185 VOCABULARY OF BOUGAINVILLE STRAITS. 



numbers with the exception of those signifying five, seven, and eiglit 

 are apparently distinct. Many of the common terms are equally 

 different ; so that it would appear that the inhabitants of this island 

 speak a language referable to a distinct group of the Solomon Island 

 languages, probably to bo classed with those spoken by the natives 

 of Ronongo, Vella-la-vella, Kulambangra, and perhaps New Georgia. 



I forbear from making many remarks on the general affinities 

 of the language of the islands of Bougainville Straits, and prefer to 

 leave such a comparison to those qualified to pronounce on the sub- 

 ject. There are, however, certain points to which I will briefly refer. 



Professor Keane, to whom I sent a portion of this vocabulary, 

 informs me that whilst the structure of the language and most of 

 the words are distinctly Papuan, the numerals and several terms 

 are P*olynesian. However, whilst I was engaged in collecting plants 

 and making general botanical notes in this locality, it occurred to 

 me that by comparing the names of the common littoral trees with 

 those of the same trees in other Pacific groups and in the Indian 

 or Malay Archipelago, I might obtain some important additional 

 clues as to the sources of the language. In so doing I have ob- 

 tained some interesting results, to which I have briefly alluded 

 on a previous page, and which go to show that the peoples who 

 originally migrated from the Indian Archipelago to the various 

 Pacific groups carried with them the names of several of their 

 common littoral trees, some of which may still be found in the 

 intermediate groups of islands, such as the Solomon Islands, which 

 have served as stepping-stones or halting places along the line of 

 migration. On page 101 I have taken " Barringtonia speciosa " as 

 an illustration. I will now refer to some other instances. 



After examining the pages of Crawfurd's Malay Dictionary, 

 together with the extensive list of the native names of plants 

 obtained by G. J. Filet, I have ascertained that the following 

 names of pandanus-trees belonging to languages of the Indian 

 Archipelago may be traced across the South Pacific to the Austral 

 Islands, viz., Harassas, Haragh-hagh, Padak, Putih} ^ In the 



1 PudaJc (Pandanus inermis), PAndan-pudak (P. moschatus), Pandan-putih (P. leucacan- 

 thus). Vide Crawfurd's Malay Dictionary. 



2 Hara-harjh (Pandanus moschatus) Sundaneesch, Harassas leutiek (P. humilis) Sunda- 

 necsch, ffarrassas gedeh (P. caricosus) Sundaneesch. Vide "De Inlandsche Plantennamen," 

 by G. J. Filet, published in " Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Xederlandsch Indie." Dee 

 xix. vierdc serie, deel v. Batavia, 1859. Another list by J. C. 'SI. Radermacher occurs in 

 "Bataviasch Genootschap," deel i. p. 87. 



