NO. 14 ARCHEOLOGY OF BAY ISLANDS, HONDURAS STRONG 5 



islands and only a few small streams, often terminating in the many 

 mangrove swamps. Springs of good water are rather numerous. 

 Roatan is marked by a number of salt-water lagoons or drowned 

 valleys, which form a system of interior waterways on the south side. 



All the main harbors are on the protected southern shores away 

 frcMii the prevalent northeast trade winds. From west to east these 

 consist of East Harbor on Utila; Coxen Hole, Dixon Cove, French 

 Harbor, Oak Ridge, and Port Royal (formerly important, but prac- 

 tically deserted at present) on Roatan; and Bonacca Harbor within 

 the reefs on the southwest tip of Bonacca Island. Only a few scat- 

 tered families of Black Caribs live along the northern shore of 

 Roatan, and on all the islands the population centers on the side 

 toward the mainland. Access from the mainland is simple, and small 

 native craft ply back and forth at all seasons. The i>eriod from 

 November to February, however, is dangerous, owing to frequent 

 " northers," which may do much damage. From the middle of June to 

 the middle of August the islands are subject to squalls, and revolving 

 storms or hurricanes occur occasionally at this time of year. However, 

 the Islanders are a maritime people and are not often caught out 

 under such circumstances. 



The climate is similar to that of the adjacent mainland of Honduras 

 but is said to be cooler, owing- to the surrounding water. The tem- 

 perature is lowest during the rainy season from September to Febru- 

 ary, which is a period of heavy showers rather than steady rain. It 

 is not oppressive during the dry season and the nights are usually 

 pleasantly cool. Along the shores the cool sea breeze is pleasant, but 

 the densely forested interior valleys are often stifling. The islands 

 are said to be more healthful than the mainland and have not been 

 subjected to cholera or other epidemics that have ravaged that region. 

 The British colony on the Mosquito Coast prior to 1778 sent malaria 

 patients to Bonacca, where they recovered rapidly.^ However, malaria 

 does occur to some extent, and there are -numerous mosquitoes, sand 

 flies, and bottle flies on the islands, though in April and May they 

 were not nearly so bad as on the mainland. To escape the mosquitoes, 

 and for the sake of coolness, the town of Bonacca has been built on 

 low cays out in the harbor. Rheumatism is reported as having been 

 very prevalent ^ and apparently is still rather widespread. Beyond 

 these superficial observations I dare not go. 



''Young, 1842. Rose, 1904, chap. 12, describes a smallpox epidemic on Utila in 

 1891. 



^Mitchell, 1850. Quoted at some length by Squier, 1858, pp. 116-121. This 

 account gives a rather detailed picture of Bay Island conditions in the middle of 

 the nineteenth century. 



