162 MR. W. B. HEMSLEY ON THE FLORA 
on a tract of bush from the cliffs. Along the eastern shore the 
Piu or Biw Palms (Pritchardia pacifica), with their great fan 
leaves, are very handsome objects. The trees are not generally 
very high, running to about 60 to 80 feet. After penetrating 
the outer edge of a belt of bush, festooned with creepers, Hntada 
scandens and various species of Ipomea, with sulphur-coloured, 
blue or purple flowers, there was generally no difficulty in 
making one’s way about. 
My collections at Eua were made during a visit of a fortnight 
in December 1889, and in two days which I spent there in June 
of the same year. In December I think I obtained most of the 
plants which were in flower at the time in the bigher part of the 
island, but I have no doubt that there are many plants on the 
island not represented in the collection. 
In conclusion I may perhaps be permitted to point out that 
while the contour of the sea-bottom, with the great southerly 
extension of the Tonga plateau, suggests that a closer connection 
may at one time have existed between New Zealand and land 
to the northward, the geological structure of the present Tonga 
islands would not lead us to expect that an ancient fauna and 
flora survives on them; for, as was shown above, all the high 
ground of the group either consists of the outpourings of vol- 
canoes, or has been submerged within the period during which 
the existing reef-limestones have been formed. 
Mr. E. A. Smith informs me that the land mollusks are quite 
of a Polynesian character, and show no special affinities with 
those of New Zealand. 
With regard to the birds, to which I have devoted some at- 
tention, the,same statement holds good. Compared with those 
of Fiji and Samoa, the birds of Tonga are few in number and 
very little specialized. There are no peculiar genera, and prob- 
ably only four peculiar species, each of which is represented by 
allied species, both in Fiji and Samoa. With the very peculiar 
bird-fauna of New Zealand there are certainly no special 
affinities *, J.J. Lisrer. 
* A fuller account of the Geology of the Tonga Islands will be found in the 
Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society, November 1891, vol. xlvii. p. 590, 
