90 IOWA STUDIES IN NATURAL HISTORY 
Government launch for the purpose. When I went on board, 
about noon, I found quite a gay party of excursionists who had 
provided plenty of eatables for us en route. The inside passage 
between the reefs and the coast was very rough; the waves often 
dashed masses of spray completely over the top deck of the launch 
and thoroughly drenched a few adventurous young folks who were 
riding on top. Canvas curtains from roof to gunwale on the wind- 
ward side protected those below fairly well, but considerable water 
came in. We ate lunch during the roughest part of the trip, but 
all were good enough sailors to enjoy it in spite of the violent 
antics of the boat. 
We passed Makuluva on our right and took a short eut through 
mangrove swamps to the Rewa River, the largest stream on the 
island. The jungle of mangrove trees on their network of roots, 
which rose well above the surface of the water at low tide before 
they united to form the gnarled and twisted trunks, formed an im- 
penetrable mass on either hand. The oddly shaped branches sent 
down innumerable shoots to the muddy ground; these in turn 
took root and thus formed a perfect maze of interlacing roots and 
stems making an impassable barrier, the gloomy depths of which 
were overshadowed by the dense dark green foliage through which 
scarcely a ray of sunshine penetrated. In the ooze beneath, many 
crabs of various kinds found home and livelihood, while the pecu- 
liar climbing fishes, Periophthalmus, were perched on the roots 
above water calmly surveying the scenery with their protruding, 
goggle eyes. 
We ascended the broad stretches of the Rewa River for several 
miles. On. the right bank we saw an imposing group of buildings 
at Naililili where there is a large Catholic mission and church. 
About sixty square miles of good, arable land have been formed 
by the Rewa delta; indeed this seems to be some of the best agri- 
cultural land in Vitilevu. 
Shortly after-this we turned abruptly into a muddy channel, 
said to have been dug originally by some of the war-like Fijians 
of a former generation, whereby the natives of Bau could quietly 
transport war parties to attack the tribe on the Rewa; from these 
forays they often returned with ‘‘long pig’’ to furnish the piece 
de resistance for a cannibal feast. This channel is narrow and 
tortuous, much like a very muddy winding creek at home; we 
frequently ran our bows into the bank and had to back off, as 
the tide was low. Here and there we passed small Fijian villages 
