Journal of Edwin H. Bryan, Jr. while with the Whitney Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History on the schooner France, February to October 1924
Page 295
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Transcription
The little kawa bowls, which are made to sell to the tourists, are like the larger ones, made of m ilo wood. Followed Afono trail to summit and from there followed the summit ridge west to the Vatia trail, by which I descended to Loloaloo. Saw large rat, on way up, gnawing the bark of a dead tree. The small lizards are not abundant, but the large black lizards are quite occasional. Took the following pictures from a little knob just west of the Afono pass:- Roll 45:4,5 Panorama of Pago Pago Harbor looking S.S.W. and W.S.W. (11456-7) " 45:6 Afono Bay from the same spot, looking N.N.E. (11458) " 46:1 Looking W. by N. along summit ridge; Filitau (1468') at right and Maavea (1539') at left. The first half mile of the ridge is saw-toothed pali, where it is practically impossible to follow the skyline; but one can get around on a ledge on the N. side, about 25 to 100 feet below. From Filitau to about 1/4 mile W. of Maavea the route followed a flat topped ridge, about 50 feet wide and only rising and falling 20 to 30 feet in gradual undulations. This has an open stand of moss covered trees among which I recognized Lobelias Ohia-lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha?). The undergrowth is thin with a few birds-nest and other ferns, monocotyledonous herbs and a Freycineti'a-like vine. On the summit ridge the insects were fairly scarce, except spiders (whose webs stretched everywhere), large pale craneflies and the large yellow flies. The landshells here appear of but two spp. - both Acotanella-like - one yellow brown, the other purple. The striped large ones and the smaller forms live at lower elevations. Very few of the plants were in fruit or flower. Collected a couple and some wood specimens. Easter Sunday, April 20, 1924. Spent day packing up four boxes of specimens, to send to the Museum, and moving my trunks to the hold, as Mr. Beck is moving aboard and I am to change