DATA AND NOTES. 345 



In the Polynesian identification of jatu the variants all follow well-com- 

 prehended laws until we reach Rotuma hof, both, haiku. In the preceding 

 Polynesian we have seen the f-h mutation; in the succeeding Melanesian 

 we shall see yet more of it. The mutation t-tk in hathu and hoth is found 

 in the passage from Proto-Samoan to Viti, and yet other instances are found 

 in Aneityum and Bugotu. The still further mutation t-f, found nowhere 

 else in our present material, is common in Rotuma, as in these instances, 

 talinga (350) ear Rotuma faliang, fetu star Rotuma hefu. 



We shall examine our Melanesian material first in reference to the initial 

 consonant. 



fatu. Nguna, with elision of t in Fagani fa'u, abraded fat in Lamassa. 

 Fetu and fotu are found as composition members, the latter with 

 Bierian votu and Rotuma hoth and hof being the only occurrence 

 of that stem vowel. 

 vatu. Nggela, Vaturanga, Sesake, Bierian, Mota, Arag. Bierian votu, 

 an alternative form, has just received comment. Abraded vat is 

 found in Eromanga and Mota. The value of the evidence for the 

 t-r mutation appears in note 258; if this be considered valid 

 Malekula var belongs in this group. With vowel change we find 

 in series Iai veto, Volow veat, Alo Teqel ve'e, Nifilole ve. With 

 change to yet another vowel we have abraded Malekula vit. 

 hatu. Rotuma hath u. With elision of t, Saa and Ulawa hau. Abraded 



hat in Aneityum, Kalil, Laur, Lambell. 

 watu. Abraded wat, Duke of York, Raluana, King; duplicated watwat, 

 Duke of York, Baravon. 

 These have been ascending variations. Descent in the series is found in : 

 patu. Solomon Islands (?). Abraded pat, Moanus, Aneityum and 

 probably Brierly Island pah. 

 The Indonesian identifications, though few, are satisfactory. 

 It is impossible to find any resemblance, to say nothing of more intimate 

 relation, in the Semitic proposed in identification. 



k P* ^ 295. 



fill, fila, bfla, bile, file, lightning. 



Samoa, Fakaafo, Futuna, Sikayana, Nuguria, Rarotonga: uila, 

 lightning. Tonga, Niue: uhila, id. Uvea: uhila, lightning; 

 hila, to lighten. Hawaii : uila, uwila, wila, lightning. Tahiti, 

 Mangaia, Nukuoro, Rapanui, Manahiki: uira, id. Maori: 

 uira, lightning, to gleam, to flash. Moriori: rauira, lightning. 

 Marquesas: uia, id. 

 Viti: liva, lightning. 

 Mota: vila, lightning. Omba: vile, id. Pala: hile, id. Laur: 



hille, id. Malo: uila, id. 

 Kisa: uila, lightning. Pani: kuilat, id. Tagalog: kuirlat, id. 



Java: chalirit, id. Tidore: kila, id. 



Arabic : barak, bara', to gleam, to flash, to lighten ; bark', the lightning. 



Macdonald derives his lightning words from bilafila (284) to shine. If 



these words be kin to Polynesian uila this derivation can not stand, for the 



Proto-Samoan stem of bilafila has been shown to be pulaf, and of uila we 



have probably a stem uhila. 



