Recent Bishop Museum

Publications

OCEANIC, American Indian, and Afri can Myths of Snaring the Sun, by Katharine Luomala; B. P. Bishop Museum Bulletin 168, 58 pages, 2 maps, 1940. Dr. Luomala gives synopses of sun snaring myths among the Polynesians, Melanesians, Micronesians, American Indians and peoples of Africa. She dis cusses the distribution of these stories and related themes of moon-snaring and wind-snaring. Bibliography of 150 refer ences. She concludes that each area has “independently developed its own myth complex about the theme, and that, except for occasional startling conver gence, the development was along differ ent lines. A type myth was clearly dis tinguishable for each area and each type differed, except in the most superficial and general ways, from the type myths of the other areas. Since the myths of each area were so different, and the dis tribution so discontinuous, without any evidence of loss in intervening areas, it was concluded that the theme was inde pendently invented in each major diffu sion area.”

New Species and New Records of Ela terid Beetles from the Pacific, by R. H. van Zwaluwenburg. B. P. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers. Vol. 16, No. 5. pages 91-130, 6 figures, October 18. 1940. Records 62 species, of which 28 are described as new to science, from Melanesia, Micro nesia and New Guinea.

Southern Lau Islands: an ethnography, by Laura Thompson. B. P. Bishop Museum Bulletin 162, 228 pages, 5 plates. 21 figures, 1940. The Lau Islands, of eastern Fiji, are of interest to the eth nologist, for they form a place of transi tion between two different cultures, Mela nesian on the west and Polynesian on the east. The Southern Lau Islands especially are of interest, for, because of their ruggedness and isolation, they have to a considerable extent escaped invasion by the white man and the inevitable changes which follow in his wake. They retain their native population, living a simple life. During 1933 and 1934 a study was made of these Lauan people by Dr.

Laura M. Thompson, under the auspices of the B. P. Bishop Museum. Bulletin 162 presents a report on this study. It gives a clear and accurate picture of the geography of these islands, especially the island of Kambara, the people and their culture. Dr. Thompson learned their language and lived with them their daily life. The subjects covered include the social organisation of the natives, with its tradition and ceremony; the economic life, including problems of obtaining and preparing food: arts, crafts, exchange, and details of the past from archaeolo gical studies.

Ophioglossum, Rollandia, and Scaevola, by Harold St. John. Hawaiian Plant Studies 9.

B.P. Bishop Museum, Occasional Papers, Vol. 15, No. 28, pages 351-359, 1 figure, June 26, 1940.

New records and forms of Hawaiian plants.

Plant-Parasitic and Free-Living Nematodes in Hawaii, by J. M. Oliveira. Bishop Museum Oc casional Papers, Vol. 15, No. 29, pages 361-373, July 15, 1940. An annotated list of 85 species of nematode worms, belonging to 56 genera, of which 38 are reported in Hawaii for the first time; extensive bibliography.

New Species of Dicotyledenous Spermatophytes from Tahiti, by John W. Moore. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers, Vol. 16, No. 1, pages 1-24, 14 figures, June 28, 19'40. Describes 14 new species of plants collected in 1927 by L. H.

Mac Daniels.

A Revision of the Hawaiian Species of Myrsine (Suttonia, Rapanea) (Myrsinaceae), by Edward Y. Hosaka. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers, Vol. 16, No. 2, pages 25-76, 21 figures, June 26, 1940. A monographic revision of this genus of plants, giving its history, morphology, distri

bution in Hawaii, keys to species and varieties; descriptions, figures, references and notes, to 21 species and 4 varieties, of which 8 species and 2 varieties are described as new; also 9 new combinations and a new name.

Three Polynesian Ferns, by E. B. Copeland.

B.P. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers, Vol. 16, No. 3, pages 77-79, 1 figure, June 28, 1940. Des cribes Gonocormus samoensis new species from Samoa; and records Polypodium lepidum from Samoa and Selliguea Feei from the Marquesas.

Itinerary of Hugh Cuming, by Harold St. John.

B.P. Bishop Museum Occasional Papers, Vol. 16, No. 4, pages 81-90, portrait, July 19, 1940. Notes and letter giving some observations of a natur alist in South-eastern Polynesia in 1827-1828.

The new Ahioma Road, providing 25 miles of motor-lorry road between

Waigani and Ahioma, Eastern Papua, was

opened officially in October by Mr. S.

Elliott-Smith, ARM, in the presence of a

large gathering of Europeans and natives.

Milne Bay planters celebrated the occa sion with sports events, canoe racing and a feast for the natives.

Mr. Andrew Kelly, formerly a well known solicitor in Rabaul, New Guinea, is now partner in the Sydney legal firm of Lynch and Kelly. After leaving New Guinea, he attempted to join the Navy, with which he served during the Great War, but his services were not required.

Mr. Justice Bruce, Puisne Judge of the Gold Coast Supreme Court and a former official of the Western Pacific High Commission, lost his life at sea recently as a result of enemy action while re turning from England to West Africa, states the “Fiji Times”. Thomas Bruce, MA, who was born in 1885, went to Fiji as Crown Solicitor in 1913; and he was Acting Attorney-General on a number of occasions. Following two years’ ser vice abroad in the Great War, he re turned to the Pacific and acted as Resi dent Commissioner of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony in 1920-21. He was appointed Resident Magistrate in Jamaica in 1922, later serving in Kenya and the Gold Coast.