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First Impressions of Hawaiian Birds 121 bare rock they la^' their eggs, and from their dim recesses the baby Noddy catches its first ghmpse of the outer world through the mist of the breakers as they thunder beneath it. The Noio is extremely sociable and is always found in large colonies, which live together in the utmost harmony. In holes far up the faces of the same cliffs nests the Tropic Bird, the Koae of the natives. Only occasional glimpses of the Koae are caught, as singly or in pairs they wing their way along the cliffs or oceanwise for food. Several pairs of this fine bird have always nested in the cliffs on the west side of Kilauea, and from the Volcano House the birds may often be seen, floating idly in the air or actively chasing each other in play over the pit. No one unfamiliar with such a solitary coast as Hawaii can realize how greatly the charm of the seaside is enhanced by the presence of birds. It may, at least, be claimed for Hawaii that its desert shores are not the result of man's act. In the way of sea birds Nature has been as prod- igal to America as she has been niggardly to Hawaii. But the teeming shores of the mainland have been stripped of Tern and Gull, Pelican and Grebe to satisfy man's greed and woman's caprice. It is to the deep and turbulent waters offshore, to the absence of inshore shoals, and to the general lack of suitable nesting grounds that must be attributed the general absence of waders and sea birds around the island of Hawaii. But let us leave the coast and its infrequent birds and bend our steps to the forest, where a different experience awaits us. The Hawaiian forest is a veritable jungle, and to explore its depths one should employ a native who is skilled in the use of the heavy cane- knife, by means of which a passage is cut through the tangle with sur- prising rapidity. A short time since there was no other way to penetrate the forest, but now it is far easier to follow one of the numerous trails that pass from the infrequent road to the coff^ee clearings, far within the woods. Many of these have been ferned, that is, have been paved with the trunks of tree ferns halved and laid down for walks, along which the observer may pass swiftly and with noiseless steps. Let us suppose ourselves upon such a trail at an altitude of some two thousand feet. At this height the bulk of the forest proper consists largely of the ohia tree, which attains a height of upward of 100 feet, and supports upon its stalwart trunk and ample branches a whole forest of vines, ferns and berry -bearing shrubs. For so fierce is the struggle for existence in the Hawaiian forest that such plants, and even trees, as are denied a foothold on Mother Karth prc(-mpt a home upon their more fortunate brethren, and thus each tree perforce has to furnish standing room for a whole plant colorn . In some localities at an altitude of about four thousand feet a beautiful acacia, the well-known and highly prizeil koa of the natives, largely replaces