He had already procured a little heap of them for his dinner, and he said that he had constantly been in the habit of waiting by this well for the same purpose. Sclater thinks that one or two of these endemic forms should be ranked rather as varieties than species, which always seemed to me probable. Richardson well remarks, utterly inexplicable connected with the different degrees of shyness and care with which birds conceal their nests. We then enjoyed bright and clear weather, while running pleasantly along at the rate of 150 or 160 miles a day before the steady tradewind. The thermometer in the poop cabin, by night and day, ranged between 80 and 83 degs. At a distance the appearance was not attractive. The luxuriant vegetation of the lower part could not yet be seen, and as the clouds rolled past, the wildest and most precipitous peaks showed themselves towards the centre of the island. Wilson, the missionary of the district, who met us on the road, and gave us a very friendly reception. After sitting a very short time in his house, we separated to walk about, but returned there in the evening. The land capable of cultivation, is scarcely in any part more than a fringe of low alluvial soil, accumulated round the base of the mountains, and protected from the waves of the sea by a coral reef, which encircles the entire line of coast. Within the reef there is an expanse of smooth water, like that of a lake, where the canoes of the natives can ply with safety and where ships anchor. The low land which comes down to the beach of coralsand, is covered by the most beautiful productions of the intertropical regions. In the midst of bananas, orange, cocoanut, and breadfruit trees, spots are cleared where yams, sweet potatoes, and sugarcane, and pineapples are cultivated. Even the brushwood is an imported fruittree, namely, the guava, which from its abundance has become as noxious as a weed. However seldom the usefulness of an object can account for the pleasure of beholding it, in the case of these beautiful woods, the knowledge of their high productiveness no doubt enters largely into the feeling of admiration. I was pleased with nothing so much as with the inhabitants. They are very tall, broadshouldered, athletic, and wellproportioned. Most of the men are tattooed, and the ornaments follow the curvature of the body so gracefully, that they have a very elegant effect. One common pattern, varying in its details, is somewhat like the crown of a palmtree.