344 MR. G. F. MATHEW ON NEW [June 29, 
as their natural enemies, though it is a well-known fact that this 
state of feeling has to a great extent been created by the white men 
themselves, who have committed the gravest excesses, and often 
deliberate murders, while engaged in obtaining recruits for the labour 
vessels. Until this abominable traffic is abolished it would be unsafe 
to land at any of the larger islands, except under the escort of a strong 
and well-armed party. The natives are extremely revengeful, and 
recollect and treasure up an injury. Their notion of justice is blood 
for blood, a head for a head, so that in several instances in which 
white men have been murdered the innocent have suffered for the 
guilty. 
The first place we called at was Ugi, one of the smallest and 
easternmost islands of the group. Here, fortunately, the natives 
were all friendly, and an English trader (Mr. Stephens) had resided 
there for several years, being employed as an agent buying and 
collecting “copra”’ for some Sydney firm. There is also a small 
depot for coal at this island, and our men-of-war occasionally call,’ 
and no labour traffic is permitted, so that the natives at this island 
were beginning to trust white men. 
Ugi is about twenty miles in circumference, for the most part hilly, 
and covered with dense forest. In the immediate vicinity of the 
villages there are small clearings where yams, taro (Caladium 
esculentum), and a little sugar is cultivated. Cocoa-nut palms grow 
all over the island, but especially near the beach, where, in some 
places, their waving crests form a graceful fringe. Bread-fruit trees 
are also plentiful near the villages. 
We anchored just off Mr. Stephens’s hut, at the back of which 
there was about a couple of acres of ground which had been cleared 
a year before, but which, at the time of our visit, was overgrown with 
a dense mass of weeds. Here Butterflies were numerous, especially 
Danais archippus and a species of Precis allied to P. ida, Hypolimnas 
bolina, H. alimena, &c. A very interesting case of mimicry occurred 
here. A dark-brown Euplea with broad white outer margins 
(EB. brenchleyi, Butl.), and Danais insolata, Butl., with markings 
almost identical, were fairly plentiful ; but, to add to the confusion 
of things, a Hypolimnas, which on the wing might have been mistaken 
for either, was flying with them! Which mimicked which it was 
difficult to say, or the reason of the mimicry, as all three genera are 
avoided by birds both in the larva and perfect states. . 
We remained at Ugi for three days, one of which was devoted to 
an expedition across the island to a large village on the other side. 
We breakfasted early and landed at 7 o’clock—a party of five of us, 
some being armed. On the beach we found a couple of natives, 
whom we had engaged the previous evening, waiting to show us the 
way. After leaving Mr. Stephens’s hut the trail led through the 
dense forest, and was so narrow that we were seldom able to walk 
more than one abreast. Everything at this early hour was reeking 
with moisture, and in some places the trees were so thick overhead 
that the path below was enshrouded in gloom. At first no Butter- 
flies were seen, but as the sun gained strength the heavy dew 
