white, may lay more occasionally, but that is open to doubt and is not usual. Food:- Nectar and insects in a 60 per cent nectar 40 per cent insect ratio, just the reverse to Lichmera. Vomits nectar on shooting. Appears very similar to all other Myzomela known to observer in habits, except that it is more silent than usual, though its song (male only) is pretty but rather weaker than usual; and that the sex ratio is very much nearer normal than usual in this race and the ratio of im- matures (of both sexes) to adults is extremely high. Mare Island is said by natives to have had as plentiful a population of Myzomela as Uvea before importation of the crow, and if so the crow must have killed Myzomela in hundreds of thousands on Mare. Possibly Myzomela's pugnacity was its downfall on Mare. On Uvea Halcyon will not face its attacks. MAYR QUESTION:- Why is it absent on Uvea and Mare (?). ANSWER:- KNUTZ (see above) lack of observation of Sarasin as it has always been plentiful on Uvea and was on Mare Island up till about 1924 or 1925. Mr. Rordorf of that island (resident there from 1919) noting its gradual decrease till then and its terrifically accelerated one since then. (1939, Jan. I) A recent letter from Mr. R. reports a very small increase in the last year, but says it is very slight.) ZOSTEROPTS LATERAL IS NIGRESCENS:- A common species on the island but rather nomadic, appearing very plentiful in an area for a time then being almost absent and later appear- ing again. On first arriving on Uvea, I first thought the