THE ADMIRALTY ISLANDS. 



INTRODUCTORY NOTES. 



The collection of plants made by Mr Moseley affords all that we know of the botany of the 

 Admiralty Islands. Like that from the South-eastern Moluccas, it suffered much from damp 

 before it reached this country, and many of the specimens were reduced to such a rotten 

 state as to be past determination ; this applies more especially to those unrecognisable from 

 a fragment, consequently the identified species consist largely of familiar littoral plants. 

 Practically, therefore, although Mr Moseley devoted the greater part of his time to 

 collecting plants, the botany of the Admiralty Islands is still unknown ; but from the 

 following specimen it may safely be assumed that the peculiar element is not large, 

 and consists mainly of species ; for there are imperfect specimens of a considerable 

 number of what are doubtless undescribed species of genera characteristic of the Malayan 

 and Polynesian regions. 



Two or three Algae are recorded as having been previously collected at these islands 

 by Gaudichaud, who was botanist to the French voyage round the world of the 

 i: Uranie" and "Physicienne" (1817-1820) commanded by Freyciuet ; and in the 

 Botany of the voyage, 1 he mentions that they were becalmed for some days near the 

 Admiralty Islands, yet no landing was made. What particularly struck him, was the 

 large quantity of vegetable productions carried from the shores by the high tides, and 

 borne hither and thither by the numerous currents which at that time alone disturbed 

 the tranquillity of the sea. Further reference to this will be found in the Appendix to 

 the present part, on the drift seeds and seed-vessels collected by the Challenger 

 Expedition. 



Mr Moseley contributes the following particulars of the aspect and vegetation of the 



islands : 2 — 



" The Admiralty Islands are a group consisting of one large island and numerous small ones. 

 The group lies between latitudes 1° 50' S. and 3° 10' S., and longitudes 146° E. and 1 K 6' E. 

 It forms the north-westerly termination of the long curved chain of large islands and groups of 

 islands which stretching roughly N.E. and S.W., is composed of the New Ireland, Solomon, and 



1 Voyage autour du rnonde, execute sur les corvettes de S. M. l'Uranie et la Physicienne ; Botanique, 



p. 60. 



- Notes on Plants Collected and Observed at the Admiralty Islands : Journ. Linn. Soc Lond., xv. p. 73. 



