OCEAN SEASONS 251 



fully protruded it breaks off and wriggles to the surface, 

 while the head end of the worm shrinks back into its hole. 

 The worms are several inches in length, the males being 

 light brown and ochre in colour and the females greyish 

 indigo and green. At the time of spawning the sea becomes 

 discoloured all around by the countless floating eggs. 



The natives are always ready for the spawning swarms 

 as they relish the worms as food. They catch them by 

 dipping them up in special baskets and so greatly do they 

 esteem them that the native chiefs send them as presents 

 to those living inland. The worms are eaten either cooked 

 and wrapt up in bread-fruit leaves, or quite un-dressed. 

 When cooked they are said to resemble spinach, and taste 

 and smell not unlike fresh fish's roe. 



From remote antiquity it has evidently been the custom 

 of the natives to watch for them, for the natives of Fiji, 

 who call them " Mbalolo," have incorporated them in their 

 calendars. They call the parts of the year corresponding 

 to the October and November swarming periods " Mbalolo 

 lailai " (little) and " Mbalolo levu " (large), the November 

 swarms being the greater of the two. 



The natives first note the approach of the season by the 

 appearance of the scarlet flowers of the " Aloalo " (Ery- 

 thrina indica). They watch for the flowering of other 

 plants until the " Seasea " {Eugenia) is in bloom. Then 

 they look for the moon being just on the horizon at the dawn 

 of day, and on the tenth morning the Palolo worms appear. 

 However, sometimes the extra lunar month throws out 

 their calculations. 



In Savaii the approach of the Palolo is heralded three 

 days beforehand by the appearance of the " Malio " or 

 land crabs (Gecarcinus) which march down from the 

 mountains to the sea in swarms (Plate 89). 



The natives of the Gilbert Isles say that the Palolo is a 



