92 A MISSION TO VITI. 



note struck up. I am persuaded that every mosquito, 

 from the large sluggish one which annoyed us when 

 searching for Sir John Franklin in the Arctic Circle, 

 to the little swift one of the Equator, may be known 

 as readily by its peculiar note as by any artificial dia- 

 gnosis, the Sydney one pre-eminently by its very deep 

 tone. 



On the 2nd of July, about noon, we left Mataisuva, 

 and at 7 P.M. reached Naqara (the Cave), in the island 

 of Naigani, where Mr. Eggerstrom, a Swedish gentle- 

 man, had taken up his abode. He was just recovering 

 from a serious illness contracted by incautious contact 

 with the Kau karo, or Itchwood, a poisonous tree 

 (Oncocarpm Vitiensis, A. Gray = Elms atrum, Forst.) 

 peculiar to Fiji and New Caledonia, the stem of which 

 he had been converting into a flag-staff. Mr. Eggerstrom 

 received us cordially, and had tea and supper prepared. 

 He also wished us to sleep under his hospitable roof; 

 but the mosquitoes were so very troublesome that we 

 could hardly finish our meal, and were obliged to beat 

 a hasty retreat to our boat, though our kind host assured 

 us that if we remained a little longer we should get 

 quite as much used to their bites as he was, and feel no 

 inconvenience. We spread the awning over our gig, 

 and made every preparation for sleeping. As it was 

 still early, Mr. Pritchard read, and I went again on shore, 

 to the native village, which I found, as I had been as- 

 sured, quite free from mosquitoes. The natives were very 

 friendly ; they showed me their canoes, and brought me 

 cocoa-nuts and sugar-cane to eat ; I gave them a few 

 sticks of tobacco in return, and wanted them to dance; 



