Buiacksurn—The Hawatian Archipelago. 197 
APPENDIX. 
MR. BLACKBURN’S RESUME OF HIS JOURNEYS AND COLLECTING IN THE 
ARCHIPELAGO. 
The Hawaiian (sometimes called the ‘‘ Sandwich’’) Islands form an archipelago 
lying between 18° 55’ and 22° 15’ of north latitude, and between 154° 42’ and 
160° 32’ of longitude west from Greenwich. They are thus entirely within (but 
close to the northern limit of) the tropical portion of the earth’s surface, and are 
in the ‘‘new world” or ‘western hemisphere.” The continental land nearest to 
them is California—distant more than 2000 miles in a north-westerly direction— 
and that nearest to them between the same parallels of latitude is the central 
portion of Mexico—considerably more distant still. The Hawaiian Islands may, 
therefore, be considered as among the most isolated portions of land on the earth. 
The names of the islands, in order of size, and excluding those which are little 
more than small uninhabitable rocks, are as follows :—Hawaii, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, 
Molokai, Lanai, Nuhau, Kahoolawe. 
The climate of the archipelago is remarkably equable; during a residence of 
nearly six years I never saw the thermometer marking a shade temperature 
higher than 90° F. or lower than 55°; and if the temperatures of the coldest and 
of the hottest week in the year were omitted the range would probably not be 
greater than from 65° to 85°. With the exception of a few days in the winter, of 
which the early mornings feel somewhat cold, the difference in temperature of the 
various seasons of the year is scarcely noticeable. 
Concerning the rainfall it is difficult to say anything in general terms except 
that it is highly uncertain, varying with the locality and the character of the year. 
On most of the islands the eastern side has a very much larger rainfall than the 
western, owing, no doubt, to its receiving the trade winds from the sea and inter- 
cepting the moisture with which they are charged. I observe that in a recently 
published table of rainfalls at Honolulu (on the drier side of Oahu), the figures 
for the seven years 1874-81 are given as follows :—52°95, 39°04, 36°56, 32°30, 
23°97, 51:92, 47°36 ins. On Oahu, however, the difference between the dry and 
wet regions is less marked than in other parts of the archipelago, owing doubtless 
to the less elevation of the mountains, so that the above figures would probably be 
roughly accurate if applied to all districts (not actually mountainous) of the island. 
There is no strongly marked distinction between the dry and wet seasons of 
the year; certainly the rainfall during the four months, November to February, 
