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 501
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Transcription
Saturday, August 2, 1924. Extreme N. and N.E. end of the island. Ashore at 7 A.M. taking first branch of trail running north. Collected some insects, landshells and another plant. Scorpion, roach and earthworm under bark of fallen log. Slender cream-yellow leaf miner in leaves of small tree. Took specimens of larvae and leaves. Caught a moderate size red-brown and cinerous spider eating from one of the robust fuscous Scarabaeid beetles. Came to end of trail in some canoe cuttings. Cut across due east and hit head of another trail, following it S.S.W. This proved to be a branch of the trail followed Thursday. Again struck out due east toward the east shore. More "bad-lands". No wonder the natives prefer to carry their canoes the length of the island to the village, rather than across this kind of ground to the east or west coasts. The hummocks lead nowhere and one must be continually climbing up and down the walls of the pot-holes, the bottoms of which are filled with brush and jagged limestone. It took a long time and much energy to reach the east coast and then I couldn't get down the steep 80 foot cliff. The spot at which I came out was about 1/4 mile north of the small sand beach visited July 30. Could see the whole of the east reef and Thakau Tetcika - a small circular reef to the N.E. from here. Took a picture from this spot. Roll 58:4. Looking south along E. face of Ongea levu, a palm in (11505) foreground. Made my way along the top of the cliff. Descended on ledge to undercut shelf, down to sand beach with Casuarina trees and S.W. across island on the trail followed Wednesday. Sunday, August 3, 1924. Explored the channel between Ongea levu and Yanuia. There being no