THE SOLOMON ISLANDS 443 



New Georgia and San Cristobal are now apparently extinct. 

 The latter island is largely composed of much altered and 

 sometimes highly crystalline volcanic rocks, which Mr. 

 T. Davies regards as having been formed at considerable 

 depths, and indicating great geological age. In many 

 parts there are evidences of upheaval on a vast scale, such 

 as to lead Mr. Guppy to the conclusion that the islands 

 have not at any time been connected with Xew Guinea. 

 But on the whole the fauna has such marked affinity 

 with that country that it can hardly be accounted for 

 by such a theory, although the remarkable specialisation 

 of some forms leads to the conclusion that the islands 

 must have been long separated. 



The Solomons were discovered, and many of them 

 named, by the Spaniard Mendana in 1568. For two 

 centuries their position remained unknown, the journals of 

 the voyage having been suppressed ; but Carteret reached 

 them in 1767 and Bougainville in the following year. 

 Subsequently they were frequently sighted or touched 

 at by navigators; but the treacherous and bloodthirsty 

 character of the natives always prevented much inter- 

 course. Of late years traders have frequented the 

 islands, and in 1847 a mission was established. Several 

 of these pioneers were murdered, however, and even now 

 travel in most parts is impossible owing to the savageness 

 and treachery of the natives. When Europeans become 

 more familiar to them it is prol3able that these frequent 

 murders will cease, but at present there is no doubt that 

 the Solomon islanders are more dangerous than any othei" 

 natives of Melanesia. There are now, nevertheless, not 

 less than thirty white men either resident on the islands 

 or permanently engaged in trade with their inhabitants. 



We are indebted to Mr. H. B. Guppy and Mr. C. M. 

 Woodford for the greater part of the information we 



