556 



after the wind A vara kiwanai, v/hicli means "small A vara."' 

 At that period there is little or no day fishing, but at night 

 the reef is searched with torches. Some sailing and trading 

 is done, the land breeze at night being favourable to voyages 

 in any direction along the coast. If the big annual feast is. 

 belated it may fall within this period, in which case there 

 is much trading and sailing done during the small A vara. 

 In any case, the natives sail at this season westwards to Lea 

 to get sago and to Magaiiho (Table Point), where they get 

 the Akai, a small kind of areca nut. They come back home 

 easily with the strong monsoon. (^i) This seasrai corresponds 

 to our months of January and February. 



After A vara Txiwonai comes the A vara orjoda, or big 

 A vara, so named after the force of the monsoon. This is also 

 the real wet season, during which there is not much sailing or 

 fishing, and the festivities as a rule are over. It comprises, 

 roughly, the second half of March and April, and towards the 

 end of it the gardens are being planted. 



The next season is called TsUoiro. It is subdivided into: 

 T. gogotsa, which means the point, the front, or the begin- 

 ning of Tsilowo : T. ogocla, the big, or full, Tsiloivo; and 

 T. lobo, or the breaking up of the Tsilowo season. This period 

 is named after the high, rank LaJang grass which covers the 

 slopes of the hill on Toulon Island and many patches in the 

 jungle of the district. The grass flowers at about this time 

 (May and later). The beginning of the Tsilowo season is 

 marked by the appearance of the flowers; then these ripen 

 into fruit and disperse their fluffy seeds, which m.arks the 

 end of the season. On the mainland the natives are engaged 

 with their gardens, and the Mailu islanders begin their fish- 

 ing. They go to Magniiho (Table Point) to catch the Ume 

 fish, which they smoke. During this season the monsoon 

 subsides, there is a time of calm, and the south-east trade 

 wind begins. The same season is also called after the pheno- 

 menon of the drying of the reef ( Lagarii n'ura = dry reef). 

 Another cliaracteristic name for this season is Borowo bovai, 

 which means blowing the petticoats awry, in reference to the- 

 effect of the first strong gales of the south-eastern breeze. 

 The Borowo houai overlaps the Tsilowo lobo — the breaking 

 up of the Tsilowo season, which occurs about the middle of 

 July. After this comes the Viniu season, named after a 

 tree which sheds its leaves in the middle of winter (July, 

 August). The next season (September) is called Bdtii. This 

 is the name of the characteristic buds of the Viniu leaves 

 which begin to appear about a month after the tree has shed 



(3i)C'onip. chaps, iv. and v., where native trading and its. 

 connection with native festivals are described. 



