chiefly rank, are
of magnificent stature and proportions, and their walk and carriage are
in consonance.

An announcement that the visitors intend to go pigeon shooting is warmly
applauded, and each white man is at once provided with a guide, for,
unless he has had experience of the Samoan forest, he will return with
an empty bag, as, however plentiful the birds may be, their habit of
hiding in the branches of the lofty _tamanu_ and _masa'oi_-trees render
them difficult of detection. The natives themselves are very good shots,
and very rarely fail to bring down a bird, even when nothing more than a
scarlet leg or a blue-grey feather is visible. The guns they use are
very common, cheap German affairs, but are specially made for Samoa,
being very small bored and long in the barrel. The best time is in the
early morning and towards the cool of the evening, when the birds are
feeding on _masa'oi_ and other berries; during the heat of the day they
seldom leave their perches, though their deep crooning note may be heard
everywhere. In the mountainous interiors of Upolu and Savaii there is
but little undergrowth; the ground is carpeted with a thick layer of
leaves, dry on the top, but rain and dew-soaked beneath, and simply to
breathe the sweet, cool mountain air is delightful. At certain times of
the year the birds are very fat, and I have very often seen them
literally burst when striking the ground after being shot in high trees.
Their flavour is delicious, especially if they are hung for a day. I may
here remark that, in New Britain, precisely the same species of pigeon
is very often quite uneatable through feeding upon Chili berries, which
in that island grow in profusion. In shooting in a Samoan forest one has
nothing to fear from venomous reptiles, for, although there are two or
three kinds of snakes, they are rarely ever seen and quite harmless.
Scorpions and centipedes--the latter often six inches in length--there
are in plenty, but these detestable vermin are more common in European
habitations than in the bush. At the same time, mosquitoes are a
terrible annoyance anywhere in the vicinity of water, and delight in
attacking the tender skin of the stranger. Then, again, beware of
scratching any exposed part of the skin, for, unless it is quickly
covered by plaister or otherwise attended to, an irritating sore, which
may take months to heal, will often result.

There are, during the visit of a travelling party to a S