Lahaina one connects with steamers for Molokai and Lanai. There are other steamers that visit outlying points at varying intervals.

As the present article is not intended to be statistical, but

FIG. 7.

A BANYAN TREE. The air roots around the trunk have become much con. densed by trimming.

rather to give a record of personal impressions, the islands will be discussed in the order in which they were visited.

OAHU

Honolulu is the capital of the territory and is the only large city upon the islands. This is situated on the southwestern side of the island of Oahu, the locality being determined by the presence of a good harbor. The transpacific steamers drop

their passengers here, hence Oahu is the first island of the group. to receive the attention of the traveler. Honolulu itself is a handsome city and altogether is the most delightful place it has been the writer's privilege to visit.

Back of the city is

FIG. 8.

A BANYAN TREE, showing numerous air roots hanging from the branches. the Koolau range of mountains with many beautiful valleys lying between the steep ridges that reach down toward the shore at right angles to the main ridge. Honolulu occupies the plain along the coast and extends up into these valleys. A short distance beyond the limits of the city to the south is Diamond Head, a conspicuous promontory that dominates the landscape as one approaches by steamer. It is an old crater now occupied by fortifications. Between here and the city is the famous Waikiki Beach where the bathers throng and where one may see the celebrated surf riders and the outrigger canoes

(Fig. 2). Another crater known as Punchbowl lies just back of the center of the city.

The visiting botanist is greatly impressed with the beautiful exotic plants in the gardens and parks and along the streets (Figs. 3, 4). The palms are conspicuous, among them being the royal (Fig. 5), the coconut and the date. Two common street

by Dr. Hillebrand, the author of the "Flora of the Hawaiian Island." It contains a great variety of exotic plants.

trees with strikingly beautiful flowers are the pink shower (Cassia nodosa) and golden shower (Cassia fistula). The latter has long, cylindrical, woody pods that look like a musician's baton. The hibiscus is much used as a hedge plant, there being scores of varieties, involving several species. The saman tree (Samanea Saman; Pithecolobium Saman) is a beautiful, symmetrical, roundtopped tree much grown in parks (Fig. 6).

FIG. 12.

This

ALGAROBA TREE (Prosopis juliflora) near the College of Hawaii. tree is well naturalized on the drier sides of all the islands, usually forming a belt near the coast. It is also used as a street tree. The pods are greedily eaten by stock and furnish a considerable portion of the forage in the dry season. The flowers furnish honey, which is an important product on many of the ranches. The native name is kiawe.

This is also called monkey-pod and rain-tree. The flame tree or royal poinciana (Delonix regia), familiar to the tourist in South Florida, is a deciduous tree, with very showy scarlet flowers that appear before the leaves. The banyan tree (Figs. 7, 8), with its numerous air roots hanging from the branches, is frequent in parks and lawns. The pepper tree, commonly cultivated in California, is planted along streets and drives. Clambering over a stone wall around Punahou College is a remarkably fine growth of night-blooming cereus (Figs. 9, 10). This cactus blooms en masse only at intervals of several weeks or months, though occasional flowers appear at irregular intervals. When in full bloom the effect is very striking. The large white funnel-shaped flowers, a foot long and several inches in diameter, open after sunset and close the following morning.