FISHES IN MODERN FOLK-LORE. 77 



people solely concerns itself. They think and live, in fact, 

 in the old world of zoological myths. 



To take the Polynesians only in illustration of the rest : 

 fish and fishing are everything with them — their religion, 

 their history, their art, their poetry, their daily life. They 

 have fish gods, fish feasts, fish sacraments. In every-day 

 matters, all quarrels arise out of fishing affairs, and every 

 narrative of an incident commences "when out fishing." 

 Similes of beauty and personal grace are drawn from 

 fish. They use sea produce as currency, and divide off 

 the water surface into individual holdings with the accuracy 

 of land surveys. For are they not, after all, the descend- 

 ants of fish themselves .'' and is not the earth, a gift of the 

 sea, a fish also ? One of their original gods was out 

 fishing, and letting a hook — made out of a bone of " an 

 ancestress " (fish-hooks are still made out of fish bones) — 

 over the boat-side, hooked the earth, and drew it up to 

 the surface. In the true spirit of zoolatry he returned at 

 once to sacrifice a portion, but while he was away, his 

 companions, unable to restrain their appetites, began eating 

 the fish, which flopped and flung itself about. This 

 accounts for the earth being so hilly and irregular. Had 

 the hungry ones duly waited till the propitiatory " first- 

 lings " had been offered, the earth would probably have 

 been smooth and flat (as all savages would like it to be), 

 for the fish would have understood that though it was 

 being eaten, the proper formalities of respect had been 

 observed, and would have placidly accepted the apologetic 

 offering. 



One of the most important incidents of their folk-lore 

 is that which tells us how Kae stole a whale. Not that 

 this cetacean lends itself very handily to the industry of 

 the pickpocket, or seems a suitable article for stealing. 



