Chapter XII: The Story of a Lost Archipelago

A Pious Fraud--Drake’s appearance in the South Sea--Jealousy of the
Spaniards--“It being considered better, as things were then, to let
these Islands remain unknown”--“Omne ignotum pro magnifico” Mendana’s
Expedition to form a Colony in St. Christoval--An unsolved Mystery of
the Sea--A Colony formed at Santa Cruz--Mutiny and Disaster--
Abandonment--Unsuccessful Attempt to find the Solomon Islands--“All
her sails set, and All her People Dead and Rotten”--Quiros leads
another Expedition from Peru to reach these Islands--They elude his
Search--Jealous Attitude of the Spaniards towards other Nations--
Suppression and Destruction of Journals and Documents--Confusion of
Geographers--The Existence of the Solomon Islands treated as a Romance
--Fabulous Accounts--After Two Centuries--Carteret--Bougainville--
Surville--Maurelle--Shortland--French and English Geographers--
Dentrecasteaux--Jacobs--D’Urville--Boyd--Denham--Melanesian
Mission pp. 246-271

GEOGRAPHICAL APPENDIX.

Gallego and Figueroa compared--Isle of Jesus--Candelaria Shoals--
Gallego’s Latitudes--Isle of Ramos--Islands between Cape Prieto and
Guadalcanar--Islands of San Bartolomeo and San Francisco--List of
Islands obtained by Quiros at Taumaco--Eddystone Rock, &c. pp. 272-279

CHAPTER XIII.

BOTANICAL NOTES IN BOUGAINVILLE STRAITS.

Knowledge of Plants possessed by these Islanders--Ascent of a
Stream-Course--Interior of the Forest--Up to the Summit of Faro
Island--Littoral Vegetation---How a Coral Island is stocked with
Trees--List of Plants--Flotation of Fruits--Weeds and
Rubbish-Plants--Tuber regium pp. 280-307

CHAPTER XIV.

REPTILES AND BATRACHIANS.

Unexpected Discoveries--List of Reptiles--Crocodiles--Lizards--Snakes
--Batrachians--A New Family--A region of great promise to future
collectors pp. 308-318

CHAPTER XV.

GENERAL NATURAL HISTORY NOTES.

Robber-Crab--Nut-cracking-Gizzard of the Nicobar Pigeon--Megapods--
Edible Birds’ Nest--Scorpions--Millipedes--Hermit-Crabs--Scypho-Medusæ
--Legends of Anthropoid Apes--New Cetacean pp. 319-335

CHAPTER XVI.

LAND AND FRESHWATER SHELLS.

Several New Species--Variation of Species--Bulimi--Neritinæ--Mode of
Dispersal--Suggestion as to the Origin of Tree-Nerites--The capability
of Neritinæ to adapt themselves to different climates--List of my
Collection of Shells--Description of New Species--Littorina
scabra pp. 336-351

CHAPTER XVII.

THE CLIMATE OF THE SOLOMON ISLANDS.

Rainfall--The Black Squall--Rain Records of Ugi and Santa Anna--Ship
Record--Annual Rainfall of the Coasts and Higher Regions--Barometric
Pressure--Temperature--Humidity--Sun-burns--Winds--Table of
Meteorological Observations--Wind Record--The Effects of the Climate
on the Weight of the Body pp. 352-370

INDEX 371

THE SOLOMON ISLANDS.