Identifier: easternpacificla00chri (find matches)
Title: Eastern Pacific lands ; Tahiti and the Marquesas islands
Year: 1910 (1910s)
Authors: Christian, F. W. (Frederick William), b. 1867 Rouse, Martin Luther Ranfurly, Uchter John Mark Knox. 5th earl of, 1856-
Subjects:
Publisher: London : R. Scott
Contributing Library: Brigham Young University Hawaii, Joseph F. Smith Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Consortium of Church Libraries and Archives

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to the storm-tossed mariners of Aeneas, is the near aspect of thegreen valleys of Tahiti to sunburnt native crews, astheir ship comes staggering up out of the north-east,from the sultry atolls of the Low Archipelago. Lyingfull in the track of the gentle yet mighty breath ofthe north-easterly trade-winds from the Equator, thelofty island shoots up her misty peaks to heaven,which look down upon many a cool green valley,stretching downward and ever downward upon richalluvial flats, and deep palm groves skirted each by asilvery spit of sand ; washed by the still blue lagoon,bordered by an ever-creaming band of whiteâa lineof breakers for ever curling over her long fringingreef, melting away in soft outline eastward and west-wardâTahiti, the Pearl of the Pacific, styled by theold bard of the Tevas, Tahiti-nui MareareaM(Great Tahiti the Golden ). The snowy-plumaged Iitae flits twitteringaround the cocoanut blossoms, the solemn blueheron stalks through the pools at the mouth of M ;#<
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3 Scenery and Topography 57 each shallow creek, and the harsh cry of the ternechoes far out to sea; but the woodland hillsgive little sign of life, few and faint sound the voicesof singing birds, and with scarce a winged choristerstirring, the broad green aisles of the forest stretchaway far inland, hushed in a holy silence. For,as in Rarotonga the land-birds are nearly extinct.The Rupe, or great grey wood pigeon; the fA-a, orlittle parrakeet; the Uupa, or small green and maroondove; the Areva, or long-tailed cuckoo ; and theRuri, a lovely little kingfisher, thanks mainly to theintroduction of cats, are now very scarce in Tahiti. The most part of the hill slopes are covered withthe umbrella-fern and a host of strange weeds (Aihere)whose fibres are manipulated by the deft fingers ofthe Tahitian women into hats of elegant and beauti-ful designs much prized by the curio-hunter. Dense thickets of guava run wild all over thecountry, from the branches of which a hornet ofextraordinary sizeâ

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