ld not miss visiting the aquarium at Honolulu to see the collection
of beautiful and even comical-looking native fishes; some of extravagant
colouring, brilliant as humming-birds, gay as butterflies; of shapes
unsuspected, and in some cases indescribable, having neither length nor
breadth, depth nor thickness; hard to distinguish head from tail, upside
from underside; speed being apparently the least desirable of
characteristics. Do they depend for protection and safety on their
grotesque appearance? or do their gaudy robes disarm and enchant their
ferocious and cannibalistic brethren?

One of the funniest sights I ever saw was a base-ball game played here
between Chinese and Japanese youngsters. What a commanding position
these islands occupy in ocean navigation, as a coaling or naval station,
or as a distributing point. America was quick to realize this; and now
splendid harbours and docks are being constructed, and the place
strongly fortified so as to rival Gibraltar.

In January 1909 I joined the new and delightful New Zealand Steamship
Company's steamer _Makura_ bound for Sydney. On board was, amongst a
very agreeable company, a gentleman bound for New Zealand on a
fishing-trip, who told me such marvellous tales of his fishing prowess
in Scotland that I put him down for one of the biggest liars on earth.
More of him afterwards. Also on board was a young English peer, Earl
S----, a very agreeable man, whose company I continued to enjoy for the
greater part of this tour. We had a delightful passage, marred for me,
however, by a severe attack of neuritis, which continued for three solid
months, the best doctors in Sydney and Melbourne failing to give relief.
Our ship first called at Fanning Island, a cable station (delivering
four months' mail), a mere coral atoll with its central lagoon, fringe
of cocoanut trees and reef. The heavy swell breaking on the reef, and
the wonderful blue of the water, the peaceful lagoon, the bright, clear
sky, and the cocoanut trees, formed a picture never to be forgotten. A
picture typical of all the many thousands of such Pacific islets. After
passing the Union and Wallace groups we crossed the 180 deg. meridian, and
so lost a day, Sunday being no Sunday but Monday. Then arrived at Suva,
Fiji Islands. The rainy season having just begun it was very hot and
disagreeable. The Fijians are Papuans, but tall and not bad-looking.
Maoris, Hawaiians and Samoans are Polynesians, a much handsomer