The Island yet to be named played by Oahu

Wild boar: Sus scrofa

Distribution: Europe, N. Africa, Asia, Sumatra, Japan, Taiwan. Introduced into N. America. Semi-wild pigs live in North and South America, Australia & New Zealand.

Habitat: Broad-leaved woodland & wild grassland areas.

Description: Pale grey to brown or black in colour; thick hide with sparse bristles and some finer hairs. Tusks (enlarged canine teeth) - larger in the male.

Size: Length of body and head: 90 - 180cm: length of tail: 30 - 40cm: weight: 50 - 200kg.

Life-span: 15 -20 years.

Food: Roots, fruits, nuts, fungi, insects, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, birds, carrion. Domesticated pigs are descended from the wild boar which has passed on many of its characteristics, although it is much slimmer, tougher and more agile than the average farmyard pig!


Wild Boar Habits

Territory: the wild boar lives in a family party that has a territory of 10 - 20 sq km but in the autumn, family groups come together to form herds of up to 50 females and youngsters. The group is known as a sounder, led by an older sow, and its members feed, rest and sleep together. The young male forms a bachelor group but the older male remains solitary, joining up with females in the autumn mating season. Once mated, he will once again live alone.

Daily life: a wild boar searches for food mainly at dawn and dusk, rooting amongst the leaf litter and damp soil of open woodlands with its toughened snout. It has a keen sense of smell and will eat almost anything! Its main diet consists of plant material but it will happily gobble up any animals it can catch.

Wild boars like to live near mud wallows in which they will spend many hours. This wallowing is an important routine, helping to remove parasites and protect the sensitive skin from the sun's harmful rays. Domestic pigs like to wallow, if allowed to do so.

A den is used for resting and sleeping. A boar often makes a shelter by cutting long grass and crawling under it to lift it so that it becomes entangled with the tall herbage around to form canopies. Wild boars communicate with each other using a wide range of grunts, squeaks and chirrups. They grunt a lot when feeding - a loud grunt is a warning to others.

Breeding: wild boars are sexually mature at 18 months of age, but a male will not usually mate until he is about four years old. During the autumn mating season, the male joins a herd of females and fights any male who challenges his position. Fighting boars use their tusks to slash at each other's shoulders. Despite their thick skin and coarse layer of hair on the shoulders, deep wounds are sometimes inflicted. After mating, the boar leaves the herd, taking no part in rearing the young.

After a gestation period of 112 - 115 days a litter of 3 - 12 piglets is born in the spring. The sow prepares for the birth by constructing a nest of grass and the babies are born into this. The mother has 8 - 14 teats and each piglet has its own teat from which to suckle. The first piglets born choose a teat near their mother's head so that they have a better chance of attracting her attention and are less likely to be trodden on. The piglets are born with stripes and these help to camouflage them in the undergrowth. The litter stays in the nest for about 10 days and then the family moves off, joining up with previous litters. The young are suckled for about 12 weeks before they are completely weaned onto food which they find while rooting around with their mother. Their coats become a dull, dun colour at about 6 months and they will stay with their mother until at least the next litter is born. At one year old their coats are a rich black-brown and they reach full size at 5 - 6 years of age.



Wild Boars and Man

Domestication: the earliest domestication of the wild boar is uncertain but it probably came about when men settled down and began farming rather than hunting. Wild boars don't like being herded but they readily take to life in a sty or house. It is likely that pigs were domesticated from local races, so producing domestic pigs of various sizes.

The pig has been bred for its flesh (pork) and its fat. Its bristles have been used for making brushes and the hide for all sorts of leather goods. The bones may be ground up for bone meal fertiliser

A banana leaf can be as long as twelve feet by two feet in width, so pieces of one leaf can go a long way. Wrapping combinations of vegetables and spices in banana leaves and steaming them is common from Central America to Java. The flavor can be described as smoky, slightly cooling, and delicately fragrant.
The banana leaf also provides the ideal barrier between the pot and the wood fire, preventing many a rice dish or vegetable stew from burning. In many rural areas of the Philippines the banana leaf is almost essential where cooking over a wood fire is the only way to cook.

Throughout Southeast Asia and parts of India the banana leaf is also used as serving plate, and a number of leaves double as a tablecloth. Sometimes a piece of banana leaf is twisted into a small cone and held together with a sliver to create a container for peanuts or boiled corn. A larger cone becomes that day's container for a farmer's lunch, or it might hold some rice and fish. It even doubles as a container for a take-out meal from the local Chinese restaurant.

Banana leaves are also used as thatching for houses and the base for hemp-like rope. In the Philippines banana fibers are used to make paper.

and for a special dinner:The banana flower, also called the banana heart, is stripped of its outer reddish leaves, sliced and added to salads

"Ethan shakes a papaya tree to get some of the fruit down"


The papaya plant is a small tree, Carica papaya L. (family Caricaceae), native to tropical America but found in tropical areas throughout the world. Its trunk, which is nonwoody and hollow, produces large, deeply lobed leaves and smooth-skinned cantaloupe-like fruits or melons directly on its surface without intervening branches. When ripe, the fruits are a very desirable food. Shallow cuts made on the surface of fully grown but unripe fruits cause them to exude a milky sap or latex that after collection and drying is known as crude papain. In addition to the large quantities produced by incising the fruit, about 2 percent of papain is found in papaya leaves.

Papain, or vegetable pepsin as it is sometimes called, is a mixture of proteolytic enzymes with a fairly broad spectrum of activity; it hydrolyzes not only proteins but small peptides, amides, and some esters as well. Other components of the crude enzyme mixture hydrolyze both carbohydrates and fats. This wide range of activity accounts for the use of papain in folk medicine for digestive disturbances of all kinds but particularly for those associated with protein-rich foods. The enzyme and the papaya leaves are also employed as a vermifuge (expels intestinal worms), especially for tapeworms. As a digestive aid, papaya tablets containing between 10 and 50 mg of papain are commercially available.

Papain, contained in the plant's whitish juice, or latex, is an enzyme that breaks up protein. In its pure form, it can "digest" up to 35 times its own weight in lean meat, and so it is in great demand as a meat tenderizer. Medically, it is prescribed for people who have difficulty digesting protein and is used to break up blood clots after surgery. In addition, doctors and scientists have been studying the use of a sister enzyme, chymopapain, to shrink ruptured or slipped spinal discs.

A certain amount of papain is contained in all of the plant's juices, but the richest supply is in the leaves and in the skin of the unripe fruit. Only the latex from the unripe fruit is pure enough to make harvesting worthwhile, however, and gathering it is a labor-intensive process. Although groves of wild papaya dot the landscapes of southern Mexico and Central America, where the plant probably originated, and cultivated forests are found in nearly every tropical area of the world, only in a few places - principally in Zaire in central Africa - is the latex gathered.

Face creams, lotions, cleansers, and so on are often formulated with papain in the belief that the enzyme will exert "a digestive effect on freckles and other sun blemishes" while cleansing the pores of makeup and providing a general "softening" effect. However, the use of papain most familiar to every housewife is as a meat tenderizer. The enzyme mixed with salt as an activator and a carbohydrate dispersing agent is sold in every supermarket. When shaken on tough meat before cooking, especially beef, it acts as an effective tenderizer by predigesting to some degree the fibrous animal protein. Various commercial applications of papain such as chill-proofing beer and clarifying fruit juices are interesting but beyond the scope of this discussion.

Those who drink a tea prepared from papaya leaves as a digestive aid should be aware that (according to French) the leaves should first have been subjected to a fermentation process similar to that used for black tea. This is said to facilitate extraction of the active principles by boiling water and to brew a much richer beverage than is obtained with ordinary dried papaya leaves. Unfortunately, papain is quite unstable in the presence of digestive juices, so its efficacy as a vermifuge or digestive aid is open to serious question. After examining the evidence supporting the supposed effectiveness of papaya, German health authorities have concluded that its utility remains unproven, and its therapeutic use is not recommended.

PARTS USED
Fruit, Iatex, leaves, flowers, seeds.

USES
Papaya's main medicinal use is as a digestive agent. The leaves and fruit can both be used to support sound digestion (the unripe fruit is especially effective). The latex from the trunk of the tree is also applied externally to speed the healing of wounds, ulcers, boils, warts, and cancerous tumors. The seeds gently expel worms. The latex has a similar but more violent effect. The flowers may be taken in an infusion to induce menstruation. A decoction of the ripe fruit is helpful for treating persistent diarrhea and dysentery in children. The ripe fruit is mildly laxative. The leaves are used to dress wounds.

HABITAT AND CULTIVATION
Native to tropical America, papaya is now cultivated in tropical regions throughout the world.

CONSTITUENTS
Papaya fruit contains proteolytic enzymes (papain and chymopapain) and traces of an alkaloid, carpaine. Papain, found in the milky white latex that flows from incisions in the unripe fruit, is a protein-dissolving enzyme that aids digestion.

Bamboos are among the plants most widely used by humans. In the tropics they are used for constructing houses, rafts, bridges, and scaffolding. Split and flattened culms can be used as flooring and interwoven to make baskets, mats, hats, fish traps, and other articles; culms of large species may be used as containers for liquids. Paper is made from bamboo pulp, and fishing rods, water pipes, musical instruments, and chopsticks from other parts. Many bamboos are planted as ornamentals, and young shoots are eaten as a vegetable. The grain is also a food.

Passion Fruit
An egg-shaped tropical fruit that is also called a purple granadilla, the passion fruit has a brittle, wrinkled purple-brown rind enclosing flesh-covered seeds, something like a pomegranate (granadilla means "little pomegranate" in Spanish). The seeds are edible so you can eat the orange pulp straight from the shell. Passion fruit is more commonly sieved and its highly aromatic pulp and juice are used as a flavoring for beverages and sauces.

Native to Brazil, passion fruits are grown in Hawaii, Florida, and California. These crops, along with imports from New Zealand, keep passion fruit on the market all year. Choose large, heavy fruits. If the skin is not deeply wrinkled, keep the fruit at room temperature until it is; the leathery rind, however, will not soften much. Ripe passion fruit can be refrigerated for a few days.

Guava
The guava plant was domesticated more than 2,000 years ago; and it is common throughout most tropical regions where it enriches the diet of millions of people. A tropical fruit believed to have originated from Central America, guava is a good source of lycopene, beta-carotene, and vitamin C, and is an excellent source of soluble fiber. Current research suggests that consumption of guava fruit may reduce LDL (the "bad") serum cholesterol. Another health benefit attributed to guava is its antimicrobial potential in combating certain bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and beta-streptococcus group A. Guava is employed as a natural medicine by people who live in the tropics as a treatment for diarrhea.

Varieties

While guava is grown throughout the world, it is often plagued by fruit-fly infestations, which cuts down on the amount of guava imported to the U.S. Hawaii produces some guava as does California. Florida grows guava as well. Guava come both white-fleshed and red-fleshed (both are grown in Florida); some red-fleshed varieties have a pinkish flesh. Although there are many other varieties of guava grown in tropical regions worldwide, the following are available in the U.S.:

Blitch: Blitch guavas are a tart flavored variety with light pink flesh and numerous seeds

Patillo: Patillos are a pink-fleshed guava that is better for cooking and processing as its flavor is slightly acidic.

Red Indian: Red-fleshed guava with numerous seeds.

Ruby: A sweet, red-fleshed guava with few seeds.

Supreme: A white-fleshed guava with few seeds.


Availability

Keep an eye out for this fragrant fresh fruit from late spring through early fall. Canned guava nectar, guava paste (a highly condensed, sweetened puree), and canned guava shells (guava halves in a sugar syrup) are available year round in Hispanic markets.

Shopping

When shopping for guavas, look for yellow (or faintly greenish-yellow) fruits that are fragrant and give to gentle pressure; if necessary, ripen at room temperature.

Storage

Ripe guavas bruise easily and are highly perishable. Once fully ripe use within two days. You can refrigerate guava, however, be aware that if you keep it in the refrigerator for more than two days the flesh becomes leathery.

Preparation

The guava fruit has a thin, light yellow skin, which may have a pinkish appearance. Within the fruit there is a pale, granular layer followed by a second darker one which encloses a juicy center filled with hard, yellow seeds. Peel and de-seed the fruit and use it in fruit salads, or scoop out the flesh with a spoon and eat it as is.

Slightly underripe guavas can be cooked and pureed as a condiment for meat or poultry, or as a dessert. Guava can be eaten as fresh fruit when ripe, prepared as a sauce or chutney, or cooked as a vegetable when green.

It can be processed for jam, jelly, nectar and fruit juices as well as used for flavoring other foods. Guavas are eaten out-of-hand, but are also delicious seeded and served sliced as dessert or in salads. Guava jelly is lovely on toast.

Coconuts uses http://www.kilaueapoint.com/education/naturefocus/hnf8/

Boar
Rodents
Foul
and lots of fish

Fresh water (unsalted)
Waterfall
Apple trees

Sea urchins
Polar bears
Horse

Electromagnetic properties (Swan Hatch sector)

~Wikipedia.com

Volcanic islands

Volcanic islands are built by volcanoes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volcano). Mid-ocean examples are not geologically part of any continent. One type of volcanic island is found in a volcanic island arc. These islands arise from volcanoes where the subduction of one plate under another is occurring. Examples include the Mariana Islands (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariana_Islands), the Aleutian Islands (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleutian_Islands), and most of Tonga (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonga) in the Pacific Ocean (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Ocean). Some of the Lesser Antilles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesser_Antilles) and the South Sandwich Islands (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Sandwich_Islands) are the only Atlantic Ocean (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Ocean) examples.
Another type of volcanic island occurs where an oceanic rift (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oceanic_rift) reaches the surface. There are two examples: Iceland (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iceland), which is the world's largest volcanic island, and Jan Mayen (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_Mayen)—both are in the Atlantic.
The last type of volcanic island are those formed over volcanic hotspots (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotspot_%28geology%29). A hot spot is more or less stationary relative to the moving tectonic plate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tectonic_plate) above it, so a chain of islands results as the plate drifts. Over long periods of time, this type of island is eventually eroded down and "drowned" by isostatic adjustment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isostasy), becoming a seamount (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seamount). Plate movement across a hot-spot produces a line of islands oriented in the direction of the plate movement. An example is the Hawaiian Islands (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_Islands), from Hawaii (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaii) to Kure (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kure_Atoll), which then extends beneath the sea surface in a more northerly direction as the Emperor Seamounts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emperor_Seamounts). Another chain with similar orientation is the Tuamotu Archipelago (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuamotu_Archipelago); its older, northerly trend is the Line Islands (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Line_Islands). The southernmost chain is the Austral Islands (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austral_Islands), with its northerly trending part the atolls in the nation of Tuvalu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuvalu). Tristan da Cunha (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tristan_da_Cunha) is an example of a hotspot volcano in the Atlantic Ocean (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Ocean).
An atoll (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atoll) is an island formed from a coral reef (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coral_reef) that has grown on an eroded and submerged volcanic island. The reef rises above the surface of the water and forms a new island. Atolls are typically ring-shaped with a central, shallow lagoon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagoon). Examples include the Maldives (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maldives) in the Indian Ocean (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Ocean) and Bora Bora (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bora_Bora) in the Pacific (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Ocean).

thx HH the structure of and structures on or about this 'island' are important. The way The Hatch is written it seems somewhat like an entity rather than just a set or location