288 A NATURALIST ON THE " CHALLENGER." 



fire for me by friction of wood. Matches are now so common 

 in Tonga that the natives do not care to undergo the labour 

 necessary for getting fire in the old method, except when driven 

 by necessity. No doubt the younger generation will lose the 

 knack of getting fire by friction altogether. 



The method adopted in Tonga is the usual Polynesian one 

 of the stick and groove. The wood of the Hibiscus tiliaceus 

 is made use of. It is extremely light when dry. It must be 

 extremely dry in order that it can be used for getting fire. In 

 order to procure fire, a stick or stout splinter of the wood about 

 a foot in length is cut at one end so that it has a sharp edge 

 bounded by two sloping surfaces on one side of the end. The 

 side of the tip is thus in the form of a wedge with a sharp 



edge. 



This stick is held in a slanting position between the two 

 thumbs crossed behind it, and the fingers of the two hands 

 crossed in front of it. The sharp edge of the wedge is applied 

 to the surface of a large billet or stem of the same dry wood, 

 and the stick is rubbed backwards and forwards, a certain 

 amount of pressure being exerted. A V-shaped groove about 

 four or five inches in length is thus cut into the billet. If the 

 piece of wood to be grooved is rounded and smooth, a slight 

 score is sometimes made upon it with a knife beforehand in 

 order to prevent the stick from slipping. 



Of course everything depends on the larger billet being 

 kept absolutely immovable during the process. Sometimes the 

 operator holds it with his own feet, or often gets some one 

 else to stand on it for this purpose. The stick is rubbed back- 

 wards and forwards, slowly at first. It must not be pressed 

 on too hard or the rubbing surfaces become polished, nor too 

 softly or no heating results. In applying the exact amount of 

 pressure, a great deal of the knack of getting the fire readily, no 

 doubt, depends. 



If the operation is proceeding well, there should be a con- 

 stant feeling of slightly grating friction to the operator as he 

 rubs, and a fine powder should be rubbed off from the surface of 

 the groove and pushed along by the end of the stick, so that it 

 accumulates at the far end of the groove in a small heap. 



