The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-03-07
GLOSSY ID|SlS
s.. SHOT AT kAILUA
Long-Legged Migrant Only Twice
Previously Recorded In
Hawaiian Islands ~

Hawaii's bird life ia so limited that
the appearance of new or strange
species Is n matter of considerable in,
terest. Last Sunday, while shooting
at Kaelopu1e, Kailua, on the other
eide of Oahu, FflL. Dewsett bagged
three Whitehead glossy bis, bird
WHICH has only twice previously been,
recorded as visiting these Islands+in
1865 and 1872. r ".
There were si& birds in the flock
when Dowsett sighted them,r one OF
which was shot by j. NJ. Dowsett bat
fell III a pond and was l9stS.S,FS Ia
Dowsstt scpuressfhree and'sthS rshaaipl
ing two birds escaped. ...
The white-faced glossy ibis Is about
the size Of curlew It's head is grey
and the back and wings bronze.color.
ed and possessing a peculiar metallic
sheen. The scientific name of the bird
is plegadis guarauna. ...... .~ -,
One of the birds has been turned
over to Prof. w. A. Bryan of the Col
lege of Hawaii, who is mounting Il for
tho Bishop museum. The others have
gone the inPlorious way of the pot.
This Ranges Along Coast ,...
| THE ibis ranges from Oregon along
the Pacific Coast as far as Lower Cali
fornia. The birds shot by Dowsett
! we're immature specimens, as was the
case with the others recorded, indicatl
ing that the young birds, probably
making their first migratory flight, lost
their way in the airlanes and kept
on flying until they sighted these is.
lands. .
| Reports of the, visits Of strange birds
| 10 these islands are exceedingly few
and far between, the laSt happening of
this nature being 10 years ago when
belted kingfsher was seen. ...... ..
When Max Schlemmef reformed from
Laysan Island 8 few months ago he
brought with him the wings and legs
Of strange goose, which has been
identified by Professor Bryan as Hut
chinson's goose, bird that has not
previously been recorded in Hawaii.
sea-Birds Flock Here
These Islands can only boast OF
thirty species of sea-birds, almost hall
the number of which are very rare
\ winter visitants. As a rule these arc
ocean waifs-young and inexperienced
birds-that have lost their way in an
attempt to migrate for the-frst time
along the American coast on their way
to their winter homes in the South.
| Conspicuous among the migrants Wis
iting Hawaii each year are the COLDER
plover, the wandering .tcttler, the turn
stone and the sanderGng. When the
! pl0ver arrive here ir the autumn, from
the summer spent on the berried tun
,dra of the far north, they are usual,
in poor flesh. This is not TO be won
dered at when it is borne in ind. thai
iIthe hbirdsr must 4 maltes over. the '300t
! miles of ocean without q rest e.
Dealing with the migration of ttht
plover, Professor Bryan in his "Natu
raj History of Hawaii says:
without doubt when storms are en-
countered many plover must lose thei
way and go down to watery graves
or, thrown from their course, must fly
for days over the great dull expanse il
search of land.
Plover Migrate Annually
| "PCrhaps IL was in some such ac
cidcntal way that the first plover hap
pened to visit Hawaii in the long ago
Since it doubtless found the Island
a pleasant land, it seems almost in
credible that a helpless wandere
should ever put to sea again in searcl
of the distant land whence it came.
"But the instinct to migrate to tn
far-away north and rear a brood an,
return again to these little Islands owe
the sea must have been very strong
strong enough to carry it and its de
scendants back and forth year afte
year. Doubtless such is the story o
the beginning of the colonies of most
if not all, Of the different species O
migratory shore and water birds tina
visit Hawaii each year"