Avifauna of the Fiji Islands. 289 



The Fiji group consists of a number of islands, estimated at 

 two hundi'ed and fifty, extending over an area five times the 

 size of Wales — a distance of three hundred miles separating 

 those of the western from those of the eastern group. Since 

 the cession of the islands to the British Government in 1874, 

 there has been a steady inflvix of East Indian coolies, who 

 now number 39,000. The native Fijian, though an 

 estimable individual in many ways and a devout Christian, 

 is quite unsuited to any work of au arduous character. 

 He cares little for the things around \\\m, and beyond a 

 knowledge of fish, shell-fish, and plants, which form the 

 staple articles of diet, is little interested in other animate 

 objects. From a Flying Fox to a microbe he designates 

 all animals by the same name " Manu Manu^' ; indeed, I 

 have often seen even intelligent natives mistake a bat for 

 a bird. 



The [)eople in the villages relate that the art of catching 

 wild fowl which tlicy once possessed has died out with the 

 last generation — since the importation of tinned meat and 

 salmon. The paucity of native names for birds of any 

 description testifies to the same fact. 



For the native names of birds given in the course of this 

 paper I wish to acknowledge my indebtedness to Dr. B. 

 Glanvill Corney, I.S.O.,for twenty years chief medical oflScer 

 of the Colony, who possesses an unrivalled know ledge of the 

 Fijians, their language and customs. 



During the greater part of my time 1 was confined to one 

 spot in the neighbourhood of Suva, the capital of Fiji, on 

 the island of Vitilevu, but during the months of July and 

 August I made a trip in a small schooner to the eastern 

 islands of Vanua Vua, Lakemba, and Oneata. In December 

 I stayed five days on the island of Taviuni. 



I managed to obtain a limited number of native birds, 

 which I kept in captivity and some of which I managed to 

 transport alive to this country. On these I have published 

 some notes in the 'Avicultural Magazine' for December 1911. 



On March 24th, 1910, the island of Vitilevu was visited 

 by a hurricane of exceptional severity, which did great 



