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 Enolish trader (Mr. Stephens) had resided 

 there for several years, being employed as an agent buying and 

 collecting "copra" for some Sydney firm. Tliere 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 o( Precis allied to P. ida, Rypolimnas 

 hoUna, H. alimena, &c. A very interesting case of mimicry occurred 

 here. A dark-brown Euploea with broad white outer margins 

 (E. brenclileyi, Butl.), and Danais insolata, Butl., with markings 

 almost identical, were fairly plentiful ; but, to add to the confusion 

 of things, a Ht/pvlimnas, 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. 



W^e remained at Ugi for three days, one of which was devoted to 

 an expedition across tbe 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 iiad engaged the previous evening, waiting to show us the 

 way. After leaving Mr. Stephens's hut the trail led through the 

 flense forest, and was so narrow that we were seldom able to walk 

 tnore than one abreast. Everything at this eaily 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 



