416 THE PIAKO. [PART n. 



tion of the land, and that very little of it owes its 

 origin to alluvium. Boisterous weather, heavy 

 gales, and almost continual rain, which came in 

 sudden squalls from the S.W., detained us in our 

 tents during nearly a week. The Piako rose very 

 high ; even if the weather cleared up for a moment, 

 we could not stir about, as we were surrounded by 

 itsover flowed waters. At length, on the 5th of July, 

 the weather became more settled, and our consider- 

 ate friend the chief prepared his largest canoe to 

 bring us down the river. Some European traders 

 had formerly lived at this place, but they have now 

 quitted it, as the natives prefer bringing their pigs 

 themselves to Auckland, where they know they shall 

 obtain the market-price. The little tribe inhabiting 

 this village belongs to the Nga-te-Paoa ; they gene- 

 rally live at Coromandel Harbour, but their farms, 

 if they may be termed such, are up the Piako river. 

 They have great quantities of pigs, which have run 

 wild, but are easily caught by dogs. The common 

 domestic fowl has also emancipated itself ; but the 

 cats, which, on becoming wild, have assumed the 

 streaky grey colour of the original animal while 

 in a state of nature, form a great obstacle to the 

 propagation of any new kind of birds, and also tend 

 to the destruction of many indigenous species. The 

 causes which, in different countries, modify the ani- 

 mal world, form one of the most interesting subjects 

 of study. What a chain of alterations, in the dis- 

 tribution and number of animated beings, takes 



