360 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



merely suggesting that he would like to drink his Excellency's health. 

 Far the most comical feature of the dance was a naked little imp who 

 stood in front of the first row, exactly opposite the Governor, and imi- 

 tated playing the fiddle with his little thin arms, all the while thrust- 

 ing out his tongue, rolling his eyes nearly out of his head, and making 

 the most fearful faces and contortions. A little girl who tried to do 

 the same had not nearly the same real genius for making herself hide- 

 ous and grotesque. At last a liberal supply of beer was promised 

 them ; the dance came to an end, and the Governor departed amid an 

 uproar if possible more awful than before. The natives were very 

 well-grown, friendly, and cheery, with a perfectly childish delight in 

 making a noise. Their noses are too wide and their mouths too big 

 for them to be good-looking ; but, with large bright eyes and white 

 .teeth, many of them are very pleasant-looking. 



Later in the evening two chiefs of another tribe sought an inter- 

 view with the Governor to invite him to visit Wairoa, the village near- 

 est to Rotomahana, the gem of the hot-lake country. They were very 

 jealous that he should visit Rotorua and not pay them a visit. I never 

 knew two men less willing to take " No " for an answer, or much 

 readier in meeting all objections ; but the Governor was obdurate, and 

 they had to be content with the Commodore, whom they called " the 

 king of the sea," and apparently regarded as very small beer compared 

 to " the king of the land." One of the chiefs was called Major Kemp, 

 having been given the title for services rendered to us during the last 

 Maori war. He was an intelligent, courteous man, of splendid x>hy- 

 sique, certainly over six feet high, and strong and active as a tiger. 



Next morning we rode over to Major Kemp's village of Wairoa 

 with the Commodore, Mr. F (the member of the Ministry in attend- 

 ance on the Governor), and Captain Mair, the resident magistrate, who, 

 from his knowledge of the country and language, proved himself an 

 invaluable cicerone. On our Way we passed through a lovely piece of 

 bush, in which we found a specimen of the curious natural phenome- 

 non " the vegetable caterpillar." It appears that the caterpillar, when 

 it buries itself in the ground preparatory to changing into a chrysalis, 

 is attacked by a fungus, which kills it, and sends out one or two shoots, 

 something like the seed-bearing fronds of some ferns, several inches in 

 length, from the head of the unfortunate caterpillar. Farther south 

 we came across a tract of bush where they are by no means uncom- 

 mon. The caterpillar is a large one, and, as far as I could judge, of 

 the goat-moth species. At Wairoa we presented some gaudy-colored 

 rugs to Major Kemp's wife and one or two other important ladies. 

 They gathered together by the roadside trying on their new things, 

 inside and out, and seeming immensely pleased with their finery. We 

 visited a pretty waterfall and cascade, and then embarked in a boat, 

 rowed by four stout young Maories, to cross Lake Tarawera. The 

 lake is very beautiful ; the shores are well wooded, in many places 



