254 TWO YEARS IN THE JUNGLE. 



after driftmg over a bed of tall green sea^weed, which swayed in the 

 cun-ents Hke a field of grain moved by a gentle breeze, we came to 

 a wide tract of clean sand where the coral gi'ew. My diver brought 

 up a piece as a sample and we told him that was what we wanted. 

 Presently he espied something in the water and dived quickly to 

 the bottom. A moment later his feet and legs appeared at the 

 sui'face, kicking wildly while the rest of his body wrestled with 

 something below, and when he finally righted himself he rose with 

 a huge Madrepora in his hands. One of my boatmen went to his 

 assistance and the specimen was soon safely deposited in the boat. 

 Upon examining it, we found quite a collection of little animals 

 caught amongst the myriad branches of the cluster, of such variety 

 that I took an inventory of the lot. There was 1 squilla, 1 tiny 

 star-fish, 3 tiny crabs of two species, 2 fishes four inches long, 2 

 yellow and black chsetodons, and 56 tiny fishes about one inch long, 

 gorgeously banded with blue, black, and red. The little fellows had, 

 no doubt, taken refuge among the thickly growing coral branches 

 to escape their natirral enemies — the larger fishes. 



We presently found quite an extensive grove of coral, where the 

 beautiful branching clusters grew thickly all about over the clean 

 white sea-bottom, in water only five feet deep and clear as crystal. 

 Such a beautiful sight almost made me long to be a merman or a 

 fish, that I might dwell on that clean floor of sand, among the 

 glassy coral groves, the shells and other treasures of the sea. 



We loaded our boats with living madrepores of three species, 

 two being of the long-limbed, tree-like variety, and the other, Mad- 

 repora cytherea, was of a cui'ious saucer-shaped form, a very large 

 disc hollowed in the centre, and set thickly all over with tiny 

 branches about an inch long. It was grand fun, truly, and down- 

 right sorry were we when the boat was piled full and calm posses- 

 sion took the place of eager pursuit. 



We landed on the eastern side of Mandetivu, on a raised beach 

 composed almost wholly of fossil coral (Astreopora and Meandrina), 

 which cropped out here and there in large masses. Near the beach 

 we noticed several tons of bleached coral, chiefly madrepores, 

 heaped up in huge piles to be burned into lime. The lime thus 

 obtained becomes, when fully treated, the " chunam " so dear to the 

 palate of every betel-chewing native. 



In the fish-market I reaped a rich harvest. Every evening the 

 fishermen bring in their morning's catch and expose it for sale 

 under a shed which stands in the centre of an open space on the 



