Smith. — On Maori Relics. 431 



large axes made of Milestone," or bluish basalt, I presume, 

 which is common at the ranges fifteen miles from Spread 

 Eagle and in the river-bed near where they were found. 



Two years ago the Ashburton Borough foreman, while 

 forming a new street, ploughed up a large semi-polished sand- 

 stone axe (A) with a small piece of the top broken off. On 

 the south side, but in the vicinity of the river, several variously 

 sbaped old implements have been found during the progress 

 of settlement. 



Mrs. Buckley, of Lagmhor, possesses a fine old, though 

 somewhat worn, broad-faced Ngatimamoe adze of greenstone, 

 found thirty years ago near the Lagmhor Creek, a perennial 

 stream crossing the plains through the Lagmhor Estate. 



Four years ago Mr. Thomas Eattray found a wooden fern- 

 beater (9) on the Ashburton River bed, which he generously 

 added to my collection. The broad-faced polished greenstone 

 axe (3) and the small beautifully finished mottled - chert 

 adze (5) were ploughed up at the mouth of the river by 

 Mr. J. McCoskery and by Mr. J. Trevurza in Wakanui re- 

 spectively. The block of bowenite (1), showing method of 

 cutting out implements, was found by Mr. Jackman, of Wil- 

 loughby, at the mouth of the Rangitata River four years ago. 

 Bowenite is a paler and softer variety of jade, and was not so 

 much used bv the extinct South Island Maoris as the darker 

 and harder varieties of greenstone. The small, narrow, but 

 perfectly formed and polished adze (4) is made of a rare and 

 beautiful greenstone, and is the only specimen of its class I 

 have seen in any collection. It was ploughed up, along with 

 a large tomahawk, at Arowhenua, South Canterbury, twelve 

 years ago by Mr. R. Brown, now of Longbeach. The small, 

 thin greenstone chisel (7) was ploughed up by a farmer at 

 Pendarves, near Ashburton, and purchased for me by Mr. R. 

 Murray, watchmaker. The large roughly chipped axe (F) 

 was ploughed up on the site of the buried forest near the 

 River Hinds, and sent to me by Mr. John Price. This form 

 of stone axe, of very dark basalt, with a polished edge only, is 

 rare, and of great age. The series on Plate XVI. (lettered) 

 illustrate several transitional forms in use among the older 

 pioneer tribes of Murihuku. The finely finished axe (12) was 

 found near one of the painted rock-shelters at Albury, and 

 evidently had been very little used. I have recently received 

 a neatly finished chisel of dark argillite from Mr. F. Batchelor, 

 of Albury, who found it a few miles distant from the painted 

 rocks. When at Albury last I examined a large rough 

 adze of basalt, also found on the Opawa River bed near the 

 village. 



When on a visit with Mr. A. Hamilton to Albury and the 

 Opihi Valley four years ago, for the purpose of sketching 



