Dbobmbee 22, 1922] 



SCIENCE 



703 



tinct Brepanididce as well as other interesting 

 and peculiar 'birds of the archipelago. 



In addition to the advisory services of Pro- 

 fessor Gregory and hiis staff, and of many other 

 friends of the American Museum, the expedi- 

 tion has enjoyed the cooperation of Dr. Charles 

 W. Eichmond, of the United States National 

 Museum, in the preparation of abstracted data 

 of great value for any research in Polynesia. 

 Dr. Eichmond, who is a distinguished biblio- 

 phile, has a rare acquaintance wtih geographic- 

 al works relating to the Pacific, particularly 

 with the accounts of both early and recent voy- 

 ages in this field. Upon the basis of his experi- 

 ence and his bibliographj', Dr. Richmond has 

 smnmarized the principal points of geographic 

 and zoological interest in the writings of dis- 

 coverere, naturalists, travelers, missionaries, 

 and others who have visited the Line, Maa-- 

 quesas, Society, Cook, Austral, Tuamotu, amd 

 more easterly groups. Dr. Richmond's manu- 

 script report gives, moreover, all the known 

 synonyms of the names of the various islands 

 and their outliers. His data on this score are 

 based upon hundreds of sources and are fai- 

 more complete than the list of designations 

 given in the pilot books or atlases. The report 

 also includes a ful list of the known vertebrate 

 fauna of each island, with notes on aU the ex- 

 tinct, doubtful or mythical species mentioned 

 by the early voyagers. Equipped with such in- 

 formation, the Museum's field workers are in 

 a position to investigate each island with a fuU 

 knowledge of what they may expect or hope to 

 find. 



Emphasis should be laid upon the fact that 

 zoological investigation in Polynesia must be 

 done now if it is to 'be done at all. Extinction 

 of the native animals has long been in progress. 

 The introduction of pigs, dogs, cats, and even 

 of the mongoose, into islands which had no 

 native mammalian fauna; the rapid spread of 

 the alien minah and weaver 'bii-ds, and of 'a 

 hawk transported from Australia; and the peri- 

 odical concentration of copra workers, or of 

 pearl or beche-de-mer fishermen, upon small 

 islets, make it certain that many of the native 

 birds are doomed as surely as the splendid race 



of native people. Dr. Richmond's report has 

 not faded to call attention to the importance of 

 the rapid completion of such work as the Muse- 

 um has now undertaken. Some ide'a of the ex- 

 traordinary changes taking place in Polynesia 

 may be gained from the following press quota- 

 tion refeiTing to an islet of the Tuamotus : 



"The opening of the pearl diving season, the 

 great event of the year in the French settle- 

 ments) comes in July. Diving is not permitted 

 for two years in succession at the same island. 

 The various pe'arl islands are opened in rota- 

 tion. This means that all gear, stocks of mer- 

 chandise and building material must 'be taken 

 to a new island each year — no small undertak- 

 ing when it is remembered that the coral atoU, 

 which in ordinary times supports less than 200 

 persons, becomes in the diving season the abid- 

 ing place of 2,500 or more. This year the open 

 island is Hikueru, one of the Paumotu archipel- 

 ago 400 miles to the eastward of Tahiti. Al- 

 ready this lonely atoll is taking on a metropoli- 

 tan appearance. The profits to 'be gained come 

 not only from the peairl-shell won from the la- 

 goon, but from the sale of all kinds of wares 

 dear to the native heart and from the providing 

 of entertainment to refresh the weary diver and 

 his women folk after the labors of the day are 

 over. The average native diver wins a good 

 sum from the bottom of the lagoon and much 

 of it goes on expensive silk dresses for his wife 

 and daughters, on the delectable canned goods 

 of the "popaa" (white man) and on the "mov- 

 ies." This year there are to be, it is said, three 

 moving pictures theaters, any nuniber of motor 

 cars for hire — the length of the roadway in 

 Hikueru is less than a half mile, but that ap- 

 parently does not make any difference — a brass 

 band and, it is reported, electiie lights along 

 the "Great White Way" of this little ring of 

 coral sand. Late advices indicate that the sea- 

 son this year at Hikueru will 'be the most active 

 in many years. It is estimated there will be at 

 least 1,000 divers at the island. These, together 

 with their families and the traders with their 

 staffs, will swell the population of the island 

 during the season to nearly 4,000." 



The collecting work of the Whitney Soulih 



