P15 FRIDAY, FEB. 13, 1948 NOON - AT SUVA, FINI. ON BOARD S/S MARINE PHOENIX ON ROUTE TO AUCKLAND, N.Z. My day started at 6:30 A.M. The island was in sight when I first looked out of the porthole. The line of gentle surf was breaking in regular cadence on the fringing coral reef. The clouds were gray over the mts. to the west of Suva harbor. Suva, the town, was spread over a series of very low undulating hills to the north east of the harbor. Here was none of the breath-taking beauty of the island of Tutuila, and the harbor of Pago Pago. The pilot boat met us inside the reef - why we needed a pilot for this harbor is beyond me. But I suppose it is custom. Two tramp freighters were tied up at dock, as well as half a dozen luggerS - both sail + steam, no brass band today. But a crowd of fuzzy-headed Finians, and straight-haired Indians were on hand to look us over. The spectacles of the crowd were the Finian police - great mops of hair, blue shirts with various chevrons, white shirts with pinked bottom hem, + white gloves for directing traffic. Docked promptly at 8:00 A.M. I went ashore a few minutes later. A small U.S. naval cutter tied to dock. Our 3rd mate tells me that ship was abandoned except for one man who stayed alive for 4 months until ship found + towed to port. Lived on rain water + fish, walked to outskirts of town, Passing many lovely flowers. Hibiscus, of course, was very (Will finish tomorrow - too sleepy tonight - 11:30 P.M.) common. Some gardens were filled with temperate zone flowers, others looked completely tropical. And the Indian mynah birds were everywhere! They take the place of the starling and Eng. sparrow at home, in numbers, in noise, in curiosity + in filling city + suburban niches that native birds may have once oc- cupied. Long-legged (yellow), rounded-winged (with white patches) + with yellow bill - quite friendly, to one who has never seen them before, attractive. Another common bird in town + with distinctive coding - a mourning dove type - black patches low on neck - the patches white-spotted. The 3rd common bird - a titingbird type - white rump, carmine under tail coverts, crest, dark dorsally + ventrally, flycatcher bill, chestnut cheek patches. When I reached out. Shirts of town, started seeing very small birds flying over - thin, high notes. 3 birds in road z818 - small, reddish all over - more so