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THE SOLOMON ISLANDS AND Their Natives.
THE SOLOMON ISLANDS AND Their Natives.
BY H. B. GUPPY, M.B., F.G.S. LATE SURGEON, R.N. LONDON: SWAN SONNENSCHEIN, LOWREY & CO., PATERNOSTER SQUARE, 1887. S. Cowan & Co. Strathmore Printing Works, Perth. W hen , in the beginning of 1881, H.M.S. “Lark” was being prepared for her commission as a surveying ship in the Western Pacific, I was selected by Sir John Watt Reid, the Medical Director-General of the Navy, to be appointed as Surgeon. For this selection I was also in some measure indebted to the late Sir Frederick E
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PREFACE.
PREFACE.
With reference to the different sections of this work, I should remark that the anthropological notes are for the most part now published for the first time. The translation of Gallego’s Journal and the historical sketch of the re-discovery of the group will, I hope, have a general as well as a special interest. In my natural history notes it will be seen that I am greatly indebted to the papers on my collections of shells and reptiles by Mr. Edgar Smith and Mr. G. A. Boulenger. For the identifi
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INTRODUCTION.
INTRODUCTION.
The smaller islands of volcanic formation group themselves into two classes: (1.) Those which, like Fauro and some of the Florida Islands, are composed partly of modern rocks, such as hornblende and augite-andesites with their tuffs and agglomerates, and partly of ancient and often highly crystalline rocks such as, as I am informed by Prof. Judd and Mr. T. Davies, quartz-diorites, quartz-porphyries, altered dacites and dolerites, serpentines, saussuritic felspar-rock, etc. (2.) Those that are co
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CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY.
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTORY.
In many places that I visited, the ascent of the stream-courses afforded the only opportunity of learning anything of the geological structure on account of the thick forest and the depth of the soil on the hill-slopes. Only at times are the sun’s rays able to penetrate the dusky ravines through which the streams flow, being usually intercepted by the matted foliage overhead. Even in the hottest day, such a walk is pleasantly cool, since the necessity of wading waist-deep and sometimes of swimmi
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CHAPTER II. GOVERNMENT—HEAD-HUNTING—SLAVERY—CANNIBALISM.
CHAPTER II. GOVERNMENT—HEAD-HUNTING—SLAVERY—CANNIBALISM.
By the unusual success of their treachery and cunning—the two weapons most essential to savage warfare in St. Christoval as well as in the other islands—some chiefs have acquired a predominance over the neighbouring villages, and their name inspires terror throughout the island. Amongst them, I may mention Taki, the chief of the large village of Wano on the north coast of this island. He has obtained the double reputation of being a friend to the white man and of being the most accomplished head
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CHAPTER III. THE FEMALE SEX—POLYGAMY—MODES OF BURIAL, ETC.
CHAPTER III. THE FEMALE SEX—POLYGAMY—MODES OF BURIAL, ETC.
In it was evinced the only sign of the tenderer feelings which was displayed in the whole of that day’s proceedings. It is necessary for me to touch lightly on a subject, which, although less pleasing, is none the less essential to the short sketch which I have presented to my readers of the domestic relations of the natives in the eastern islands. Female chastity is a virtue that would sound strangely in the ear of the native. Amongst their many customs which when narrated strike with such a di
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CHAPTER IV. DWELLINGS—TAMBU-HOUSES—WEAPONS—TOOLS.
CHAPTER IV. DWELLINGS—TAMBU-HOUSES—WEAPONS—TOOLS.
There is a far greater difference in size between the dwellings of the chiefs and those of the ordinary natives than exists in the eastern islands of the group, a distinction which might have been expected on account of the greater power of the chiefs of Bougainville Straits. Gorai, the powerful Shortland chief, has appropriated to himself more than an acre of ground on which stand the several buildings required for the accommodation of his numerous wives, children, and dependents. Its precincts
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CHAPTER V. CULTIVATION—FOOD, ETC.
CHAPTER V. CULTIVATION—FOOD, ETC.
Here, as in the eastern islands, the following method of climbing the cocoa-nut palm and other trees prevailed. A lashing or thong around the ankles supports much of the weight of the body, and serves as a fulcrum for each effort of the climber towards the top. When the cocoa-nut palm is rather inclined to one side, I have seen a native adopt the mode of the West Indian negro, and walking up the trunk on all fours, after the style of monkeys. . . . . It is a singular circumstance, as residents i
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STATURE.
STATURE.
The foregoing table includes all the measurements of height which I obtained in the various parts of the group. The range of these 72 measurements is 4 feet 11 1 ⁄ 2 inches to 5 feet 8 1 ⁄ 2 inches. Fifty of these are gathered together between 5 feet 2 inches and 5 feet 6 inches. Arranging the whole series in order, I find that the value of the central number (36th) is 5 feet 4 inches; of the quarter-points, the value of the 18th is 5 feet 3 inches, and of the 54th, 5 feet 5 1 ⁄ 2 inches; and th
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CHEST-GIRTH.
CHEST-GIRTH.
The range of the eighteen measurements given in the subjoined table is 31 1 ⁄ 2 to 37 inches: and since half of these are included between 34 and 35 inches, we may consider these as the limits of the average chest-girth of the natives in the portions of the group in which the measurements were made, viz., the islands of Bougainville Straits and St. Christoval, with its adjoining islands. Taking the average height (5 feet 4 inches) as 100, the proportion, which a chest girth of 34 1 ⁄ 2 inches wo
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WEIGHT OF BODY.[94]
WEIGHT OF BODY.[94]
[94] Mr. Evered, ships-steward assistant, obtained these weights for me. Twelve natives of the Shortland Islands were taken promiscuously and weighed, the following being the results, stated in pounds:—100, 103, 116, 117, 120, 120, 123, 130, 148, 148, 150, 154. The mean of these numbers is 127; and the average weight would probably vary between 125 and 130 pounds, or between 57 and 59 kilogrammes. This probable average weight is quite in accordance with the size and build of a typical Solomon Is
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LENGTH OF LIMBS.
LENGTH OF LIMBS.
The points of measurement employed were:— ( a ) For the upper extremity : (1) a point half an inch outside, and on the level with the apex of the coracoid process of the scapula; (2) the centre of the hollow of the elbow on a line drawn from the interspace between the head of the radius and the external condyle of the humerus (indicated by a dimple when the fore-arm is extended) to immediately below the internal condyle; (3) the centre of a line joining the apices of the styloid processes of the
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The Features.
The Features.
The facial angle taken was that between a line dropt from the forehead to the alveolar border of the upper jaw, and another line drawn from the external auditory meatus through the central axis of the orbit, the angle being taken with a goniometer. Amongst eighty natives from different parts of the group, the angle varied between 87° and 98°. Seventy-five of the natives had facial angles between 90° and 95°; and the average of the whole number of angles was 93°. On applying the method for obtain
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The Hair, Colour of Skin, Powers of Vision, &c.
The Hair, Colour of Skin, Powers of Vision, &c.
Amongst the natives of the Solomon Group, there are four common styles of wearing the hair, which I may term the woolly, the mop-like, the partially bushy, and the completely bushy: these prevail with both sexes, the fashion varying in different islands. From frequent observations of the different modes of wearing the hair, I am of the opinion that their variety is to be attributed more to individual caprice than to any difference in the character of the hair. According to his taste, a man may p
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CHAPTER VII. DRESS—TATTOOING—SONGS, ETC.
CHAPTER VII. DRESS—TATTOOING—SONGS, ETC.
The most picturesque of the personal ornaments of the natives of the eastern islands is a frontlet of the handsome white cowries ( Ovulum ovum ). About a dozen of these shells, rather small in size, are strung together, and bound across the forehead. A single shell is sometimes worn on the front of the leg just below the knee. Many men possess large crescent-shaped plates of the pearl shell found in these seas, and which they wear on the breast. Resident traders, such as Captain Macdonald at San
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CHAPTER VIII. CANOES—FISHING—HUNTING.
CHAPTER VIII. CANOES—FISHING—HUNTING.
Skilfully managed, even the smaller canoes, which carry two or three persons, will behave well in a moderately heavy sea. I frequently used them and had practical experience of the dexterity with which they are handled. On one occasion I was coasting along the west side of the island of Simbo in an overladen canoe; and there was just enough “lop” and swell to make the chances even as to whether we should have to swim for it or not. It was astonishing to see the various manœuvres employed by my n
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CHAPTER IX. PREVALENT DISEASES.
CHAPTER IX. PREVALENT DISEASES.
The influence of superstition probably explains the indifference which prevails as to the welfare of the sick and aged. Those afflicted with such an infirmity as blindness are kindly treated by their fellows. I was particularly struck, whilst looking on at a feast in the village of Treasury, by the attention that was paid to the wants of a young blind man who sat aloof from the rest. He was blind from his birth, and I particularly pleased him by sitting down beside him and giving him a stick of
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Miscellaneous Words
Miscellaneous Words
[166] These are also the native names of the trees supplying the resins, the anoga being probably a species of “Canarium,” the tita , “Parinarium laurinum.”...
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Names of Natives.
Names of Natives.
Men.—Gorai; Mule; Kópana; Krepas; Kurra-kurra; Erosini; Tutu; Lawi; Sege; Fauli; Kiliusi; Gégora; Nito; Émara; Olega; Malakolo; Butiu; Igeti; Ki´kila; Totono; Gélesi; Dúkutau; Alisa; Iri-isa; Sahi; Oïsi; Karubo; Devi; Dansi; Kamo; Fulagi; Pilaisi; Maluka; Tokura; Misiki; Levo; Tunu; Biro. Women.—Kaika; Bito; Siali; Évenu; Bose; Omakau; Domari; Duia....
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Vegetables, Fruits,[167] &c.
Vegetables, Fruits,[167] &c.
[167] The native names of most of the common plants will be found in the list given on pages 294 - 304 . Vide also remarks on page 280 ....
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Short Sentences and Phrases.
Short Sentences and Phrases.
[168] This is an expression of acknowledgment rather than of thanks. In a recent work on the Melanesian languages, the Rev. Dr. Codrington [169] deals with the languages of the islands of the Solomon Group which lie east of New Georgia. Some of them, as he observes, fall naturally into two divisions: those which belong to Ulaua, Malaita, Ugi, San Cristoval, and the part of Guadalcanar adjacent; and those of Florida, the parts of Guadalcanar opposite, and the nearest extremity of Ysabel. In the f
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THE JOURNAL OF GALLEGO.
THE JOURNAL OF GALLEGO.
We find in the prologue, with which Gallego commences his account of this voyage, an explanation not only of the principal object of the expedition, but also of the motive which led the Spanish navigator to draw up his narrative. It was for the propagation of the Christian faith amongst the peoples of the unknown islands of the West that this expedition was dispatched from the shores of Peru; and it was to guide the missionary to the field of his labour that the chief pilot drew up his relation
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CHAPTER XII THE STORY OF A LOST ARCHIPELAGO.
CHAPTER XII THE STORY OF A LOST ARCHIPELAGO.
However, many years rolled by; and Mendana had arrived at an elderly age before any further undertaking was attempted. The appearance of Drake in the South Sea, some years after the return of the expedition to Peru, caused the scheme of colonization to be abandoned. The Spaniards now found a rival in the navigation of that ocean which, under the sanction of a Papal decree, they had hitherto regarded as exclusively their own. The dread that they would be unable to hold the “Isles of Salomon” agai
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NOTE II.
NOTE II.
[393] “Hechos de Don Garcia H. de Mendoza,” por el Doctor Christoval S. de Figueroa. Madrid, 1613. [394] “Descripcion de las Indias Occidentales.” (Madrid, about 1601.) [395] “Early Voyages to Terra Australis,” by R. H. Major (p. 1). Hakluyt Society, 1859....
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NOTE III. (Page 199.)
NOTE III. (Page 199.)
The Isle of Jesus. —Burney [396] estimated the longitude of this island to be 172° 30′ East of Greenwich; Krusenstern, [397] on surer grounds, fixed it at 171° 30′: but both estimates were based on an erroneous longitude of the Candelaria Shoals. . . . I have shown in note iv. that these shoals are probably identical, not with the Roncador Reef as is implied in the present charts , but with the islands of Ontong Java, to the northward; however, this correction affects but little the question of
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NOTE IV. (Page 199.)
NOTE IV. (Page 199.)
The Candelaria Shoals. —The shoals were identified by Fleurieu with the Roncador Reef discovered by Maurelle in 1781; and Krusenstern subsequently confirmed this opinion. Gallego, however, describes shoals trending N.E. and S.W. for more than fifteen leagues, which cannot possibly be the Roncador Reef of the present chart , which is not more than six miles across. These Candelaria Shoals, on the other hand, correspond in their size with the large atoll of Ontong Java lying about 35 miles to the
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NOTE V.
NOTE V.
The Latitudes of Gallego in the Solomon Group. —On making fourteen comparisons of the latitudes obtained by Gallego with the latitudes of the same places in the most recent Admiralty charts , places about which there can be no doubt as to their identity, I find that all but two are in excess of the true latitude. The excess varies between 11′ and 1° 7′ (about); and since seven of the twelve latitudes vary between 38′ and 46′ in excess, we may take 40′ plus as about the probable and average preva
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NOTE VI. (Page 206.)
NOTE VI. (Page 206.)
The Isle of Ramos and the Island of Malaita. —On referring to the account of Figueroa in the original Spanish, I find that, like Gallego, he applies the name of Ramos to Malaita. Pingré, who published a translation of Figueroa’s account in 1767 at Paris, [402] associates the two names together. Dalrymple [403] in his translation, published in 1770, laid the ground for future misconception, by so pointing the sentence that the name of Ramos might be taken as intended for one of the “two islets” i
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NOTE VII. (Pages 207-209.)
NOTE VII. (Pages 207-209.)
The Islands between Cape Prieto and Guadalcanar. —These islands which occupied the attention of Fleurieu and Burney, and excited the curiosity of Dentrecasteaux, and which D’Urville had intended to have completely explored, have long baffled the efforts of geographical writers, who have endeavoured to identify them with the islands mentioned by Figueroa in his brief account of Mendana’s discoveries in this region. His description is evidently derived from that of Gallego, of which it is but an i
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NOTE VIII. (Page 220.)
NOTE VIII. (Page 220.)
The Excessive Dimensions of Guadalcanar. —How could such misconceptions have arisen? They are totally inconsistent with the rest of the journal; and to such statements must be attributed the exaggerated reports which long prevailed with reference to the size of this island. The lengths of the islands of Isabel, Malaita, and St. Christoval, as given by Gallego, are greatly overstated; in the case of the two former islands they are at least double the true dimensions, and they completely disagree
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NOTE IX. (Page 233.)
NOTE IX. (Page 233.)
The Consultation as to the Future Course of the Expedition. —The ignorance in which Mendana seems to have kept his officers with regard to the character of his instructions considerably hampered the captains and pilots in their consultation. We learn subsequently ( page 237 ) that it was originally intended to prosecute the voyage westward in order to explore the extensive lands that lay in that direction. However, the protest made by the crews seems to have caused a change of plans. They were t
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NOTE X. (Page 234.)
NOTE X. (Page 234.)
Islands in the Solomon Group which do not at Present bear the Names given to them by the Spaniards: —...
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NOTE XI. (Page 237.)
NOTE XI. (Page 237.)
Inigo Ortez de Retes and Bernardo de la Torre. —We learn from Galvano’s “Discoveries of the World,” [409] that in 1545 Captain Inigo Ortez de Rotha was dispatched from Tidore to New Spain. He sailed to the coast of Papua, and not knowing that Saavedra had discovered it in 1528, he assumed the honour of the discovery. Mr. Coutts Trotter in a recent article [410] refers to him as Ortiz de Retez or Roda, and he informs us elsewhere [411] that Antonio de Abreu was probably the first discoverer of Ne
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NOTE XII. (Page 238.)
NOTE XII. (Page 238.)
The islands of San Bartolomeo. —The Musquillo Islands of the Marshall Group, with which I have identified this discovery of the Spaniards, were thus named by Captain Bond in 1792. [412] They form a double atoll about 38 miles in length and trending N.W. and S.E. The N.W. end is in latitude 8° 10′ N., and the S.E. end is in latitude 7° 46′ N. Captain Bond ranged along the coasts of above 20 small islands. At the N.W. end and isolated from the rest are two small islands about three miles apart. On
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NOTE XIII. (Page 239.)
NOTE XIII. (Page 239.)
The Isle of San Francisco. —Wake’s Island, with which I have identified the Isle of San Francisco, was discovered in 1796 by the “Prince William Henry.” Commodore Wilkes, who fixed its position in 1840 (lat. 19° 10′ 54″ N.; long 166° 31′ 30″ E. of G), thus describes it. “Wake’s Island is a low coral one, of triangular form and eight feet above the surface. It has a large lagoon in the centre, which was well filled with fish of a variety of species; amongst these were some fine mullet. There is n
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NOTE XIV. (Page 251.)
NOTE XIV. (Page 251.)
The List of Islands in the Vicinity of Taumaco which was obtained by Quiros in 1606 from one of the natives. —They are as follows, Chicayana, Guantopo, or Guaytopo, Taucalo, Pilen, Nupan, Pupam, Fonfono or Fonofono, Mecaraylay, Manicolo, Tucopia, Pouro. More than half of these islands can be identified with certainty, even after an interval of nearly three centuries. Chicayana may be without a doubt identified with Sikyana or Sikai-ana, the present native name of the Stewart Isles which lie abou
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NOTE XV. (Pages 100, 251.)
NOTE XV. (Pages 100, 251.)
The Pouro of Quiros. —A native of Chicayana, whom Quiros had captured at Taumaco, told the Spanish navigator that there dwelt in Taumaco “an Indian, a great pilot,” who had brought from “a large country, named Pouro,” certain arrows, with points, in the form of a knife, which, from the native’s description, Quiros concluded were of silver. Pouro, he learned, was very populous, and its inhabitants were dun-complexioned. When I first came upon this reference to Pouro, I at once recognised it as an
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NOTE XVI.
NOTE XVI.
The Eddystone Rock and the Simboo of Lieutenant Shortland. —For a considerable time after the re-discovery of the Solomon Islands by the French and English navigators, few islands were better known in the group than Eddystone or Simbo Island. In thus naming this island, however, there has been a singular misconception; and since the name of Simbo has been omitted in the latest Admiralty chart (August, 1884) of the group, some explanatory remarks may be of interest. In August, 1788, Lieutenant Sh
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LIST OF PLANTS COLLECTED IN THE ISLANDS OF BOUGAINVILLE STRAITS, SOLOMON GROUP, DURING 1884.[433]
LIST OF PLANTS COLLECTED IN THE ISLANDS OF BOUGAINVILLE STRAITS, SOLOMON GROUP, DURING 1884.[433]
[433] I am mainly indebted to the kindness of Professor Oliver for the list of the plants collected by me in the Solomon Islands, most of which were sent to Kew. The ferns are in the British Museum, but I can learn nothing of them. Fortunately, the fungi were not included; and for a list of them I am indebted to Mr. Baker. Most of the orchids, and some of the asclepiads, were given by me to Baron von Mueller, who intends to examine them in connection with subsequent collections. I take this oppo
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CHAPTER XIV. Reptiles and Batrachians.
CHAPTER XIV. Reptiles and Batrachians.
According to Mr. Boulenger, the Reptiles may be grouped under four headings, viz.:— 1. Species belonging to both the Papuasian and Polynesian districts. 2. Indo-Malayan or Papuasian species, not extending further east or south-east. 3. Polynesian species, not extending further north and west than New Ireland. 4. Species not hitherto found elsewhere than in the Solomons (and New Ireland.) 1 2 3 4 All of these 19 Reptiles were included in my collection, with the exception of Corucia zebrata , whic
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CHAPTER XV. GENERAL NATURAL HISTORY NOTES.
CHAPTER XV. GENERAL NATURAL HISTORY NOTES.
The Birgus was to be found in most of the islands we visited. It is to be usually observed at or near the coast; but on one occasion, in St. Christoval, I found an individual at a height of 300 feet above the sea. Whilst traversing, in September, 1882, the belt of screw-pines, which borders the beach on the east coast of Malaupaina, the southern island of the Three Sisters, I came upon one of these large crabs, ensconced in the angle between the buttressed roots of a tree, with a full sized coco
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LIST OF LAND AND FRESH-WATER SHELLS COLLECTED IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS[489] DURING 1882 AND 1883. (EXTRACTED FROM MR. E. SMITH’S PAPER IN THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, JUNE, 2ND, 1885.) THE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE NEW SPECIES AND VARIETIES FOLLOW:
LIST OF LAND AND FRESH-WATER SHELLS COLLECTED IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS[489] DURING 1882 AND 1883. (EXTRACTED FROM MR. E. SMITH’S PAPER IN THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON, JUNE, 2ND, 1885.) THE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE NEW SPECIES AND VARIETIES FOLLOW:
(4) Helix ( Corasia ) tricolor (Pfeiffer) Hab. St. Christoval, Ugi, Santa Anna. (5) Helix ( Corasia ) anadyomene , A (Adams & Angas) Hab. Guadalcanar, Ugi. (6) Helix ( Geotrochus ) acmella (Pfeiffer) Hab. Faro Island, Bougainville Straits; Florida Islands, vide original paper. (7) Helix ( Geotrochus ) gamelia (Angas) Hab. Isabel, Stephen Island, Shortland Islands, Treasury Island, Choiseul Bay. (8) Helix ( Geotrochus ) hargreavesi (Angas) Hab. Faro Island in Bougainville Straits. (9) Hel
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Descriptions of the new species and varieties,[490] by Mr. E. Smith.
Descriptions of the new species and varieties,[490] by Mr. E. Smith.
[490] The numbers refer to the plates in Mr. Smith’s paper (Proc. Zool. Soc., June 1885). (2) Helix ( Nanina ) nitidissima. (Plate XXXVI. figs. 1, 1 b .) Shell thin, transparent, very glossy, depressed, narrowly perforate, pale brownish horn-colour above, whitish towards the umbilicus, sculptured with very faint lines of growth. Whorls 4-5, slightly convex, impressed and marginate above at the suture; last whorl large, rounded at the periphery. Aperture obliquely lunate; peristome simple, thin,
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RAIN-REGISTER AT SANTA ANNA.
RAIN-REGISTER AT SANTA ANNA.
(Kept by Mr. Charles Sproul [503] between October 25th, 1882, and December 31st, 1883.) [503] I am indebted to Mr. William Heughan for commencing this register. The rain-gauge used was of the common round funnel pattern (5·7 inches). The observations were made at Port Mary on the west side of the island. The elevation of the guage was some four or five feet (or less) above the high tide level. [504] By rainy days are meant those days on which not less than 2 ⁄ 100 of an inch of rain were measure
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RAIN-REGISTER AT UGI.
RAIN-REGISTER AT UGI.
(Kept by Mr. Fred Howard between October 1st, 1882, and December 31st, 1883.) The rain-gauge used was of the round funnel pattern (about 5 1 ⁄ 2 inches). The observations were made at the residence of Mr. John Stephens at Selwyn Bay on the west side of the island. The elevation of the gauge was from four to six feet above the high-tide level. Results. —During the last quarter of 1882, the rainfall was 30·41 inches; and the number of rainy days was 55. During 1883, the total rainfall was 146·24 i
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RAIN-REGISTER KEPT ON BOARD H.M.S. “LARK.”
RAIN-REGISTER KEPT ON BOARD H.M.S. “LARK.”
(I am indebted to Lieutenant Leeper for assistance in keeping this register.) The rain-gauge was raised about eleven feet above the water-level. I did not commence these observations until towards the close of the first season; and since, during the two following years, we spent about two-thirds of each year in this region, the record is, in consequence, not continuous. Results. — Total Rainfall for this interval of 74 days from Sept. 9th to Nov. 21st, 1882, was 47·55 inches. The greatest daily
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OBSERVATIONS[505] OF THE BAROMETER AND THERMOMETER IN THE SOLOMON GROUP, BY LIEUT. LEEPER, R.N.
OBSERVATIONS[505] OF THE BAROMETER AND THERMOMETER IN THE SOLOMON GROUP, BY LIEUT. LEEPER, R.N.
(Taken on board H.M.S. “Lark.”) [505] The observations were taken at 4 a.m., 8 a.m., 4 p.m., and 8 p.m. Results calculated from observations of the temperature in the shade, and of the wet and dry bulb thermometers taken at Ugi at 9 a.m., by Mr. F. Howard. [506] [506] The instruments were supplied by me. The Thermometer was by Negretti and Zambra: and the wet and dry bulbs were good reliable instruments. They were all first compared with the ship’s instruments, which were supplied by the Meteoro
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WIND-RECORD FOR EACH MONTH.
WIND-RECORD FOR EACH MONTH.
Prepared from the observations taken on board H.M.S. “Lark,” and by Messrs. Sproul and Howard, at Santa Anna and Ugi. January. 1883. At Ugi, S.W. to W. in first half; variable in latter half; S.E. 1 day. At Santa Anna, N.W. and W.; S.E. 5 days; occasional squalls. February. 1833. At Ugi and Santa Anna, N.W. to S.W.; no S.E.; latter part, fresh winds and squalls. March. 1883. At Ugi and Santa Anna, N.W. to W. in first half, with strong winds and thunderstorms; latter part variable; S.E. 4 days at
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THE EFFECTS OF THE CLIMATE ON THE WEIGHT OF THE BODY.
THE EFFECTS OF THE CLIMATE ON THE WEIGHT OF THE BODY.
During the last two surveying-seasons in these islands, the officers and crew were weighed with the object of determining the effect of service in this climate on the body-weight. The period spent in this region during each year extended from April to November. After eliminating various sources of error, such as sickness, immaturity, etc., I find that during the surveying-season of 1883, which occupied between 6 1 ⁄ 2 and 7 months, eighteen out of twenty persons lost weight, the average loss bei
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