Best. — Maori and Maruiwi. 445 



upper end of tlie back of the blade ; as also others. We see specimens 

 with, parallel sides, others narrowing from ciitting-edge backward to the 

 poll, with many other forms. The one form lacking in adzes is the truly 

 circular cross-section, though it is found in small stone tools of the gouge 

 or chisel type. A curious and persistent form is one that presents an 

 extremely narrow face, a narrow cutting-edge, and wide back, the cross- 

 section being subtriangular, the use of which is by no means clear, and, 

 indeed, most puzzling even to us old timber- workers. 



This diversity of form in these stone implements of New Zealand is a 

 subject of some interest, and worthy of study. It seems a pity that no 

 effort has apparently been made to make collections of the stone implements 

 of the various island groups, the possession of which would be of much 

 value in the future, when a close study of such artifacts will assuredly be 

 made. The variety of types among our stone adzes awaits an explanation. 



Wooden Coffins, or Burial-chests. 



The most interesting of late discoveries of Maori antiquities is assuredly 

 that of the finding of a number of old wooden coffins in the North Auckland 

 district. It seems strange that no specimens were found in earlier years, 

 and that so many have come to light lately. Apparently they are confined 

 to the northern part of the island. They were used not for containing the 

 body, as with us, but merely as a receptacle for the bones after exhumation. 

 They have been carefully fashioned out of durable timber, and show highly 

 curious carved figures of archaic design- — designs often differing from the 

 Maori forms known to us, but presenting the well-known and far-spread 

 three-fingered or three-clawed hands that have caused so much conjecture. 

 Some of these coffins are large enough to contain the bones of an adult when 

 the cleverly fitted lid at the back is in place ; others are so small that the 

 receptacle v/ould contain only very small objects. Possibly the latter were 

 used for the preservation of some particular tapu bone, such as the manu tu 

 (a small bone at base of akuU), or the iho (umbilical cord) of a child of 

 high rank. The fact that these coffins were fashioned with stone tools 

 enhances their value to a marked degree. 



Information as to the age of these coffins is by no means satisfactory, 

 but the character of the carved designs upon them certainly denotes a 

 considerable age. Any statements made by the younger generation 

 of natives as to their being only a few generations old may be dis- 

 regarded. The durable heart-wood of which they are composed might 

 endure for centuries in a favourable situation, such as a dry cave. Hence 

 it is possible that these coffins were made by some of the old tribes of the 

 northern districts, of whose origin we have no definite knowledge, but 

 who must have carried Maruiwi blood in their veins — descendants of the 

 aborigines and the intrusive Maori. 



Decorative Art. 



In three branches of decorative art we find the Maori utilizing designs 

 that at once strike us as differing widely from those employed in Polynesia. 

 The branches alluded to are the arts of wood-carving, painting, and tattooing. 

 Professor Rivers has drawn attention to the fact that whereas Polynesian 

 art is essentially rectilinear, that of the Maori of New Zealand is curvilinear. 

 This dictum is borne out by the evidence of carved implements from Poly- 

 nesia, and illustrations of similar objects to be found in many works. In 

 Melanesia we encounter both of the above forms. A comparison of Maori 



