Volume 14 Australasia - dana ward's homepage

NORTH MELANESIA. 828these barriers and the islands have an average depth of from 350 to 400 fathoms.But the greatest cavity yet revealed in the Melanesian waters occurs towards thecentre of the semi- circle formed by the Bismarck Archipelago between NewBritain and New Ireland, where the sounding line plunged into an abyss of 780fathoms.Climate,Flora axd Fauna of North Melanesia.The North ]Melanesian lands arc comprised entirely within the zone of thesouth-east trade winds.For more than half the year, from May to September, oreven from April to November or December, the wind sets steadily in the normaldirection ; then it yields to the west or north-west monsoon, a variable andshifting current, but still humid, like the trade wind, for it also traverses a wideexpanse of water before reaching the islands. Hence there is at least one rainyday in three, at times one in two, throughout the year, and both the Bismarck andSolomon Archij^elagoes have a mean annual rainfall of not less than 150 inches inthe immediate vicinity of the seaboard,* and far more on the higher slopes wherethe moisture-bearing clouds are first intercepted. According to GujDpy, thedischarge aA'erages from 440 to 480 inches at heights of 6,000 to 7,000 feet inthe upland valleys of Guadalcanar facing towards the south-east trades. Thesemountain slopes ajipear to be the most copiously watered of any oceanic lands, andare elsewhere surpassed in this respect only by the escarjjments of the Khasi Hillsin the Brahmaputra basin. During a single downpour of ten hours Guppyrecorded over 1 1 inches of rain in the neighbourliood of the coast. The leasthealthy season is that of the variable winds accompanying tlie west monsoon.Thanks to the abundant rainfall, the North Melanesian flora, which greatlyresembles that of New Guinea, is both rich and varied.Even the low coral banksdisappear in many places under the large trees, the seeds of which have been broughtby the winds, the marine currents, and the birds. On the hillsides the forestsextend in a continuous, impenetrable mass, their leafy canopies rising here andthere over 150 feet above the ground. One of the most widespread of these foreigngrowths is the banyan fig, with its thousand pendent tendrils twining round andat last choking other species.This incessant struggle between the banyan and theother giants of the woodlands forms a familiar theme of many local legends.One of the most remarkable products of the cryptogamic flora in the Solomongroup is a mass of vegetable matter which resembles the yam, but which is foundresting upon the ground without roots or any connecting stems. Guppy dwellswith admiration on the surprising knowledge displayed b}' the natives inbotanical matters. They clearly distinguish between species almost identical inappearance, and in this respect show themselves far better naturalists than anyeducated Europeans except specialists.The North Melanesian fauna also greatly resembles that of New Guinea, but* Rainfall at Santa-Ana off south-east coast of San Cristobal in 1883, 125 inches ; at Ugi, east ofSan Cristobal, 14C-24 inches. — (Guppy).y2