CORRESPONDENCE.

Samoa Times and South Sea Gazette, Volume 4, Issue 199, 28 May 1881, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

I I Were always willing m give insertion 1.. ■ letter- of explanation or int.ci-.-.-t. l.ul «,. j wish it to In- distinctly uu-l. i-t.....1 thai j wi.'di. mil .'mliirsc the opinions expressed. or lunytuige us.'il, hv our con-.-sj. ami. .its. Our i,i,.„s of passing events will !..■ found I in oar 10.-.-ilor editorial columns. Til Tlli; Kl.liolt UK TIIK s\Mo\ TlMts Slit, — Having oli.s.'iv.-.l in your issue of the Kith lilt, a notice of an unusual appearance of pulnhi at I iagncinnhie, and linvilig Li-en asked for infoi-iiiiitioii upon •thi! siihjcet generally, I have arranged from my own private iT.S. n few notes which may perhaps interest others hosides the gentleman who applied for in fori nation, if you i-iiii Mud space for (hem in your journiil. I inn, ,v.\, Thus. I'.i'wixi.. l-'alcalili. I'polo, May 14, IS.SI. T'AUU.n. These worms hate their llllliitnl among the interstices of (he coral lyef.s. Tlierufnre, since the CMl'lll Witl'lllM h.'l\" l.ia II U'l'ined Itmiitln finliiiliilants of eiirlll or mold], and such as dwell in tiil.es, /«/,/. Uiitii. jiiihalu'laiits of tiihe.s'j, an nuiilngoiis I nnil appropriale term for ih.-se wmiM lie ci'iilllmlii. Tlll'su corn] I lids vim' in length from I inch to 20 inches,' and are' in diameter from it .piarter of a line to one line, Th.y are of four I'oliiurs—white, ami lijrhl Iniiwn or ochre, the h,tt..r hoiic llnlk-h til" lollgcT and cVeec.litlgU c 1 nliinulai.t tluni the otlit'l-s, These |,u, light colour.- are || a . ~„..,.,., The other eoloiirs are dark S utl-gri'i'll (i/tiimv-iiiilii/n/ , nml li.L'ltl fi u fn'n'i'ii). These arc th.' I.'lliull's. The Very ilitl-k green | I'D Ulllcll longer I,'ian tlm iitlieitx, mill vastly imnv iil'iimhiut,

Tl o lx«lies ~f the i MJ..I-. ajflve exactly with tlin tv|»i uf the sub-kingdom t'i which they belong. Vl'lu-v consist t.f a

large number ol broad lin-s (tanu'/mi united longitudinally. To each uf these rings belong hristlu-liko appendages. These lilf.T somewhat in tin' iHfterent varieties. Some are like needles pointed at each end Hid attach.-.1 at tin' centre .in a pivot. Tin 1 -.- move tip ami down anil backwards ami forwards. Others are like neieuhite spines with a dilated base, some of which in" hiliil, .itliiTS in double pairs. Theso move backwards ami forwards. 'J'hcv doubtless serve as instruiiicnts of Incmvio. ti.in. They appear also In ho connected with tlin function .>!' depositing in tinsea thu eggs of the female mill the sperm of the male, —i*i other words, with the funelii.n of spawning. The spines of the female are the largest. 1 have seen these spines, umler the microscope, move up nml down, anil backwards and forwards, with such rapidity its almost to simulate a iiifithii. ! observed also I hat this motion was atietidi'd with the rapid liberation of the eggs ~f the female and the sperm of the male through the oviducts and seminal ducts which extend from thu centre of the hack between each pair of rings, and terminate on the under-side between each pair of lateral appendages. The head of the /«'«/« ririitix is a curious and rather frightful linking thing when viewed under a powerful inieroseupe. A drawing of it may he seen on p. <>:> of Dr. Sccman's " Mission to Yin," which in copied from a paper by l>r. -Miied.in.il, published in Y.,1. \\li. of the ••Transactions" of tins Linneaii Society.

That their sight is perfect'is evid.-nt from the way in which a single specimen will endeavour tn escape the sieve. (Iflen, when seeing a lino single specimen approaching, I have put down my sieve hoping to take it, hut generally in vain ; for, no sooner has mv sieve been put into the water, than the 'animal has made oh" rapidly in an opposite direction, and when 1 have attempted to intercept its liig'il. it has immediately dodged again and

Tlioy move through thewatorin diU'on n! ways: sometimes they arc extended nearly their whole length, w.th but little enrvaInrc of f.hcir ho.lies, their progress is then slow; at other times they assume more of the serpentine form oF progression : this is more raphl, and the way in which they seek to escape the sieve. In rising from the bottom t-i the surface they assume more of the spiral Form. The tail is furnished with a disk, or the power of forming itself into one. When examining some specimens under the microscope, in I.sT'.i, I observed ore- fix it sell by a circular disk to the plate upon which fhad placed it. It remained fast for some little time -when I touched it. This made it leave its hold and wriggle about, but it soon attached itself again a< before. The circular disk was vorv conspicuous when thus fixed, lint was'imperceptible in any other position. This shows how these worms can remain so Ion"', as they Il may also surest an explanation of the phenomenon recorded in the Samoa Timcs of Kith April last, viz. : -" that on the-J Ist of tlin previous month, large quantities had appeared on the reef near the village of Uagaoinalae on Savaii. The appearand! at such a time instead of Ilia mouth of Oct.hor is contrary to tie observations of the 'oldest inhabitant."' The explanation may be this.—Some nnusnal local occurrence all'e •tine; the, coral reef, such as an electric current, mav have detached the worms from their h'oldingphtce, and caused the untimely appear-

These worms have never liven known id np]ii'iir cither at the eii.l nf (x'pk'iuW 111' till- MTV llCfrillllill.!.' nf "etnl.lT. llllt they adhere to the coral ill slll-ll sitliaihms II- lint til he.seen till t lie t i llle nf S| ,11 Wll iII .'. TlleynSeelld for this purpose to the surface nf the lagoon near the outer reef, often in prodigious iniiiihei's, ami tin; nativethou line!; in tlu-ii- en noes, just before daylight, In enteh thelli ley dipping them up i:i various kinds of sieves.

i The tini" of ih.ir appear is the iday of- tlie la-t .piartcriug of the moon I in each Oct.,her, /o/.V.« that fall nt the beginning of the in.mlh, ill which en.— ih.-i-e will intervene nnntlici' lunar imiulh. This indicates that the 111,011 cxe.rrises sonio iiiysleiimis iulluciieo on their ivpro-d'.ietii-ii'. The observations nf maiiv Will's l.v scvcial old iiihnliitants. besides the native-, show that if from the tin f spawning in October, we feekon :!."i 1 or :)•')•*) days, that, will lirinj; us to another •.pawning, unless -iieh reckoning terminate at the end ~f Sept..iiilicf or the beginning nf Octohcr, say from the Ist to ihe It'll dav. In thai case the reckoning must, extend to :l.S;j ni- :jSI days, when piilolo will appear. In lids way it is thai instead of an interval of nlilv twelvu Iniini' nuuillis it will brace lliirlocii. The ltov. S.J. Whilnioo litis shown, In 11 paper piihlishcil in the "Transactions'' uf the Zoological Sueieiy, .Inne 1.57.1, Hint it is probable. Hint this occurs-every thiol year. This seems In agree, however, mil with " solilf lime." hill with the time which Ihe union observes in it- Motnniu Cy.-li; of 111 years, or l>.'W months, in which time the lunatioiis return inearlyj and begin us they were hol'iire, Mr. Whilnieewas the Hist In HUJJgl.'tt, thill which we have ahvndv luentioiied, thul lh.;-.' worms eolliu In' the surl'aee llllts pei-indii'itlly for the pnq f Spawning, tlllil that, after llieil' omission illln Ihe •".'l-Vlalcr. the I It'll i lie mi 1.1'".11 lied and then Milk I'l III" hull.,in to hucill lelilnpeil, ill due liliie. illln iniitui-e animli'ls. This is duiil.l,.,- (|„. tine ,-nl mini 1 nf t!io design uf their Ivgltlui' p •rinilicil uppc.Uaiie '. Tilery are 1 _* analu"i"-1.1 this in riiitniv, Tie- liolinll, thai, in i.l'.li.f '.i d 'barge, of t!iu i-,:,;s imd tUc tie. aniiuals

. I.tvak up into small ].:-<■.- i> probably » ■ mistake: furl raw under the mil i ;•- above n:uvntel, llii> copious cmissini'

■f the ova through the oviducts without any bienkiiig-iip intn parts of ih" parent annelid. Moreover, oil tlin very last .»•■ casion, viz., October, is.so. jiW before leaving the paloln ground, I saw great numbers „f very 1 nig both light and dark

ones almost destitute of sperm and ova which, when caught, broke up into small sections of cists, as though the greater part of their contents had aircniK been discharged. Furthermore, when ron-ideinblc ipiautities have' 1 n hrmtght to tie-house in a vessel and kept, for a day or two. they have emitted large quantities of eggs and sperm, and yet have not broken up into small portions. That they :should >.. break" up ami.Vt the agitation of tinplying- sieves is no wonder.

'The i,alive, are generally.correct in their calculations as tn the'time of the appearance of palolo. They lake as the lirst indication of the approach of the season the nppcnram f the scarlet Ilowers falo-alio of the gutae (Knjthriiiii Inline). Then, as a nearer approach, the general budding of the trees, and especially the (lowering id the Tavai (Mm* fr.il t ;i*M,<ti the l/ig.ntli (Aw/lm e/lulii. A. tlrav: <■/ ./. yi. '.'). mid of tic Seasea lEiej:"l<t «j>..'j. When this last is in iiiooin. the men tln-n look out for the moon's being ju-t above (lie wesl-rn horizon at the dawn of din ; the trull, morning from that they look for the appearance of the palolo, but the extra lunar month sometimes puts them wrong, '.'tliers watch, with eipial prccWoii, for tie in hi.-iti .il of th "ison th.- sinking below the ltoriz.ni of various constellations, eon.in. ucing with (Irion. I should mention that there is a second appearand, of palolo each year, a month after the tiist, of such, probably, as were not sufficiently mature to spawn in < Mober.

This paper would be scarcely <-i>tii|>!i i.■ were 1 mil to mention that niiv Saiiici.ui missionaries iu the (iilbcrt (.ii-niip have informed in- llial palolo is fonnd mi those atolls. <>t F them cau-iit some ~f l„,lli ~hn,;,; ana m-i'/hi kin.ls. Il is found there in from -HI. to «t't. iiF wulcr. The natives there liulil that it i- a production of the coral, grows out of it. Tli.-y call it 'IV Xiniutamava or Nbnatatnata. />.. Tin(lit*!,:,<,-. It, appears there in ./'</«>' mid ./ill!/. How is this'. Wliy there in .limn lint hero in October .' Perhaps it ttmv In; because these atolls aivnra.lv on the'liiir while Samoa is I Idee;, more to the south. T. P. I'.S. —rf tl„- ah,,-.,, calculations an.l statements alv correct, palolo should appear in Samoa on October loth or Kith, |ss] : October .ah or IU-li, |.;ss2 : ( ),-u,\.w ■>M\i of iiith : |.-ss:i.-T.l', 'l'll Till-: KDITUIi ••!■' 'I'l! :•: SAM"A T'.Ml'.S. Sii:,--'Will von allow mo, throiiLrh tin l i liiim of v.iur valuable paper, to vail tin' attention of vour readers to tin' following fact,:— That while wo. hasv a. High (\ iU.si,,nor's I'oart. an,l a Magistrate or Police C.uirt. wo have no Sinai Debts Court, whirl. Is vorv niiti:li nrr,|,.,l. in many oms thr High Oommis-innors to rater to recover a small .Irhi. The Magistrate's Coo. I cannot, adjudicate. 11em.,: the far! that there arc ) pi" ill Apia who owe small debts ami laugh at their creditors because thr-v are too 1 i to ri-k their money in t'he higher t'oiirl on the .'hanee uf rc-Kiverv. A Small bel.ts Court is al.m.-f se'lf-siip-poiiiiiL'. a- the Foes are pai.l hri'nro a phlillt' Hole is i.sM„.,l, i,,,,], ;,.,.!,,. the heai in- fees are ~:.id before the case is tri.,l. [ trust '.!.•■ Municipal Jloaol a po.rn.an a chance ton-over hi- d.dits. --I am, ccc, (IIIsKIiVIJI. Apia. May '>b\ IHM.

[III lie; preselll slate nf I lie i.'uiinl it ami of the Mmiieipalitv we think the heller plan i'ur "a | • man " ami " Oh-eivvr " is mil to give credit. Their niottii slioiil.l he t'.O.li. - Observer" Would problililv liinl thai if lie- .U-i!ji'"/rulr\ Curl, as lie terms it, w.'i'e I'liiislilnteil a Small llehls t'oiu-t which it won't he ill' I, Wullld slid he default, is out uf it-, scope.- Km Ul'KlilrX TO 111 i: KIHTOII (if TIIK SAMOA TIMf.S, Sin, IVrmil lue, n new "hum, tu put a \\'\v ipiestiuns fsiiv nine) to the " old hand-" in Samoa.—' I. Nil li-iicthnttliereisa King in Salami? •J. It's,,, how does he get hi- liviic.-: :t. N there a Native linvenuiieiit y I. If-o, where is il to lie found ? .-). What lire the duties of lh" Apia .Municipnl liunl'd? 11. I'l'nlil Wluit snlll'rc Hows itsinilliui'ilvy 7. Whin ai-.'ilii'diiti"-..file-paid,,lli""'i"..-8. W'liiil are iheir eiiinlu nls ? '.I. Wlln are lulling till- expenses of I 111Municipality? --I llllt, &i'., IhU.Z. Apia. May Slitll, ISS|. ■Tle.'.scopenf iiureo|-|-e-p.iiiih'iit'sipi"i-ie-is Very preholisive, bill lie must, lie a " new i'litiiii. ' ill verily, not hi he able to nn.-wer lh for himself. We trust some. ol'uni- "uldhiiud" readers wills..: to work and i-elieve iMj.Z.'s niind on the subject of his llilllj ipleslions. Kn. S.'l'.'i