^38 REMARKS AND OPINIONS. 



The oxen are now grown wild in the interior of 

 Owhyee, where the king sometimes has them 

 killed for his table. We observed amonc: the land- 

 birds the Nectarina coccinea, whose highly. valued 

 feathers form a part of the tribute. The sea is 

 rich in fish, many kinds of which are adorned with 

 colours of extraordinary splendour. They are 

 numbered among the fay^ourite dishes of the inhab- 

 itants who breed them in the taro plantations, 

 and in fish-ponds which are formed by places 

 walled in on the reefs along the strand. 



Among the crabs, the beautiful Cancer squilla 

 and Palinurus species are distinguished ; among 

 shells the little pearl oyster, which are only caught 

 in the Pearl River, and from which small pearls, of 

 little value, are obtained. 



The sea-worms and zoophytes, probably compose 

 the richest and most interesting part of the Fauna. 

 In general, the species here appear to be diflTerent 

 from those at Radack. The progressive growth of 

 the reef does not seem to have escaped the natives. 

 They told us that the men, who, at the king*s 

 order, fetched stones out of the sea, to build a 

 wall, declared, while at their work, that it would 

 grow, and increase of itself. 



Respecting the Sandwich islands, we possess 

 only the accounts of superficial travellers, who, in 

 their fidelity, place images before us, where we 

 expect, and are always more excited to desire 

 sounder knowledge. Cook discovered these islands; 



