NAMING OF CHILDREN. 11 



father-in-law. Thus the mother of a person called 

 Niiki — which means water— is oblig'ed to call water 

 by another name j in like manner as the names of 

 the dead are never mentioned without g-reat reluc- 

 tance so^ after the death of a man named Us^ or 

 quartz, that stone had its name chang-ed into nattam 

 ure, or the thing- which is a namesake, althoug"h the 

 orio-inal will PTadually return to common use. 



The population of Muralug- is kept always about 

 the same numerical standard by the small number of 

 births, and the occasional practice of infanticide. 

 Few women rear more than three children, and 

 besides, most of those born before marriag-e are 

 doomed to be killed immediately after birth, unless 

 the father — which is seldom the case— is desirous of 

 saving' the child — if not, he gives the order marama 

 teio (throw it into the hole) and it is buried alive 

 accordingiy. Even of other infants some, especially 

 females, are made away with in a similar manner 

 when the mother is disinclined to support it. 



An infant is named immediately after birth : — 

 and, on Muralug-, these names for the last few years 

 have been chosen by a very old man named Guio-wi. 

 Many of these names have a meaning- attached to 

 them : thus, two people are named respectively 

 Wapada and Passei, sig-nif3dnD' particular trees, one 

 woman is called Kuki, or the rainy season, and her 

 son Has, or the driving- cloud. Most people have 

 several names, for instance, old Guig'wi was also 

 called Salg"ai, or the firesticks, and Mrs. Thomson 



