1902.] 201 



island of Lifu. A greater contrast between the aspect of the Loyalty 

 Islands and that of of the lofty and luxuriant New Hebrides we had 

 just left can hardly be imagined. Lifu is nothing but an enormous 

 coral reef, upraised to a height of about 150 feet above the present 

 sea-level, and presenting white chalk-like cliffs to the sea. As in the 

 New Hebrides the corals, as well as the recent marine shells 

 plentifully strewn on its surface, are in quite recognisable condition. 

 The entire island is clothed with a dense low "bush," with plenty of 

 fruit-trees and coco-nut palms round the villages, and with numerous 

 groves of the funereal, mast-like New Caledonian pines. There are no 

 streams, and water is scarce, at any rate in the dry season, it being 

 obtained from deep wells and caverns in the coralline rock. The 

 natives are a good-humoured and cheerful race, much superior in 

 appearance to those of the adjacent groups ; as a rule they are well 

 clothed, but all go barefoot, though how they manage to get about 

 over the horrible coral surface of the islands is a mystery to me. 



In one or two walks on shore I found butterflies fairly common, 

 mostly of species observed at Noumea, though there were one or two 

 that I had not yet met with. Papilio Montrouzieri was seen on 

 several occasions, but seldoui at close quarters, and I managed to miss 

 every one which gave me a chance. A specimen of Pyrantels cardui, 

 which flew on board the ship and was secured, was of the small 

 Australian form Kershawii, McCoy. Beetles were scarce, but I got a 

 few interesting little forms, including a small long-horned Anthribid 

 allied to the curious New Zealand genus Proscoporhinus. The most 

 abundant insect at Lifu was the common European honey-bee, also 

 plentiful in New Caledonia. Land-shells (Placostylus) of large size, 

 but nearly all dead and weather-beaten, were very numerous. We 

 called in at Mare Island, similar in character to Lifu, but rather more 

 elevated, on the 20th, but I did not land there ; and were back at 

 Noumea on the following afternoon. 



Our third cruise to the New Hebrides commenced on September 

 3rd, and after a couple of days spent at Port Fila, where I got a 

 good many beetles and land-shells, but saw no fresh Lepidoptera, we 

 anchored in Ringdove Bay, Epi, on the evening of the 7th. Next 

 morning I went on shore, and found a really good place for butter- 

 flies, in a watercourse about a mile inland. The vegetation here was 

 magnificent, and since my last visit some large- Erythrma trees had 

 come out into great sheets of vivid scarlet blossom, alive with noisy 

 little red and green parrots (Nytnphicus sp.) and making a fine 

 picture of tropical luxuriance. I took seven species of LyccenidcB 



