io6 
Wild Life in Southern Seas. 
called Quiros Island or Swain’s Island of our 
modern charts) of his voyage with Torres, 
situated about a day’s sail northward from 
Samoa. That is but a tiny coral gem about 
three miles broad and one in width, and 
containing less than 3,000 acres, for the centre 
is taken up by a shallow, salt water lagoon. 
But though so small this lovely little isle has an 
interesting history, which, however, need not be 
told here, its name being only mentioned lest it 
might be imagined that it is the island of 
“ beautiful people ” spoken of by Torquemada, 
the historian of the voyage of Quiros. The 
true Gente Hermosa is some distance from there 
—in 10 deg. 2 min. south, and 161 deg. 10 
min. west (while the Gente Hermosa or Swain’s 
Island of the modern charts is in 11 deg. 10 
min. south and 170 deg. 56 min. west) is called 
Rakahaaga, and lies about twenty miles N.N.W. 
of the beautiful island of Manhiki, one of the 
loveliest spots in the Pacific. The late Major 
Sterndale, than whom there was no better 
authority upon the manners, language, and mode 
of life generally of the Malayo-Polynesian race, 
spent a considerable portion of his time during 
his island wanderings on Rakahaaga, and know- 
