The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1925-02-25

Typica
prepared by the National Geographic So
ciety. Washington. D. c.
Plans for maneuvers Of the com
bined Atlantic and Pacific fleets of tn,
United States with Hawaii as a bas,
bring large part of the Pacific ocear
with its thousands of islands into the
field Of operations. The names alone
OF the Islands recall daring achieve
ments of adventuresome navigators
and the exploits Of pirates and sailors
of fortune.
In these islands one comes face to
face with primitive life In all It's varied
phases, ranging from the wanderings
OF the native trader to the precarious
existence of the beach comber; from
the reef harvesters to the tribal coun-
cilors, and from the wild head-hunters
to the bush cannibals; from the ex-
cited warriors, in all their fantastic at
tire, to the primitive village maiden,
aedecked in garlands Of wild flowers
end wearing the simplest form Of grass
skirt.
The Pacific ocean covers more than
a third part Of the globe and contains
within Its vast periphery over half Of
the terrestrial water supply. The in
fiuence exercised by this immense H.
quid surface on the climate and condi-
lions Of life in both hemispheres must
be enormous, when we consider that II
is bisected by the Equator and con-
sequently exposed to the full force of
the tropical sun. 1t is for this reason
and because Of the moist, equable tenn
perature prevailing over the Polynesian
region that we find In most of the
oceanic islands great fertility Of soil
and a luxuriant vegetation.
An Empire Of Many Islands.
Geographically. the Polynesian re-
gion Is occupied by numerous groups
Of Islands Of varying extent and i'm
portance, most Of which are inhabited |
by a variety of peoples, generally
known In Australia as Kanakas or
South Sea Islanders
Viewed In broad and comprehen-
,ive light, this Polynesian empire, It
nay be so called, extends across the
Pacific from the eastern waters of
Australia and New Guinea for a hun
lred degrees Of longitude to Easter Is
and. 1t includes the Bismarck archi-
,elago and Solomon group, New Gale
lonia and Fill. the New Hebrides, Sa-
noa and Tonga, the Marshall and
tale IH hA
md Low archipelago, the Hawaiian is
ands, the Gilbert and Ellice islands,
he Society and Cook islands, with
umerous clusters of islands, reefs,
nd lagoons scattered over wide ex-
anses Of tropical ocean and studded
Ike gems of emerald green on the
asst coral sea that eternally surges
long the equatorial belt of the great
acific. Long regarded as the dream
early Spanish and Portuguese en-
,rprise, these Polynesian islands have
asst commercial possibilities.
Many of these Pacific groups possess
sautiful harbors, commodlous enough
} shelter the largest ships of a major I.
,wer Most Of them being guarded :.
: impregnable barriers Of coral reef,
ey would afford natural protection to :
classes of shipping and could be
ilized as naval bases Of first-rate I'm !.
,rtance.
A remarkable feature of many of
9 Polynesian groups is the luxuriant
getatlon on the southeast, or wind =
ard. side Of the islands, in marked :
ntrast to the northwest, or leeward =
lie, where the forest is restricted to
tremely limited patches, with large =
ed-covered areas Of wide extent, sug =,
sting aridity and the absence Of fer =,
q soil. This Is, no doubt, due to the :,
ct that a larger percentage Of mois- =,
re- Is deposited on the former. the =;
evailing southeast trade winds be- .,
! comparatively dry by the time they Il,
ach the opposite side. =.
Their Fauna Scanty.
In strange contrast to their luxuri- &C
t plant life, the Pacific islands can p
| lay claim to a rich fauna except in pt
DIS, which are fairly numerous in 81
W Caledonia. Fill and Hawaii. The CO
: and the pig have wide range, be- tie
found everywhere within the in 81
ence Of native settlement, but both M
70 been introduced in comparatively dc
ent times and are not Indigenous to II
ynesia. 81
There are several species Of rodents m
] some representatives Of the bat re
nily, which appear to be the only In
enous mammals Of which we have M
, knowledge. Even insects and rep liz
8 are by no means plentiful, being en-
=