of 8.3 mm.

These figures, taken from a table in the Neo-Hebridais, show that the
year is divided into a cool, dry season and a hot, damp one. From May
to October one enjoys agreeable summer days, bright and cool, with a
predominant south-east trade-wind, that rises and falls with the sun
and creates a fairly salubrious climate. From November to April the
atmosphere is heavy and damp, and one squall follows another. Often
there is no wind, or the wind changes quickly and comes in heavy gusts
from the north-west. This season is the time for cyclones, which occur
at least once a year; happily, their centre rarely touches the islands,
as they lie somewhat out of the regular cyclone track.

A similar climate, with but slightly higher temperature, prevails on
the Santa Cruz Islands.

Flora and Fauna

The vegetation of the New Hebrides is luxurious enough to make all
later visitors share Quiros' amazement. The possibilities for the
planter are nearly inexhaustible, and the greatest difficulty is
that of keeping the plantations from the constant encroachments of
the forest. Yet the flora is poorer in forms than that of Asiatic
regions, and in the southern islands it is said to be much like that
of New Caledonia.

As a rule, thick forest covers the islands; only rarely we find areas
covered with reed-grass. On Erromanga these are more frequent.

In the Santa Cruz Islands the flora seems richer than in the New
Hebrides.

Still more simple than the flora is the fauna. Of mammals there are
only the pig, dog, a flying-fox and the rat, of which the first two
have probably been imported by the natives. There are but few birds,
reptiles and amphibies, but the few species there are are very
prolific, so that we find swarms of lizards and snakes, the latter
all harmless Boidae, but occasionally of considerable size.

Crocodiles are found only in the Santa Cruz Islands, and do not grow
so large there as in the Solomon Islands.

Animal life in the sea is very rich; turtles and many kinds of fish
and Cetaceae are plentiful.

Native Population

The natives belong to the Melanesian race, which is a collective
name for the dark-skinned, curly-haired, bearded inhabitants of the
Pacific. The Melanesians are quite distinct from the Australians,
and still more so from the lank-haired, light-skinned Polynesians of
the eastern islands. Probably a mixture of Polynesians and Melanesians
are the Micronesians, who are light-skinn