xix THE PHYSICAL CONDITIONS 215 



judging from my observations, that covered three-fourths of the 

 month, the rainfall on the top of the mountain for August would 

 not have far exceeded half an inch. 



The dry climate of the summits of Mauna Kea and Mauna 

 Loa is reproduced on the tops of the Java mountains and on the 

 summits of the Owen Stanley Range in New Guinea. Sir W. 

 Macgregor found a fine and dry climate on the top of the moun- 

 tains last named, beyond the limits of the forests, which extend 

 to 12,000 feet above the sea. Below lay the cloud belt, a zone of 

 moss and fog, where at an elevation of 7,000 to 8,ooo feet every- 

 thing was reeking with moisture (fount. Roy. Geogr. Soc. 1890). 

 Observers at the coast often little imagine, when looking at a cloud- 

 concealed mountain peak, that although the cloud-belt from below 

 looks black and lowering and rain is falling heavily in the gloomy 

 forests, there is on the upper side a region of bright sunshine, and 

 that the peak stands out, unseen by them, above a sea of clouds 

 sparkling brilliantly in the sun and dazzling in their whiteness. 

 It will be seen from the table given in Note 61, that during my 

 sojourn on the summit of Mauna Loa the sky was cloudless or 

 almost free from cloud during nearly half the time. The mean 

 cloudiness in the forenoon for twenty-two days was 1*3 and for 

 the afternoon 3*5, whilst the nights were cloudless. 



The Rainfall of Fiji. — The rainfall of Fiji is known to be very 

 large. In illustration I will take Vanua Levu, the second largest 

 island, partly because of my familiar acquaintance with it, and 

 partly because I have at my disposal measurements for both the 

 lee and weather sides of the island — the first dry and characterised 

 by a scanty and peculiar vegetation., the second humid and densely 

 forested. At Davutu, near the sea-level on the weather or wet 

 side of the island, the average yearly fall for a period of sixteen 

 years up to 1898 was 160 inches (these observations were made in 

 the grounds of the manager's house and I am indebted to 

 Mr. Barratt for allowing me to inspect them). The mountainous 

 backbone of the island, which has an elevation ranging usually from 

 2,000 to 3,000 feet, is generally in the rain-clouds. During the 

 months I was occupied in examining the geology of these moun- 

 tains, it was a common experience to be drenched to the skin all 

 day long, and I cannot doubt that the annual rainfall in the higher 

 levels must often reach 300 inches. Those familiar with the "sun- 

 burnt " lands or " talasinga " plains that mainly form the north or 

 lee side of the island, would expect a great difference in rainfall as 

 compared with the south or weather side. There is a marked 



