Journal and notes of H. Hamlin : Whitney South Sea Expedition July 20, 1927 to August 8, 1930.
Page 47
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Transcription
(23) Fly Inlet, six miles northward where it was decided to spend the sabbath, our first on board. Apparently this day of rest is the only available time for note-typing except while at sea. Mr. Beck went out in the dinghy after shearwaters and brought back grey-backed and bergi terns two of which fell under my scalpel. Both G.R. and myself already notice the effect of the coaching provided by Dr. Drowne and Mr. Beck; Hicks is also very helpful. It is remarkable how much one can pick up just by watching the operation of these three. All the birds we took in Tulagi and carved up so deftly will be sent on to the Museum; one little hawk has not been taken yet by the expedition. The Vanikoro owl given us by Capt. Hall of the "Royal Endeavor" proved a welcome addition. At this anchorage birds sound more plentiful than at Ariel Cove. The long-tail, honeysuckers, white-eyes, parrots, wag- tails, and kingfishers are heard with the usual nocturnal frog serenade. I have commandeered the hammock under the boom for sleeping quarters abetted by a poncho to aid the leaking awn- ing; here I can appreciate these olfactory offerings of our fea- thered friends. October 16 Wrote letters and notes before lunch and then got ou the water-colors, making a rather questionable reproduction of a parrot and a much more plausible one of a kingfisher. Mr. B took some photographs and developed them soon afterward, the on- ly safe method down here. I decided to use up the rest of the exposures in my camera since they can be developed on the way to Vella Lavella. Wrote notes in the evening on Kulambangra, lit- tle as I have been able to observe. Conversation with G.R. and the Doctor on interesting topics until a late hour. Kulambangra I. lies at Lat. 8 S. Long. 157 W. and is near- ly circular in shape. From N to S it measures approximately 18 miles and E and W 14 miles. The coast is quite regular and shows a number of fair anchorages for small craft; it's margin is en- crusted with fringing reefs, many of the coves being sheltered by coral barriers. It is the last island of the group that was completely surveyed by H.M.S. Penguin in her trip of 1893-5. The central volcanic peak rises 5200 feet and extends in razor-back formation N and S for about 5 miles; the principal drainage runs in the opposite direction down numerous ravines that cut the main ridge of the mountain. The contour lines have a much more rapid rise to the mile from the S. than from the N., the latter end of the island showing the smoother topography. Red clay is present above 1000 feet while the lower soil is chiefly volcan- ic buff and coral rock. Birds are more plentiful and vary more at the higher altitudes. Mr. Beck and Hicks found a rare species of thrush, pigmy parrot with red breast and blue markings, and yellow-bibed doves above 2000 feet. Thickheads. bald fly-catch- ers, blackheads, black and brown fantails, white-eyes, and honey- suckers range over the entire island. This is true of the lar- gier birds like parrots, paroquets, long-tails, and the red-knob- bed and gray pigeon. Shrikes, wag-tails, swallows, and swifts pre- vail nearer the shore and especially around swamps just inside the mangroves that line the immediate marge. The brown ground dove is quite common here; natives have captured a few alive for Mr. Beck. The ordinary kingfisher may be heard anywhere along the coast bothe the brown-breast and the white-headed; the little red- billed fellow and the blue-headed variety frequent the rivers and have been taken at high altitudes. Plovers, bittern, and the blue heron are common along the reefs. The mina as usual whis-