STONE USED. 



II 



Pumice (basic) is found as a froth of a greenish hue about the Hawaiian volcanic 

 vents but owing to its extreme friabilit}- is not used as is the trachytic pumice drifted 

 to the Hawaiian shores, perhaps from the Alaskan volcanoes ; this is found buried in 

 the sand beaches on the windward side of Kauai, and has been used from the earliest 

 times as a polishing material. 



Coral limestone is of considerable importance throughout the Pacific region and 

 is often crystalline, hard and compact without much indication of its original stniAure; 

 in this condition it is used for pestles, poi-pounders, dishes, weights, etc. Calcareous 

 limestone is found compacted of the sand and debris of the reefs blown ashore and 



BERNICE PAUAHI hisHul' MUbbUM. 



FIG. 6. SLINGSTONES FROM NEW CALEDONIA AND GUAM. 



cemented by seolian influences, but it generally is not hard enough for making tools, 

 although sometimes good as building stone. The coral reef rock was once used largely 

 b}' foreigners for building purposes as it can be cut from the reef at low tide with an 

 axe and on continued exposure to the air it hardens. The first church in Honolulu is 

 entirely construdled of this material, but I do not know that the old natives made any 

 extensive use of it in the construdlion of temple walls or even the walls of fish ponds. 

 Where lava streams have flowed over the raised reef the limestone has almost the 

 appearance of marble, although never in thick beds. In cases where it is granular, 

 like coarse sandstone, it is frequentl}' very hard and tenacious, making capital 

 pounders (Figs. 35 and 37). With this material should be classed the shells so 

 important on the atolls where no stone of anj- other nature occurs. The huge Tridacua 



[34.3] 



