The steady state eruptions of Kilauea, Hawaii cannot be related to a percolative plume source, because continuous melt migration results in overly high overpressures in the upper part of the partially molten plume. The ascent of melt must instead be discontinuous. It is suggested that melt initially accumulates in conduits, and that melt episodically intrudes upward from one system of conduits to others situated above. The ascent is thus envisaged to occur by disperse multiple mini-intrusions.