66 NATURE STUDIES. 



seem that the number of showers diminished simul- 

 taneously with the cutting of the trees. The average 

 rainfall has not diminished, however, and with an 

 annual rainfall of 118 inches the Fijians may be well 

 satisfied, especially as the rain falls most abundantly 

 during the warm or summer season, when vegetation 

 most requires it. It was absolutely necessary, more- 

 over, to clear the forest region, for the thick woods 

 afforded shelter to the mountaineers, who, on several 

 occasions, appeared in large numbers, and threatened 

 to sack the town and murder the white settlers. 

 ' ' These marauders came from Lasoni, in the centre of 

 Ovalan, just across the mountains from Levuka ; stole 

 down upon the town, plundered the goods of the 

 settlers, and then made off into the woods, where it 

 was useless and dangerous to follow them." Unfor- 

 tunately, since* the woods were cleared the rain falls 

 more torrentially than before, and carrying away the 

 loose soil on the surface, where the ground is steep, 

 does great damage to both soil and vegetation. 



The Fiji islands number in all 255, having an entire 

 area of about 7,403 square miles, or about 738,350 

 acres. The largest island of the group, Vili Levu, has 

 an area 4,112 square miles, while the next in size, 

 Yau na Levu, has an area of 2,432 J square miles. 

 The others are all much smaller. About eighty of 

 the islands are inhabited, the white population being 

 about 2,000 (in 1874), the natives numbering about 

 140,500. As regards communication with the outside 

 world, Fiji is not badly off. Twenty-four hours after 



