RACES BIBLIOGRAPHY COMMITTEE. 343 
that just afterwards I lost two sons in one week of diptheria. I 
was astounded to find that the natives of Mangaia, while 
sympathizing with my loss, attributed the sad blow to my failure 
to carry out my original purpose. 
3. A grave dug fora corpse, but not occupied. At the last 
moment perhaps the owner of the soil objects to the burial, so 
the corpse is disposed of elsewhere. In that case, the natives 
firmly believe that someone else must die in order to occupy 
the empty grave. 
4. Unusual luxuriance of growth of plantations of food. The 
saying is, “ E mou Avaiki tena,” 7.e., ‘it is also a crop for spirit- 
land” (portends a crop for the reaper Death, as we perhaps 
would phrase it). 
The bodies of deceased friends were anointed with scented oil, 
carefully wrapped up in a number of pieces of cloth, and the same 
day committed to their last resting-place. A few were buried 
in the earth within the sacred precincts of the appropriate 
marae; but by far the greater number were hidden in caves 
regarded as the special property of certain families. 
If a body were buried in the earth, the face was invariably 
laid downwards, chin and knees meeting, and the limbs well 
secured with strongest sinnet cord. <A thin covering of earth 
was laid over the corpse, and large heavy stones piled over the 
grave. The intention was to render it impossible for the dead 
to rise up and injure the living! The head of the buried corpse 
was always turned to the rising sun, in accordance with their 
ancient solar worship. 
It was customary to bury with the dead some article of value— 
a female would have a cloth-mallet laid by her side; whilst her 
husband would enjoin his friends to bury with him a favourite 
stone adze, or a beautiful white shell (Ovz/a ovum, Linn) worn 
by him in the dance. Such articles were never touched after- 
wards by the living. 
Numbers were buried in caves easily accessible, to enable the 
relatives to visit the remains of the dearly-loved lost ones from 
time to time. The corpse was occasionally exposed to the sun, 
re-anointed with oil, and then wrapped in fresh f/koru (white 
native cloth). 
The dead were never disembowelled for the purpose of 
embalming. The corpse was simply desiccated, and daily 
anointed with cocoanut oil. A month would suttice for this. 
_ Warriors were in general carefully hidden by their surviving 
friends, through fear of their being disinterred and burnt in 
revenge. 
The people of the entire district where the deceased lived take 
up “taro” and prepare a feast in honour of the dead. <A grand 
interchange of presents is usual on these occasions ; but, excepting 
the near relatives of the deceased, no one is really the worse for 
