OF ARTS AND SCIENCES : MARCH 12, 1872. 435 



3. He informs me "that a Kubbi thus meeting an Ippata, even though 

 she were of another tribe, would treat her as his wife, and that his right 

 to do so would be recognized by her tribe." 



Inference : The word goleer=.wik, as the Fijian wate = wife, does 

 not imply the conjugal relation as understood by us, but is simply " one 

 of those with whom I may cohabit." 



4. Mr. Lance, after telling me about the class-names and their vari- 

 ous relations, goes on to say : " The way I have stated as between the 

 different names is the normal and usual regulation ; but it is crossed 

 and complicated occasionally by other arrangements which I do not 

 understand." 



Probably these complications are caused by the privilege granted to 

 Ippai of taking Ippata as well as Kapota, which Mr. Lance seems not 

 to have noticed. 



5. He says : " Every black fellow, besides the names I have men- 

 tioned (i. e. the class-names), is called after some animal, which he calls 

 his Mudgee, implying some incomprehensible relationship. The usual 

 rule is that every Kumbo is an Emu, every Ippai a Blacksnake, every 

 Kubbi an Iguana, etc. They have also a third individualizing name. 

 But sometimes I have come across a man and wife whose names were 

 not suitable for the connection ; and on inquiring how this eould be, 

 they would reply, ' This Ippai is not a Blacksnake, as are most Ippais, 

 but an Opossum. That explains it.' " 



This appears to me to be important. The " names not suitable for 

 the connection " must be the class-names borne by the couple whom 

 Mr. Lance questioned ; and as the man was an Ippai, the woman was 

 probably an Ippata, for had she been a Kapota there would have been 

 nothing strange in the connection (see Table A, Memo. A). Here we 

 have a clew to Ippai's privilege. It seems probable that the Ippais are 

 divided into two classes, the Blacksnakes and the Opossums. 



Ippai the Blacksnake being the husband of Kapota ; and 



Ippai the Opossum being the husband of Ippata. 



But I have no information as to whether the Blacksnake may be the 

 husband of Ippata, and the Opossum the husband of Kapota. If the 

 Blacksnake be restricted to Kapotas, and the Opossums to Ippatas, 

 we have in effect a fifth class of males. Now the Rev. W. Ridley 

 informs me that among the Wide Bay natives, five class-names for 

 males are used (see Memo, A). Further inquiries as to the Wide 

 Bay names will probably throw further light on this point. 



Stdxet, May 5, 1871. 



