The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-10-09
A WRITING SEA MYSTERY.
WORMS THAT ARE WE'LL Up IN THE
scEENCr or lsTRoNOME

AHNgAA ~ kANAAA WA Aa2AMA - NAN
south Pacific. the Islandera Gorge Them.
selves, and Then the Creatures Vanish.
The palolo IL q writhine worm Of the South
Sen and a mystery. Considered merely as q
worm. It IL a chain Of segments, twenty to the
Inch. as large az q strong pack thread and any
where from a feW inches to a yard long. fragile
In the water and out and apt to break apart at
any or oil OF the Joints. Some are reddish
brown and these are the males; the females
are of various shades of green. II this were
all, the worm would not merit consideration
except by those whose chosen pursuit It IL to
investigate the doings OF crawling things.
But somewhere In these seRments Is a most
elaborate astronomical apparatua. Somehow.
by means which bafie the keenest research.
this humble worm Of tho coral reef knows how
to keep account Of the flight OF time and to
make its annual appearance promptly to the
minute when due. to reckon tho year by sue
cessive lunations and to intercalate the proper
correction TO bring the lunar year into accord
Will the sidereal year. That is q remarkable
thing. Mankind in all It's wisdom had to study
for ages before IL learned to correct it's lunar
year to keep IL In harmony with its solar year.
to correct It's solar year to agree with the
sidereal year. and even now some of tho ma
tons Of Europe are nearly two weeks out OF
the way. Through some strange science this
OuaOuEO WORM knOWB all hDOuJ the calendar
and makes its brief appearance on a few Poly
nesian reefs with absolute regularity. Such is
It's accuracy that the Samoans use It as the
starting point Of one Of their six-month years.
From its coming the FIRST year is dated and
named Vaipalolo. Just rs the second year OF six
months is named Vaito'elau. One Is the pa
lolo year. the other the trade-wind year, for
with the coming OF the palolo IL is time to look
out Tor the cessation OF the beneficent trade
wind and the coming Of Gains and'gales from
the north and months of incessant rain.
To mark the year is not the only use to
which the Samoan have put the worm. In
addition It Is considered a most delicious ar
ticle Of food. and once n year the islanders
make long journeys to be on hand when the
palolo floats on the surface Of the sea for q
brief two hours In the earliest morning. 1t Is
not every reef that has palolo. The worm is
found only In the three mid-Pacihc archipel-
aGoes. Samoa. Tonga and Fiji. and In each
archipelago 1t Is found only at q few particu-
lar spots. At Apla there is q half mile OF reef
at Matautu Point where the worm is found,
and the next place is no nearer than Falelatai,
clear around the western point Of Upolu. As
the worm will not bear transportation Il Is
necessary to 60 to the spot where II is found or
else do without IL. Samoans like It so we'll
that they will scarcely consent to miss its an
nual appearance and the joyous gorginR
which follows an abundant catch.
There is only one day in the whole year
when palolo is to he ound. All the other days
OF the year the worm is absent from the lagoon
waters. Where 1t lives and how is entirely
unknown. 1t is supposed thattit,is hidden in the
corals far below the surface and there under
goes the transformations of its life, but no
one knows for certain. Corals have been
dredged up from varying depths. but no palolo
have been found. All that Is certainly kno gn
Is that on a fixed day they will make q startling
ly sudden appearance and within two hours
will vanish Just as suddenly and 20 no one
knows whittier. 1t is possible to compute the
exact palolo day. The old Samoans are very
wise and accurate in this computation. It ia
a very hard reckoning to follow. and it used to
be harder than 1t is now. for formerly they
had no conveniences Of n calendar by which
TO keep the account. There are certain things
which the flowers tell them in this oomputa-
ton; the blossoming Of certain fragrant trees
gives the first warning that palolo time is
close at hand. After the trees have lowered
out the first warning. then must the constella-
lions be studied; the setting Of the belt of
Orion. low in the northern sky; OF other con-
stellations known as the Duck and the Man
these are the second warning and indicate
that the time is close at hand. Then the
moon presents another factor and one which
decides whether to count from the last palolo
$50 or 1884 days. The old men know how to
do all this and without a mistake; indeed,
Samoans make precious few mistakes as to
anything which involves a matter OF some-
thing to eat. Under the calendar introduced
by the white people the problem is simplhed.
Palolo time is at dead low water In the night
Of the third quarter Of the moon which comes
at the end Of October or the beginning of No.
vember.
For weeks the old men of the Samoan towns
study all the signs; they have pointed out the
blossomings and the consultations they have
worked over all their computations until they
are certain Of the result. Then they. give
word that in so many nights more the palolo
will come. Thereupon the head OF every house
ties up 10 many pebbles In a sack and takes
one out each night to be certain Of the time.
The women make ready the nets for the great
flshinE-pieces OF mosquito netting mounted
rs q very shallow sack between the forks OF q
short stick. the white mems cloth proving su-
perior to the thin bark cloth Of their older GUS
tom. On the last day Of waiting the canoes
are carefully scrubbed out to make sure that
no dSa ssal ssSso OF fish or any other waste remain to
whom there Would be no rooms in S1tihbe the eano tSr
club together to build RATS of bamboo, on
which Insecure craft they may career about
NAS. .PtAAAA HAohhAN IA U bOuy u u
1t is well to go early TO bed that last night,
for the time to 60 out TO the reefs js 5 o'clock In
the morning. and as thai the draws near
there is no chance of sleeping in the turmoil
which resounds from the Samoan villageS and
from the lagoon whore the canoes are assem- |
bling. During the early hours OF the night
every village has q Waterman whose duty IL Is
to observe the stages ofthe tide and to call the
Sleepers shortly before low water. There is
little chance that he will fail in his duty. for |
there are volunteer assistants who desire roth |
better than to sit with him through the
SLOW hours OF tho night with a ANAL Nra ~
husks smo.dering on the sands Of
the beach convenient for toastinR the tobacco
leaves which they roll into cigarettes in dry
banana leaves. In the houses Of the sleepers
OF the tide and the wakefulness OF the watch |
man. When the time has come the watch |
man raises his shout to wake the town for the
fishing, With unimpaired lungs. he shouts
the, name OF the village and its chief and It's
maid. Over and over again he repeats his
cry at full voice. Each man as he awakes
takes up the same shout and the chorus |
until, every man In the village is shout
Ing at the top OF his lungs. and the children.
glad OF a chance to be noisy without reproof.
run screaming over the green and to