CHAPTER XI 



THE SOLOMONS AGAIN : I GROW WEARY OF THE 

 SOUTH SEAS LIFE 



I HAD been discussing for some time with the 

 authorities of the Tring Museum the matter of a 

 collecting trip in the Solomons which would comprise 

 some inland exploration. In 1906 I wrote to them : 

 " Regarding the inland Solomon Islands collections, 

 I go there immediately on completion of this collec- 

 tion on the north-east coast of New Guinea. You 

 previously arranged with me to take a mountain 

 collection from both Ysabel and Guadalcanar Islands. 

 I am sorry you c have no faith in Guadalcanar.' 

 Perhaps I can explain it. Where all the collecting 

 has been done there, so far, has been on Aola on the 

 north coast, where the country is very flat with the 

 exception of a few crags and ridges close to the coast ; 

 but at either end of the island or anywhere along the 

 southern coast the c true ' hills come down to the coast. 

 Hence all the collecting has been done on compara- 

 tively young or ' made ' country, not like the true 

 formation. (I always notice on islands of basaltic 

 or coral origin that the fauna is very scarce and com- 

 paratively nothing indigenous to the island occurs. 

 This accounts for my want of faith in Rennel Island 



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