ABSTRACT
The seas and reefs and coconut-girt islands of Melanesia 1 have an irresistible attraction of their own. We think of the wonderful forms of marine life to be found there, of the brightly coloured fishes, of dreaded sea monsters, sharks, sting rays, crocodiles, octopuses, of coral, of beautiful shells cast up on the sands, of dainty flying fish scudding across the waters, of monster clam shells opening and shutting their mouths, of turtle sunning themselves in the water or crawling up on the sandy beaches to lay their batches of eggs. The birds with their gaudy plumage darting here and there among the trees ; the bananas hanging in bunches, the bread-fruit with its reminiscences of the Mutiny of the Bounty, the pawpaws, sugar cane, mangoes, sago palm, ivory nuts ; huge banyan trees spreading over half an acre, lianas covering all their foliage, flying foxes screeching up in the branches at night—all the strange and wonderful things that draw the heart of the dweller in a temperate climate are found there in Melanesia.
