164 THE PLANT WORLD 



There is another fresh-water fish in the river, one of which my boys 

 caught and put in my well. It is a species of Eleotris iE.ftisca), a fish 

 about six inches long belonging to the goby family. The study of the 

 distribution of fresh-water fishes on oceanic islands is one which must be of 

 great interest to the zoologist. In Samoa there are also eels and Kuhlias 

 in the streams and in the Hawaiian islands several species of Kleotris in 

 fresh- water streams and ponds. 



Crossed the bridge near the old distillery where brandy was formerly 

 made from fermented coconut sap, and called on Don Juan de Torres, 

 our Island Treasurer. Don Juan's house is one of the largest and finest 

 on the island. It is constructed of masonry and the spacious rooms have 

 floors of polished ifil wood. The house is surrounded by many choice 

 flowers and shrubs.* As I went up the stone steps leading to the terrace 

 the air was filled with the fragrance of henna {.Lawsonia inermis), which 

 the natives call ciiiamomo. It has very much the odor of mignonette, 

 and in Jamaica is called " mignonette bush." 



Found Don Juan at breakfast and accepted his invitation to take a 

 cup of coffee. His wife. Dona Juliana, is the niece of my faithful 

 Susana, the daughter of her brother Jose Perez. Dona Juliana is a lady 

 of charming manners. She is better educated than most of her sex on 

 the island. It was a source of surprise to me recently in registering the 

 lands of the natives to find that a number of them could not sign their 

 names. The other day when I handed an old lady a quill to affix her 

 signature to a statement she had made, she excused herself, saying that 

 she had forgotten to bring her glasses with her. A neighbor offered her 

 his, but still she hesitated. Finally she turned to me and said : "Really, 

 senor, if you had not written your name for sixty years, you too would 

 have forgotten how ! ' ' And indeed the good soul has had no need to 

 sign her name. She knows no one outside of the island. She does 

 not even have to read, for she knows her prayers by heart, and there is 

 no daily paper in Guam. 



Don Juan in explaining the situation of the island told me that most 

 of the governors had discouraged education among the natives. He said 

 that before the middle of the century just passed there was a great scarcity 

 of books on the island. In Agaiia there was but a single grammar and 

 that was owned by Don Silvestre Inocencio Palomo y Rodriguez, the 

 father of my reverend friend Padre Jose Palomo. In the schools of the 

 island only the merest rudiments were taught, and Don Inocencio's gram- 

 mar was passed from boy to boy until it was quite worn out. 



From Don Juan I got some interesting notes concerning the families 

 of Torres and of Palomo, the members of whom have always been among 



♦This fine house was destroyed by the earthquake of September 22, 1902, which also ruined the 

 old bell-tower of the church. 



