The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-05-07

buttal when we consider that neither
Lanai nor Molokai has, to our knowl
edge. sent out settlers to the nearby
and larger islands of Maui and Oahu, in
sufficient numbers, if at all, to in the
least way prevent the genus from dis
appearing entirely from the last mem
toned islands, while they have contin-
ued to remain common on both Lanai
and Molokai. A sufficient cause for
their not throwing out stragglers or
regular settlers is perfectly apparent
when close study of the genus is made
in the field.
AS is well known, all the species
of Phaeornis are highly sylvan, rarely
leaving the deeper woods. Or, if ocea-
sionally inhabiting the more open parts
of the woods, they are always of settled
habits, frequenting the same sections
throughout the year. They never seem
to range very far from any particular
locality where they have taken up a
residence. If they do go afeld, it is
always by short covered flights. For
the Olomao is by nature shy, tImld
bird, and for that reason, instead of
exposing itself in the open it prefers
to proceed from place to place by short.
low flights, usually through the shade
of the forest. Again, flock of Olomao,
even a flock in the most restricted
sense, has, ! believe, never been seen.
When they rove about at all they are
alone, or at most in pairs. In my ex
perience with the genus on Kauai, Mo-
lokai and Hawaii, | have never seen
them high up in the air. and sustain
oIxn
| tops. Their buoyant spirit not infre
| quently lifts them into the air in d
prolonged burst of song, but when they
have finished the effort they drop back
| into cover and if so minded work of
| through the trees to some other favor
| tie retreat. In marked contrast will
| the habits of the wideranging Apapant
| or Iiwi, / have never witnessed bolt
| flight of even a solitary individual from
| the high forest -clad pals where i
abounds
| 1t would be perfectly possible physi
| cally for the Olomao to readily pas
back and forth from Molokai to Lanai
or to Maui, or Oahu, so far as the inter
island distances and its power of fiigh
are concerned. But | am convinced
that its habits are such that it doe
not venture voluntarily on such flights
Furthermore, by rarely exposing itsel
in the open or getting far from cover
it reduces the possibility of such migra
ti0ns being accidentally made throug
the agencies of wind and weather t
the minimum Hence it is highly prob
able that the inter-island migration an
breeding of sufficient numbers of til
two forms to influence the mass of in
1 dividuals on both islands sufficiently t
keep them breeding to type does no
occur.
The general habits of the Moloka
species coincide very closely with thos
: of the other species of the genus. Be-
ries are by far its commonest foo
While insects were found in th
: stomachs of part of the birds e,
| | amined. they occurred in no consider
: able quantity in any of them. Severs
times [ came on the birds feeding o
: berries and had an opportunity to waite
their behavior at close range unol
served. 1t was thus possible for me
settle some minor points as TO the
5 behavior, particularly as to the eaus
} of the peculiar trembling motion of ii
: wings which has been attributed by OF
or two authors to fear alone.
il A bird under close observation fe
down to feed on the drupes of sma
5 Olapa (Cheirodendron). After a fe
= moments it flew up into a nearby ire
. when, after deliberately cleaning i
i bill it broke forth into its fullest son
e Pausing as if to study the effect, or
= see if the melody would be taken l
: by its neighbors, it would tremble tt
b wings and hop idly about from branC
= to branch. This program was repeatt