SMITHSONIAN EXPLORATIONS, I93O Jl 



bundled up and many fled naked, a drizzling rain adding to their 

 misery. Over all hung the pall of smoke from the oncoming fire at 

 the south, the trade winds bringing the menacing odor of deadly sul- 

 phurous fumes. The Futu-ites got across the northern crack before 

 it opened, but when it did open, what a flood of fiery lava poured 

 down on the ill-fated village ! Two-thirds of the village was com- 

 pletely wiped out by the lava, and at least ten lava flows reached the 

 sea along a three-mile front. The chasms are 30 feet across where the 

 lava came in greatest volume. Cocoanut trees by thousands were 

 molded in lava casing, some of which were measured and found to be 

 13 feet high. They stand now in groves of rocky sentinels, the largest 

 field of tree molds anywhere in the world. The eruption lasted until 

 10 a. m. on that day, and many of the fissures are still smoking and 

 giving off sulphurous fumes. Fortunately, no lives were lost, and the 

 natives of Futu have now settled near the village of Angaha. 



As soon as we were settled in camp intensive collecting began. 

 Using the lure of candy, chewing gum, and bead necklaces, I soon had 

 all of the children and many of the grown folks of the island working 

 for me as collectors, and numerous specimens of Crustacea, shells, 

 lizards, and insects were brought in that I could not otherwise have 

 obtained in the eight weeks allowed for collecting. Owing to the 

 rough and rugged coast line, only three outrigger canoes were used 

 about the island, and consequently the natives do very little fishing. 

 The large seine I had with me was a curiosity to them, and as no 

 beaches suitable for hauling it were found, it could not be used. 



When the native does go fishing he uses a large pole called Vaca- 

 Kauhaga, which has two small pieces of wood lashed to the sides at 

 the end, on which the catch of fish is strung. The native dives into the 

 ocean with the pole, swims out for some distance and rests on the 

 pole, fishing with a hand line often for hours at a time. The natives 

 are good swimmers and divers ; one boy was adept in diving and pick- 

 ing starfish off the rocks in water four and five fathoms deep. Each 

 time he emerged with a number of specimens he was rewarded with a 

 corncob pipe and tobacco, which meant as much to him as the star- 

 fish did to me. 



Dragonflies were very numerous, and many were collected. Only 

 one kind of butterfly — a world-wide species, Anosia plexippus — was 

 seen, and several were collected. All the birds, 20 in number, noted 

 by Hubner in 1876, were seen except Puffinus obscurus, a dusty shear- 

 water, and all but two were collected. 



A lai-ge series of the interesting Megapod was obtained. This genus 

 contains many species ; the one found on this island is known as 



