The Solomon Islands and Their Natives

"The Solomon Islands and Their Natives" by H. B. Guppy is a study. In this volume, the author has chiefly confined himself to his observations on anthropology, natural history, botany, and meteorology. He also mentions his account of the geology and of the coral reefs. Excerpt: «The Solomon Islands cover an area 600 miles in length. They include seven or eight large mountainous islands attaining an extreme height, as in the case of Guadalcanar and Bougainville, of from 8,000 to 10,000 feet, and possessing a length varying from 70 to 100 miles, and a breadth varying between 20 and 30 miles. In addition, there are a great number of smaller islands that range in size from those 15 to 20 miles in length to the tiny coral island only half a mile across. The islands fall naturally into two divisions, those mainly or entirely of volcanic formations and those mainly or entirely of recent calcareous formations.»