198 [September, 



about the old sawmill. Undine Bay, in Efate, was visited on the 19th, 

 and a few insects and land-shells were obtained here ; and on the 

 evening of the 20th we anchored in Ringdove Bay, an open roadstead 

 on the west side of Epi (Api) Island. This is one of the finest and 

 most picturesque islands in the whole group, the steep hills being 

 covered with high and almost unbroken forest, to which the abundance 

 of climbing plants, hanging in tlense festoons from almost every tree, 

 gives an aspect of peculiar luxuriance. Tn the roadstead a species of 

 Halobates, probably H. Wullerstorffi, Erauenf., was seen in some 

 numbers ; it was oberved, perhaps in this very spot, on the occasion 

 of the " Challenger's " visit to Epi (Narrative of the Cruise, vol. I., 

 part 2, p. 512). We remained here until the 23rd, and T found it a 

 very good locality for insects. Aiwsin Plc.rippi/s was particularly 

 common, and nearly all the butterflies hitherto met with in the New 

 Hebrides were observed, with the addition of a fine Dolrschnllia, 

 probably D. Herriclii, Butl., Acr&a Andromache, two or three fresh 

 species of Euplcea, and a very fine orange-banded Hhinopalpa, allied 

 to S. pavovia, Mathew, of the Solomon Islands ; but on this occasion 

 I did not succeed in catching a specimen of the latter. Beetles, too, 

 were met with in fair numbers, but as usual, nearly all were of small 

 size ; the most remarkable was a curious little Endomychid 

 (Troclwideus sp.) with greatly enlarged clnb to the antennae, giving 

 it at first sight a deceptive resemblance to a Paussid ; this was 

 found not rarely with ants under bark, and I had previously taken 

 one or two at Noumea in a similar situation. 



After a flying visit to Pangkumu Bay, where I took a specimen 

 of the fine Rhinopnlpa observed at Epi, and to the beautiful volcanic 

 island at Arnbrym, where I did not get a chance to land, we proceeded 

 along the west coast of the little-known and very picturesque 

 Aragh-aragh or Pentecost Island, where, on the evening of the 25th, 

 I landed for an hour, but too late to find anything, except a single 

 specimen of our familiar Aphodius Hindus. Next, we visited Aoba 

 or " Leper's Island," consisting of a single great whale-backed 

 mountain 4,000 feet high, everywhere covered with the densest forest, 

 and inhabited by a very interesting colony of pure Polynesian natives, 

 of a clear coffee-brown colour like the Tahitians. They are a much 

 finer and handsomer race than their sooty-black Melanesian 

 neighbours, and of very pleasant and friendly demeanour, judging by 

 those who came off to the ship in their tiny outrigger canoes. On 

 July 27th, we ran over to the south coast of Espiritu Santo, the 



