Chapman. — On the Working of Greenstone. 505 



and briskly rubbing the surfaces together." I am not sure 

 whether this is an original observation, as I often find Polack 

 borrowing from Cook. Even in 1806 Savage observed the 

 diminishing value of the greenstone implements in conse- 

 quence of the introduction of iron. 



There are some objects the use of which I have not been 

 able to ascertain, but which may be learned from old Maoris 

 in the North. Sir W. Buller informs me that, in making the 

 deep cuts in carving large figures, the artists burnt out a 

 cavity, and then chiselled out the charcoal. This would re- 

 quire small chisels. He also points to a number of smoothly- 

 polished blocks of greenstone, generally lin. or 2in. long by 

 about the same breadth, and Un. thick, in his collection and 

 my own. These had long puzzled me. They are burnishers, 

 used to rub down the surface of wood-carvings. I have 

 similar objects of various shapes made of agate or chalcedony, 

 which probably served similar purposes. Sound pieces of 

 greenstone are used, and in Sir Walter Buller's collection they 

 are of tangkvai, ^ipiivarauroa, and kaiuakmva. One of these 

 has two scraping edges, and has evidently served a double 

 purpose. 



Weapons. 



The stone axe, or hatchet, was a weapon of war, and no 

 doubt axes of greenstone, as well as of other stone, were thus 

 used. The mere, the most famous weapon of the Maoris, 

 which in ancient times w^as generally of white whalebone, 

 was in later times — that is, in the last few centuries — often 

 made of greenstone. There are also many in collections made 

 of black trap and similar hard rocks. A greenstone mere is an 

 object of great value. It is usually about 13in. to 15in. long, 

 sometimes longer, and is to be found figured in many books — 

 for instance, Sir John Lubbock's " Prehistoric Times ;" while 

 Hochstetter figures the famous mere of Te Heuheu, shown to 

 him by the chief's successor, cut out of the most beautiful 

 transparent nephrite, an heirloom of his illustrious ancestors, 

 which he kept as a sacred relic. It was taken from a hos- 

 tile chief in bloody combat, and had five times been buried 

 with its owner's ancestors. A notch on one side denoted the 

 last fatal blow struck at a hard skull. The mere was not used 

 like an axe, for a downward hacking stroke : if used thus and 

 parried it might be broken, and thus the labour of years lost. 

 It had a hole through the handle, through which was a strong 

 thong of dogskin, made into a running noose through which 

 the thumb would slip readily. It was carried thrust into the 

 belt. The first contact of the fighting forces was with the 

 hani, or taialia, a sort of staff, used, however, ordinarily as 

 a walking-stick. This was not pointed, but was used for 



