THE COOK ISLANDS

Southland Times, Issue 14370, 17 March 1910, Page 5

THE COOK ISLANDS

A CffIOLOQIBT’B IMPRESSIONS!

(Special to The Times.)

CHRISTCHURCH, March 16,

Dr P. Marshall, of the Otago University, who passed through Christchurch this morning on his way back to Dunedin, has had an Interesting trip to the Cook Islands. He went to that remote part of this Dominion in order to investigate the geological formation of the islands, a work which has never been taken in hand before. He spent some time on Raratonga and other islands of the group, and collected as much information as possible in the limited time at his disposal. Although on the whole he found the Islands to be somewhat uninteresting from a geological point of vietv, he obtained sufficient facts to enable him to prepare a paper for next year's meeting of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science. He is president of the geological branch of the Association. and will communicate the results of his Investigation as a presidential address. He found that the Islands are mainly volcanic in origin. They, are very old, considerably older than Banks Peninsula ; but he found no fossils whatever during his journeys, and he Is unable to fix the geological period to which they belong. ' Their most marked geological feature Is the evidence of an atmospheric denudation on all sides in Raratonga and Mangaia. This is seen in the large numbers of razor-back ridges and sharp needlepointed peaks showing that operations in tills direction have been . going on for a very long time. He saw no evidences of a former continental area and no signs of ancient craters. The Islands offer a poor field of research to the geologist ; but to the ornithologist they are almost utterly barren. During the whole of his visit Dr Marshall saw' only one species of land bird and only three specimens of that, and sea birds seemed to be almost as rare. Apparently the islands have never been rich in air fauna, as the natives have no records of a former abundance of bird life. The botanist and the entomologist, however, can find plenty of W'ork. As to the natives of the islands Dr Marshall confirms to some extent the unflattering character given to them by Lieut.-Colonel Gudgeon when he was Resident Commissioner. They seem to have a strange mixture of childlike simplicity and deep cunning. They have little or no conception of a code of honour ; a man holds just what he can. Their minds are the minds of children, and this has to be reckoned with when the law is applied to any of their actions. Both mentally and physically they are inferior to the Maoris. They arc lazy, careless, and thriftless. At present by exporting fruit and doing work connected noth the steamers they earn more money than some people think is good for them. Combined with these traits of character they possess one of the happiest dispositions imaginable. It is the queen of mirth who reigns over the Cook Islanders, and so far from brooding over their cares, they are content to clap their hands and laugh all day long,

IRRITABILITY,

Do you feel out of humour and think that everyone has a grudge against you because everything seems to be going wrong. It is you that is "wrong," and it is your liver that lias the grudge against you—possibly because you are not treating it well. You have given It too much work to do, and when it wanted a gentle laxative to set it right you neglected to attend to It. To set your liver right, to make tilings go well, and to make yourself feel good all over, take a course of Chamberlain's Tablets and >ou will he more than pleased with the result. Chamberlain's Tablets are unsurpassed for irritability.—lsold everywhere.'