68 ETHNOGRAPHY. 



as by a child crying, a forfeit (orf) is immediately exacted by the 

 chief, usually some article of food to be eaten at the council-house. 



Besides the appearance of the mbaldlo, the natives have few means 

 of determining with exactness the progress of time. Indeed, they 

 pay little attention to this, and we were unable to obtain from several 

 to whom we applied, the names of the months in their regular series. 

 The following are those which are given by the missionaries as in 

 use at Lakemba, but several of them are unknown in other parts of 

 the group. 



Sese-ni-ngasdu-lailai, . . February, . . (se-ni-ngasau, flower of the reed.) 



Sese-ni-ngasdu-levu, . . March. 



Vulai-mbolambota, . . . April, . . . (mbota, to share out, distribute.) 



Vulai-kelikeli, .... May, . . . (keli, to dig.) 



Vulai-werewere, .... June, . . . (were, to till the ground.) 



Kawakatangare, .... July. 



Kawawaka-lailai, . . . August. 



Kawawaka-levu, .... September. 



Mbalolo-lailai, .... October. 



Mbalolo-levu, November. 



Nunga-lailai, .... December, . . (Nunga, a kind of fish.) 



Nunga-levu, January. 



The Feejeeans know nothing of astronomy, and have not even 

 names for the most important constellations. They call the morning 

 and evening stars vola-singa and vola-mbongi, literally, marking-day, 

 and marking-night ; but they do not distinguish between the planets 

 and the fixed stars. Their ignorance on this subject is probably to 

 be ascribed to the fact that they never undertake voyages beyond the 

 limits of their group. Though good sailors, they are bad navigators, 

 in the technical sense of the term. In this respect they are far sur- 

 passed by the Polynesians, though the latter (with the exception of 

 the Tongans, who have learned the art from the Feejeeans) are inferior 

 to them in the construction and size of their canoes. 



These natives are somewhat remarkable for their industry. The 

 desire for the acquisition of property which is so conspicuous a trait 

 in their character, induces them to give more attention to the means 

 by which this may be accomplished than is usual among the careless 

 and light-hearted Polynesians. They also pay much attention to 

 cleanliness, being accustomed to bathe frequently, and rub their 

 bodies with cocoa-nut oil, a practice which has a beneficial effect, in 

 that climate, by checking the perspiration which would otherwise be 



