68 NATUEE STUDIES 



nor healthy till they have experienced an ulcerous 

 disease, which they call coko. A kind of ophthalmia 

 is not uncommon, but it lasts only a few days, both 

 natives and settlers being subject to it. The natives 

 have succumbed in great numbers to epidemics of 

 measles, and many consider that the population; 

 has, in consequence, become greatly decreased. 

 But Mr. Home considers that the many abandoned 

 " patches " may indicate rather a change in the habits 

 of the people than a diminished population. 



The animals indigenous to Fiji are bats, flying 

 foxes, and a small rat. The ten species of snakes 

 found there are all harmless. Pigs, introduced from 

 Tonga (where Cook left them), run wild in the forests. 

 There are wild ducks, snipe, sand-pipers, wild pigeons, 

 and beautiful golden orange doves, as well as parrots 

 or parroquets. Whales and porpoises are found in 

 the seas round the group, which swarm with many 

 kinds of fish, edible and otherwise. Sharks abound, 

 and travel long distances from the sea to the deep 

 pools in the rivers, which must render them less 

 pleasant to bathers than they otherwise would be. 



Mr. Home's book is full of interesting facts, and 

 though it has been specially written in response to an 

 official invitation, it will be found very pleasant reading. 

 There is a copious index indeed, the index is a little 

 too copious, a passing word in the text being, in many 

 cases, all that is found to bear on a carefully-paged 

 index-heading. The facts gathered together here are 

 the fruits of a year of faithful and laborious research. 



