CHAPTER IV 



A TRIP TO THE TROBRIANDS 



HAVING completed my outfit at Samarai I went 

 straight on to the Trobriand Islands in a little boat 

 called the Fleet Wing. I hoped there to explore some 

 " new " territory in the Natural History sense. This 

 was my first experience of the natives of the Tro- 

 briands. They are, I think, without exception the 

 most immoral in the South Seas. At this time (1895) 

 at any rate that would apply. Since then the 

 efforts of the Government and of the missionaries 

 have effected some change. Before the coming of 

 the white man the natives of the Trobriands seemed 

 to have had an exceptionally low moral standard. 

 Nevertheless they are of a bright engaging type, 

 softer in their manners than most of the Papuans, 

 slightly taller, lighter in colour, not honest in trading, 

 with no notion at all of truth, and little of morality. 



I found that my boys had followed my instructions, 

 and my camp had been moved from Nadi and estab- 

 lished at the Trobriands in good order. We started 

 at once to collect birds and insects. I made here a 

 very interesting discovery in obtaining quite a series 

 of specimens of a fine new moth allied to Charagia 



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