THE FIJI ISLANDS 
473 
most striking of these, perhaps, are Totoya, and Mango. 
The latter, in the southern part of the archipelago, is 6 
miles in diameter, and is shaped in the form of a 
ring, broken towards the south, at which point the 
sea has burst through what was formerly the lip * of 
a large volcano and filled the crater, forming a circular 
lake 3 miles across, with fine surrounding peaks 
and pinnacles, the summits of some of which are over 
1000 feet above sea level. The decomposed volcanic 
rocks have in almost all the islands formed a peculiarly 
rich and fertile soil, which affords nourishment to a 
most luxuriant vegetation. The eruptive action must 
be of considerable antiquity; no traces of recent out¬ 
bursts are to be found, and no streams of lava or 
solfataras, though hot springs exist in Yiti Levu, Vanua 
Levu, and Ngau. Earthquakes are of infrequent occur¬ 
rence. They are said to be most numerous in the month 
of February; but though several shocks may follow 
rapidly on each other, they are seldom severe. 
Situated as isolated land - masses of no great size, 
exposed to the constant and beneficent action of the 
trade winds, the Fiji Islands are on the whole very 
healthy. Although on the weather side the atmosphere 
is humid and the vegetation profuse in growth, while 
on the lee side the air is drier and the soil more 
or less barren, there is no great corresponding difference 
in temperature. From observations made at Suva, the 
absolute maximum and absolute minimum may be placed 
at almost 90° and 63° Fahr. respectively, and the 
daily mean at 79°. February and March are the 
hottest months, with a mean of 83°, and July and 
August the coolest. From June to the end of October 
is the period of least rain, the heavier rains falling in 
the hot season, a great advantage from an agricultural 
