DATA AND NOTES. 305 



The stem signification relates to something which, by being clear, comes 

 into prominence from out of its surroundings. This we see from the refer- 

 ences to the hair in Samoa and in Mangareva. In Niue matale and Ma- 

 ngareva raemata we have the same two elements ; the meaning is the clear 

 spot of the face, and in a people so bushily bearded as are the men of Niue 

 this must be localized upon the brow so long as the primal significations per- 

 sist. In Niue and Sikayana we find in muale and moalae composites which 

 define the forehead as the bare spot in front. The town green, malae (315), 

 is in form a conditional derivative of this stem. The sense is equally 

 clear, for the malae is distinctly a place clear of growth and of the habita- 

 tions of men; it must be clear in order to fit it to be the stage of the public 

 activities of the simple island life. 



The Melanesian identifications are satisfactory, but in the brevity of our 

 vocabulary material we have no means of knowing if aught of the primary 

 sense here persists. The alternative Efate re finds a parallel in Niue le, 

 the change of ae to e being notably common in the latter tongue (17 Journal 

 of the Polynesian Society, 91). 



The Indonesian identifications, though few, are found in the strongest 

 languages of that area and are acceptable, continuing from the preceding 

 item the note as to l-t mutation. 



The Semitic proposed is at least in form a resemblance, but the sense is 

 widely remote from the stem signification of lae. 



262. 



rau, rarau, to grope for with the hand, to seize, to snatch out or away. 

 Tonga: lau, lalau, lauji, to pinch with the fingers, to nip. Hawaii: 



lau, to feel after a thing; lalau, to extend (as the hand), to 



seize, to catch hold of. 

 Mota: rau, to thrust the hand into a bag; raun, to thrust in the 



hand and take out something. Aneityum: rap, raprap, to 



grope for. 

 Malay : raba, to feel for, to grope ; rawa, to handle. 

 Arabic : lamaa, to feel for, to grope, to take away. 



It is by no means certain that Tonga lau is herewith correlated, for in that 

 the sense is particularly to nip and in the Efate, Mota, and Hawaii to grope 

 for and take hold of. The Tonga stem is laut, and this does not elsewhere 

 appear. In Mota raun it is explained that n is a suffix to make verbs defin- 

 itely transitive; yet, as no less than seven of the Mota consonants are 

 stated to be thus employed indifferently, I incline to view this n as radical, 

 the stem being laun. 



Aneityum rap involves a most infrequent mutation from the vowel u to 

 the labial mute. The sense is satisfactory, but this change is not to be 

 accepted until a better knowledge of this crabbed tongue shows this muta- 

 tion to be normal though violent. 



The same consideration casts grave doubt upon the validity of the Malay 

 raba. 



Of course the Arabic lamaa is too remote for attention. 



