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The Jungle myna (Acridotheres fuscus) was first recorded in Upolu in 1965, followed by the Common myna (Acridotheres tristis) in 1988 (Watling, 2001). It is believed they were introduced to control livestock ticks and unexpectedly became an invasive species; over the past two decades their populations have increased dramatically. They are now found throughout Samoa with high density populations concentrated in the Apia town area and neighboring villages

The reptiles of American Samoa were recently surveyed (Amerson et al„ 1982). However, there appear to be no published summaries of the herpetofauna of Western Samoa other than what can be extracted from Burt and Burt (1932), and the general review of biogeography by Gibbons (1985). Isolated references to particular species of reptiles in Western Samoa are widely scattered in the periodical literature. Voucher specimens with their important collecting details are spread among numerous museums in several countries. In this report I have brought together information to summarise the distribution and status of the land reptiles of Western Samoa.

The subject of this book, as the subtitle 'The Ethnobotany of Samoa' indicates, is the traditional and current uses of plants in Samoa. The word ethnobotany is composed of two root words of Greek origin, ethnos, meaning a race or people, and botanikos, referring of course to plants. Thus ethnobotany is the scientific study of how people in different cultures interact with and utilize the plants in their natural environment.