The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1897-06-10

(Thespesia populnea), the Naupaka
tScaevola KoenigiD, the Pohuehue
tSpomoea pes capra), the Kou (Cordia
subcordata). and the Hala (Pandanus
odoratissimus). doubtless followed in
reaching the Hawaiian Islands. All
these plants possess buoyant seeds or
fruits that retain their powers of germ
ination after floating many months in
sea water. There is now a Milo tree
growing in the Royal Gardens at Kew,
which was raised from a seed I gath
cred in the Keeling Islands in 1888.
After being kept for two years, it was
allowed to float in sea water for II
months, and it then terminated in my
study in London in few days.
My previous remark that in the in
completed operation we find a clue to
the track of the floating seed will now
be better understood Trees like the
Milo and the Hala, which occur every
where in the tropical Pacific would af-
ford no indication. We have to take
as our guides the Nipa, which has
reached Ualan, the Mangrove which
has arrived at Fiji and Tonga, and
BarringtOnia speciosa, which has
crossed the South Pacific TO Ducie ISL
| and. but has failed TO reach Hawaii.
Then we are able to lay down the
circuitous route by which the Milo,
the Naupaka, the Pohuehue. the Kou,
and the Hala have reached the islands
| of the Hawaiian group.
Through ages the oceanic currents
have been engaged in stocking the
Pacific isles with their shore-plants:
and I assume that along the same track
! and at various periods the POlynesians
| traYersed this ocean. From time to
| time different migrating bands have
| followed this track; but with the Poly
nesians. as with the seeds, neither the
occasion nor the path were of their
own choosing Separated by long in
| tervals. perhaps of centuries, there
were times when in this region of the
globe all nature was on the move.
| Then wind and wave consplred togeth-
er to afford the opportunity for the
periodic migration the seasons of the
northwesterly winds being probably
much extended. The pulse of life then
beat with a feverish throb; and a pc
riod of unrest, in which man and the
whole animal world were affected, ush-
cred in the crisis. Nature at length
gave way under the strain or, in other
| words, relaxed the usual rigor of her
laws. The result was a migration.
The fleets of canoes, laden with the
Polynesians, were preceded by vast
| quantities of floating vegetable DRIFT
(trees. leaves, seeds, fruits, etc., and
here different animals, and occasional
" even the crocodile were borne along
The sea was alive with shoals of fish
and large schools of whales spouted in
every bay. Flocks of innumerable mi
gratory birds, ducks, geese, rails, etc.
passed in a rarely broken line over
! head. whilst insects in dense, cloud
| like masses flew along the track. Thus
heralded, each great band of Polyne
slams pursued the same involuntary
journey, each in it's turn bringing some
new fruit or tuber from the western
lands, by which tradition perpetuateC
) it's memory in a future age.
The more striking features of one o
these migrations, I hope to bring on
: in a subsequent article in the form o
an imaginary legend.
II. B. GUPPY. NJ B., F. r. S. E.
; Punaluu, Hawaii, May T. 1897.