74 MR. H. N. MOSELEY ON PLANTS COLLECTED 



islands and groups of is]ands which, stretching roughly N.E. and 

 S.AV., is composed of the New-Ireland, Solomon, and New- 

 Hebrides groups. The larger island of the Admiralty group is 

 distant from New Hanover, the nearest large island of the chain, 

 about 130 miles, and from the nearest point of New Guinea about 

 150 miles. A series of groups of small islands form connecting 

 links between the Admiralty group and New Gruinea ; and a num- 

 ber of the smaller islands of the Admiralty group lie between the 

 large island and New Hanover. The centre of the large or main 

 island is placed by D'Entrecasteau in lat. 2° 18' S. and long. 

 146° 44' E. The island, which is oblong in form, is about fifty, 

 miles in extreme length, and sixteen in extreme breadth. It has, 

 together with its immediately adjacent islets, an area of about 550 

 square miles. The main island is mostly of small elevation, but 

 contains mountain- masses rising to a height of about 1600 feet, 

 which were visible to the eastward of the anchorage of the ' Chal- 

 lenger' in Nares Anchorage. The examination of the islands 

 made by us was confined to the extreme north-western portion of 

 the northern coast of the main island, in the neighbourhood of 

 Nares Bay, and to the numerous small outlying islands which, 

 lying just off the coast, shelter that anchorage. 



The land-surface in the vicinity of Nares Bay consists of a 

 series of low irregular ridges rising one above another, with wide 

 flat expanses at the heads of bays on the coast, which are scarcely 

 or not at all raised above sea-level, and thus are in a swampy con- 

 dition. The mountains appear, from their form, to be volcanic; 

 and it is probable that the obsidian used by the natives for their 

 spear- heads is procured in them. A trachytic lava was found to 

 compose one of the outlying islands ; and a similar rock was ob- 

 served on the mainland where it commenced to rise. A platform 

 of coral-sand rock forms the coast-line of the main island in many 

 places ; and a similar rock is the only component of most of the 

 small outlying islands. 



From the position of the Admiralty Islands with regard to the 

 equator, their climate is necessarily an extremely damp one. A 

 great deal of exceedingly heavy rain fell during the stay of the 

 * Challenger/ Rain fell on five days of the seven during which 

 we w r ere at Nares Anchorage, the total fall being 166 inch. 

 The temperature of the air ranged between 86° and 75° # 5 F., the 

 mean of maximum and minimum observations being about 

 80° F. ; and the air was loaded with moisture. Dense clouds of 



