The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1888-09-29

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old, are quite bare of vegetation and reflect,
when seen from a distance above, mirror
like rays of the sun from the smooth sur
face Yet they are covered with shrub ana
forest in their upper course, SO lar as thlS
touches the region OF the clouds.
For the sake of convenience the Flora
of the Hawaiian Islands is divided by
the author into five groups, occupying
different zones of elevation" l. The
Iowland zone, consisting of open country,
grass covered after rains. 2. The lower
forest zone, tropical in character and rls-
ing from 1000 to 1000 feet above the
sea. 8, The middle forest zone. This
lies within the region of the clouds, and
develops the greatest luxuriance in tree
and Jungle. The upper limit OF this zone
is from 5000 to 5000 feet. 4. The upper
forest zone, which extends as high as
5000 or 5000 feet. This is characterized
by stunted trees and stretches to the up
per limit of vegetation which extends on
Maunakea to height of II 900 feet. a
fifth group is composed of the bog-f1ora
found on the high table land of Kauai
and on the marshy top of Eeka, a
mountain of West Maui.
BY careful reasoning the author shows
that the volcanic action which gradually
built up the Hawaiian group, has worked
steadily from west to east. Not only is
the reasoning from geological data but
from the authors own specially, botany.
He says:
Biologists might hesitate to infer from
this the absolutely. greater age of the weS-
tern islands, for geological evidence alone
would not exclude the suppOsitiOn that all
the islands OF the chain were elevated at
the same time and the volcanic activity
only died out sooner i'll the western than
in the eastern islands. But here botanical
evidence steps in to furnish the proof that
in reality the age of the different islands
rises in progression from east to west. 1t
may be stated simply in these few words,
that the flora of MaunalOa Is the poorest
and most uniform, and that OF Kauai the
richest and most individualiZed in species,
and that on the whole the intervening
islands follow the same ratio when allow
anCe is made of difference in height; for
high mountains offer a greater diversity
of climate, and, therefore, suitable cOndi-
tons for many plants which cannot live in
lower zones"
At the very outset the author states
his opinion that
There is no ground for supposing that in
past geological ages this isolation of the
Hawaiian group has been less complete.
1t is true that in nOrthwesterly direction
a succession of reefs and low uninhabited
iSlets extends for a distance of thirty de-
grees of longitude about half way to Japan,
revealing narrow band of raised sea bot
tom, with an average depth of less than
1 900 fathoms. This line of reefs and iSlets
follows exactly the trend of the assure In
the globes crust on which the Hawaiian
volcanoes have been built up, and, as there
is abundant evidence that the age of the
different islands increases from east to
west, it Is fair to conclude that these lSletS, |
rocks, and reefs lie on the same assure and |
are only the cOral-cOvered peaks of sub |
merged older volcanoes, or, in other words,
that the volcanic action commenced at the
northwest extremity, thirty degrees of |
longitude northwest from the Island of |
Kauai, and gradually moved on to the |
Island of Hawai-, with subsistence of the |
older formations while it progressed. But |
the western extremity of this western |
raised sea bottom land is separated by a |
great distance and an enormous depth of |
from the nearest high land, |
Japan, and the circumstance that the pres |
ent flora of the Hawaiian Islands has less |
affinity to that of Japan than to any other |
warm or temperate country on the borders |
Of the Pacific Ocean fOrbids altogether the |
assumption that this submerged chain of |
islands can have at any time formed road |
for the migration of plants.
Any one who possesses a copy of a
curious pamphlet, entitled, "The Report |
of the Board OF Genealogy," might COM
pare these scientific reasonings with the
bolder dash on the same subject pub
lished at public expense, during the
Legislature of 1894.
The botanical portion of this work is
preceded by Bentham's "Outlines of
which will be of great use to |
students and those who desire to take up |
the study not only of the Hawaiian fora
but of botany in general.
The main portion of the work occupies |
651 pages, in which are described 500 !
species and 365 genera. 1t is pity that |
funds were not available for illustrating |
these descriptions. Such a course would |
have enhanced the value of the book |
very much.
The book has three very we'll executed |
maps giving the topography of the eight |
principal islands. There is also an ex-
cellent index in which the scientific, the |
English and the Hawaiian names OF |
plants are given.
We cannot close this brief review |
without speaking in high terms of the |
capital editing done by Mr.. w. F. Hille-
brand, the son of the deceased doctor.
The manner in which the work has been
and the care displayed in ar
'anging the incomplete fragments found
among the Doctors papers speak very
highly for the ability of this young man,
who is evidently a worthy son of a
worthy father. To his pen is due the
graceful dedication of the work. 1t runs
f0Il