FRUIT BATS 229 



man. He was a finely built fellow ; except for a 

 waist-cloth of tappa* he wore no clothing, but 

 nearly the whole of his body was covered with 

 tatooing. On one arm we noticed a number of 

 tatooed stripes, and on asking the reason for these 

 bands we were informed that they signified the 

 number of wives he possessed. He had, as far as 

 I can remember, seven such stripes. 



After leaving the cocoanut grove we entered the 

 forest, and a short time afterwards gained the 

 crest of the island. Here a fine view was obtained. 

 On one side Pago-Pago harbour, looking like a 

 small pond below us, on the other, the far side of 

 the island sloping gradually downward, towards 

 a large village situated on the sea-shore. 



At the top of this pass we saw numbers of noddy 

 terns, t also a few bosun or tropic birds, but no 

 specimens were obtained. Fruit bats were very 

 numerous, and were continually sailing high over 

 our heads, evidently disturbed by the sounds of 

 the shots we had fired. 



Throughout the day we were unable to get 

 within shot of the fruit bats, and as I much wished 

 to obtain a specimen, I landed again late in the 

 evening, but, although they were then flying lower, 

 I did not secure one. I afterwards shot one 

 example on Upolu Island, and have no doubt 

 that it is the same species as that inhabiting 



* A strong, stiff cloth made from the bark of the bread-fruit tree, 

 t Anous stolidus. 



R 



