421 



parts of the islands for plants and other natural productions, and 

 particularly for making a good collection of seeds to send home 

 for His Majesty's Gardens," etc. 



The party, including many native hangers-on, left Kailua on 

 the morning of January 17th ; and ascended to the upper limit of 

 the villages and native plantings, where the night was spent in 

 "3. few scattered huts." The evening of the second day found 

 them well up in the forest zone, near the upper edge of the 

 woods. Camp was made here, and a messenger sent back to Kea- 

 lakekua, to carry tidings of the trip and to fetch ''some little 

 things we wanted." 



An early start was made the morning of the third day, nine- 

 teenth, and at half past eight the summit was reached. As the 

 weather was clear the party had a magnificent view of the sur- 

 rounding country. Menzies describes the scene, summit, and 

 craters and continues : 



"In my rambles I collected every plant I met with, either in 

 flower or seed, which I was sorry to find did not amount to a 

 very numerous catalogue, on account of the dormant state of 

 vegetation in these upper regions at this season of the year, but 

 from the -variety I saw of small plants and low shrubs, in appear- 

 ance quite new to me, I consider this peak as a very interesting 

 tract for a botanist to explore in the summer months when, I 

 have no doubt, every steep and cleft will be adorned with flowers 

 innumerable. 



''Amongst the plants in flower at this time w^as the Sophora 

 tetraptera, which did not exceed the size of a small shrub though 

 lower down the mountains, and particularly on some of the other 

 islands it grows to a pretty large tree; from the wood of which, 

 the natives informed me, they made their spears, and from the 

 fine polish it bears it almost equals in hardness and density of 

 grain the most beautiful mahogany. 



"The Dodonca viscosa grew here very plentifully and seemed 

 to thrive equally well as down at the seaside, where it is not un- 

 common. I also found here a small shrubbery geranium, quite a 

 new species, and I believe the only one of that genus which has 

 hitherto been found in any of the island? of the Pacific Ocean." 

 (Geraniuni cuneaturn, Hooker.) 



The remainder of the day, and the next (fourth) day, were 

 spent on the summit "traversing the peak in various directions" ; 

 on the morning of the fifth day the descent was begun. The route 

 chosen lay toward the hollow between Hualalai and Mauna Loa ; 

 the party was much fatigued by the rough lava, and at night 

 camped in a valley between the two mountains. 



The next morning (sixth day) Menzies resolved to also ascend 

 Mauna Loa, and the day was expended in a futile attempt, amid 

 the protests of the natives. Nightfall found the weary party back 

 in their valley cave again. On the seventh day the homeward 

 descent was continued, and by evening time the party was within 

 nine or ten miles of Kealakekua. They "came to a village among 



