Lehner, P. 1964 Nov. 19 AFTERWORD Today marked the end of our island hopping journey and we had no land in sight now until we were to see Oahu in ten days; I feel it imperative that I record my thoughts at this time, as to how I felt after having the privelage to visit these islands; our records of avifauna, terrestrial vertebrates and insects, fish and plants have been recorded in books somewhere in Lab #1 and will undoubtably be uncovered by the time we reach Hoholulu and serve as the basis for any forthcoming report; knowing very little about the vegetation, having no way to survey the soils to any depth, being and inadequate ichthyologist and only a fair shot with a shotgun, I spent most of my spare time as an amateur anthropologist- sociologist and studied the natives; this was not a difficult task as they were constantly around; most authors indicate that the Gilbertese were more warlike than the Marshallese - if this is true it has certainly been lost in history - I found the Gilbertese possibly more freindly and fuji-loving then the Marshallese: this is a difficult comparison to make since we encount- ered nothing but extreme hospitality wherever we went; we were not welcomed by individuals or families, but by whole communities and by whole atoll populations - they would come from neighboring islands to wave and smile at us from their canoes, as if to say welcome; also, contrary to preconceived notions, the Gilbertese were perhaps more civilized and effected by the modern world than were the Marshallese; perhaps this is more a reflection on the Trust Territory of the Pacific (in which the Marshalls are Included) in contrast to the Cooperative Society formed by the English; whether this increased modernisation is good or bad is a question of further debate; one (over)