196 [August, 1902. 



of which yields sago, though not identical with the true sago-palm of 

 the Malay Islands), screw-pines (Pandanus) 60 or 70 feet high, hand- 

 some variegated Crotons, fine scarlet Zingiberaeece, and other showy 

 flowers and ferns in endless variety. I visited one of the native 

 villages, consisting of about twenty palm-leaf huts, usually little more 

 than a long sloping roof, with the eaves almost in contact with the 

 ground. These were scattered about in a neatly kept clearing about 

 an acre in extent, where one or two enormous fig-trees, supported on 

 a huge tangle of adventitious stems like the Indian Banyan, had been 

 left growing. At the entrance of the village a series of hollow upright 

 tree-trunks, the tops carved into a hideous but spirited likeness of a 

 grinning human face, served as drums, and no doubt at one time as 

 idols. The natives were quiet and friendly enough, but their gaunt 

 long-headed pigs, of which numbers were tethered about the huts, 

 were by no means so, and were not quite safe to approach. Tarns, 

 the staple food of the natives, are largely cultivated here, the foliage, 

 which is very like that of the allied Black Bryony (Tamus communis), 

 being neatly trained over trellis-work, somewhat after the manner of 

 hops. On this occasion, I did not get many insects, but from 

 Mr. Truss, a coffee-planter at Pangkumu, I afterwards received a few 

 interesting beetles, including a large luminous Elater (Photophorus 

 sp.) said to be not rare in the islands at times, but which I did not 

 succeed in finding myself. 



On June 21st we arrived at Port Resolution, in Tanna, once a 

 fine land-locked harbour, but almost destroyed as such a few years 

 ago through the bottom having been upheaved bodily by a violent 

 earthquake. The smoke and glare of the active volcano Tasowa, 

 mentioned by Captain Cook in his account of Tanna, could be seen 

 from the anchorage, and early next morning a party of five, including 

 myself, set out to reach the crater, about five miles distant. Our way 

 for the first half of the journey was along a shady path, through fine 

 and luxuriant forest, but with very little insect life, except a large 

 flat-backed grey weevil (probably a JRhynchogonus). This was not 

 rare on the broad leaves of the Kava (Maci'opiper methysticum) which 

 is still in use as an intoxicant by the natives of the New Hebrides. 

 On turning a corner in the path, we were somewhat " taken aback" 

 by walking right into a native village, where at least 250 stalwart 

 savages, in full war paint and very little else, and all armed with 

 "trade" rifles, were assembled. The aspect of the crowd was 

 decidedly truculent, and by no means reassuring, but we soon found 

 that the gathering was a peaceful one, being in honour of the 



