nor any Of
his friends from then until now had
been able to find the bird in any local
ity.
In March and April OF. the present
year, Mr.. George Munro spent four
weeks in the type locality, with espe-
cial information as to its habits and
calls. furnished him by Mr.. Perkins. As
Mr. Munro has had considerable expert
ence in collecting Hawaiian birds, hav-
| ing accompanied Mr.. Palmer on his ex-
petition through the group, the fact
- 4 I'D ~ I'D al
great weight to Mr.. Meyer $ opinion
| that since 1894 the bird had become
extinct
After spending three weeks in the
| woods about Pelekunu, having had the
advantage of Mr. Perkins notes, and
| Mr.. Munro s experience. | left the Ka-
| moku camp satisfied that there was
scarcely hope of finding even
| chance specimen in that section. tt
seemed certain too, that unless the
! birds could be found in some one OF
| two or three similar localities on the
] island, there could be but little doubt
but that it had vanished from the Ha-
| waiian forests forever. During the next
| ten days especially devoted to search
| for the Hoa and the 90, in the Hala-
! wa mountains-in a section probably
never before hunted over. or perhaps
never even visited by white men
under forest and climatic conditions
suited to both species. / was unable
| to locate either of them. and quit the
region thoroughly discouraged and dis
| heartened.
The next attempt was made at Mo-
anui ranch. Since it was here, and here
only, that I secured specimens, a fuller
account of the experiences of this part
| of the expedition viii be of interest.
| as showing some of the difficulties at
| tending the work in these mountains,
| as well as the character of the country
| in which a few Hoa still survive. At
| ter settling my camp at the Moanui
mountain house on the morning of May
! 30, / set off alone up Honouluwai val
| ley. that being regarded by Mr.. Toll
| lefsen and his men at the ranch. as
| proba bly, the most feasible way of get
| ting back into the mountains. No one,
| to their knowledge. had reached the
| head of the stream; in fact. the noun.
| famous part Of the ranch was terra
| incognita to the owner of the ranch,
| and everyone else, for its back bounda,
| Ties had never been surveyed. or even
| visited. BY picking my way over the
| boulders in the bed of the stream and
| working around the small waterfalls,
| made fairly rapid progress until late
| in the afternoon, when / came on a
| small waterfall where the stream pour
ed over a steep ledge. twenty-five feet
or more in height. On either side of
! the stream the solid rock ran up al
most perpendicularly for three or four
| hundred feet The only way to pro-
| ceed seemed either TO turn back and
| leave the stream entirely. or to scale
| the falls itself. Judging by the char
acter Of the country and similar expe-
rienees elsewhere, it seemed probable
that the stream from this point on
would be a series of more or less i'm
passable waterfalls. Desiring to sat
isfy myself on this important point be-
fore returning for the day, / stripped
off all my wearing apparel save stif-
| brimmed rain hat, SWAN across the pool
at the foot of the falls, and started to
pick my way up the slippery rock
over which the water poured. When
three-fourths of the way up. my hands
and feet suddenly slipped from under
me. Coming down violently on my
arm and side, and falling in such
| WAY as to strike my head stunning
I blow on a projecting rock, [ rolled back
into the pool Of cold mountain water
in an almost helpless condition For
tunately / was not completely stunned
by the blow on my head. owing TO the
protection afforded by the stiff brlm
Of nv hat. I was severely bruised
as it was. but the shock Of dropping
backward into the pool revived me
sufficiently to enable me to escape
drowning. However, 1t took some time
after I had pulled myself ont Of the
water. tn regain my strength The mis-
hap was a sufficient adventure for the
day. and an experience that viii never
be forgotten
After a day or so Of rest, I had snf-
fcientlv recovered from my injuries 10
resume the quest. On inquiry. native
boy was found. who felt sure be had
been beyond the falls where my I'M
pleasant mishap had occurred. He was
accordingly engaged as guide By nine
in the morning, we had arrived at the
place where I had fallen into the pool
Without further delay my boy went
two ~ -hraa hmm 3raH Yards down the