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CHAPTER XX. 



TAHITI. JUAN FEKNANDEZ. 



Death of Budolph Yon Willenioes Suhm. Scientific Papers and Journals 

 left by Him. Papeete. Excursion into the Mountains. Fly-Fishing 

 in a Mountain Stream. Uses of the Wild Banana. Vegetation Com- 

 posed mainly of Ferns. Camping at Night. Tahitian Mountain 

 Map Ascent to 4,000 feet Altitude. Petrels Nesting at this Height. 

 Their Possible Influence in Distribution of Plants. Ignorance of the 

 Natives Concerning the Mountains. Mode of Alternation of Genera- 

 tions in the Mushroom Coral. Structure of Millepora. Structure of 

 the Stylasteridse. Catching Land-Crabs. Tahitian National Air. 

 Juan Fernandez. Preponderance of Ferns. Destruction of Trees. 

 Gunnera Chilensis. Conspicuous Flowers. Humming Birds of the 

 Island. Their Fertilization of Flowers. Smallness of the Island Com- 

 pared with the Number of Endemic Forms. Endemic Palm. 

 Dendroseris. 



Tahiti. Society Islands, September 18th to October 3rd, 18»J5. — 



The voyage to Tahiti occupied a month. It was painfully 

 impressed upon the memories of us all by the death of Von 

 Willemoes Suhm, which was caused by a rapid and virulent 

 attack of erysipelas. Budolph von Willemoes Suhm had been, 

 before he joined the "Challenger" Expedition, assistant to the 

 illustrious Professor von Siebold of Munich. He had dis- 

 tinguished himself by his researches as a naturalist before he 

 joined the " Challenger." A list of his papers published during 

 the voyage will be found at the end of this book, as well as a 

 reference to a collection of his letters published in German after 

 his death. 



He left many descriptions of animals and drawings, some 

 complete, others only partly finished. They comprehended 

 about 72 plates of octavo size and a few drawings of larger size. 

 Amongst these there are 13 of Annelids, mostly from the deep sea. 

 About 50 are of Crustacea, including five showing the develop- 

 ment of Ewphausia complete from the Nauplius stage; six 



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