Poultry and fish. 



THE SAMOANS. 



Their language. 

 Their diseases. 



except a species of bat (pteropus ruficollis), which 

 is very destructive to the bread-fruit. Swine have 

 now become abundant, and the missionaries have 

 introduced cattle, which are rapidly increasing, 

 and will in a few years be in sufficient numbers 

 for the supply of vessels. Horses have also been 

 brought to the islands*. 



The first large quadruped ever seen by these 

 islanders was a mule. With it they were much 

 astonished, and it was considered so great a 

 curiosity that it was carried around the island of 

 Upolu for the purpose of gratifying the natives 

 with a sight of it. They gave it a name, signifying 

 the hog that travels over the ground. 



Poultry of all descriptions is plentiful, and 

 pigeons abound, which, however, are considered 

 sacred, and not used as an article of food. Of the 

 latter bird (columba oceanica), between sixty and 

 seventy specimens of different varieties were ob- 

 tained; but it is remarkable that of all these, none 

 were the same as those found in the Society 

 Islands. There are but few birds of game, and 

 none of the hawk genus. A philomel was pointed 

 out by the missionaries as the principal singing 

 bird, and the woods of Tutuila were filled with 

 warblers. The note of the philomel, although 

 much praised, did not appear agreeable to me. 



The pigeon is commonly kept as a plaything, 

 and particularly by the chiefs ; for this purpose 

 they are fastened to a stick by a thread about 

 twelve feet in length. They are taught to fly 

 from and return to the stick, and when well tutored 

 to this feat, the possessor of the bird exhibits it 

 with much pride and satisfaction. One of our 

 officers unfortunately on one occasion shot a 

 pigeon, which caused great commotion, for the 

 bird was a king-pigeon, and to kill it was thought 

 as great a crime as taking the life of a man. The 

 people were not to be pacified until the interpreter 

 told them that the officer belonged to " man-of-war," 

 which intelligence, together with a small present, 

 satisfied them, and the matter was settled. 



To justify their regard for them, we were told 

 that when the inhabitants of Aana were driven 

 away, about eight years since, by the people of 

 Manono, the pigeons abandoned the district, but 

 that upon their return to their homes, the pigeons 

 again made their appearance in their former 

 abodes. 



Snakes were found in Upolu, and sea-snakes are 

 reported to have been seen off the islands. 



Fish are taken in the neighbouring waters in 

 great abundance and variety. Besides other modes 

 of taking them, they are caught on the reefs by 

 women, who place baskets near the holes where 

 they are accustomed to take shelter. They are 

 also speared by torchlight, and taken in deep 

 water by the hook. Among the sea-fish mullets 

 are very numerous, and are frequently seen leap- 

 ing from the water in immense shoals. 



One of the modes in which fish are caught by the 

 Samoans was witnessed at Samatau. About a 

 dozen canoes formed themselves into a ring around 

 what appeared to be a dark circular spot in the 

 water, about six feet in diameter, and which was 

 moving along with a slow and unequal motion. 

 This was a shoal of the small fish called lou, which 

 is about two inches in length. The shoal being 



* On Upolu there are now twenty head of cattle and 

 seven horses. 



thus surrounded, the circle of canoes was gradually 

 lessened, until the fish, finding themselves enclosed 

 on all sides, ceased to move forward. At this 

 moment the head-fisher, who was seen standing up 

 in the canoe with a net in his hand, threw it 

 dexterously over the shoal, upon which all the 

 other men dove at once from the boats, and re- 

 mained for several seconds under the water, where 

 they secured the sides of the net. On reappearing, 

 all regained their canoes except four, who remained 

 to take charge of the net, which with its prize they 

 conveyed to the chief. 



These islands furnish abundant supplies for the 

 refreshment of vessels, but as yet there are few 

 articles which can be rendered available in foreign 

 commerce. Tortoise-shell, of which a little has at 

 times been procured at Savaii, cocoa-nut oil, and 

 arrow-root, are nearly all that can be procured in 

 quantities beyond the immediate wants of the 

 visitors. Caoutchouc, gum-arabic, castor beans, 

 orris-root, ginger, and coffee, might however be 

 easily added to the list of exports. In return for 

 what they can furnish, the natives now look to 

 objects of real utility ; beads, jews-harps, &c., 

 once so much in request, are now scarcely prized ; 

 and cotton cloth, writing-paper, and hardware, par- 

 ticularly needles and other small articles of utility, 

 are the kinds of manufactured goods which are most 

 sought after. 



The Samoan language is soft and smooth, and is 

 the only one of the Polynesian dialects in which 

 the sound of s is found. The letters that the mis- 

 sionaries have found necessary to adopt in order to 

 write it, are only fourteen in number, viz. A E F G 

 i L M N o P s T u v. In attempting to sound the 

 words of other languages, they use L instead of R, 

 s for H, and P instead of B. The G has a nasal 

 sound, as in ong. 



It has nearly the same construction as the Ta- 

 hitian, nevertheless the Samoan is far from being 

 understood by the natives of the Society Islands. 

 The Samoans say that they never can acquire it 

 "their jaws are too stiff." The missionaries also 

 have great difficulty in speaking it, and are liable 

 to make many mistakes which appear absurd to 

 the natives. 



We have seen that it possesses the sibilant 

 sound of s, and every one of the words terminates 

 with a vowel. 



A separate dialect is appropriate to the chiefs, 

 all of whose actions, the parts of their bodies, &c., 

 have different names from those of the common 

 people. 



Many of the Samoans reach the age of seventy 

 or eighty years. There is, however, a great mor- 

 tality among the young children, which is probably 

 owing to their exposure to the weather. Those 

 who survive, grow up robust and healthy. 



Among the diseases which afflict the adults, one 

 of the most usual is a spinal affection, which results 

 in caries and produces humpback. This is no 

 doubt owing to the peculiar manner in which the 

 children are carried. Catarrhs and bronchial dis- 

 orders, occasioned by the exposed life of the natives, 

 are prevalent, and a white i-esideut died of phthisis 

 during our stay. The dysentery, as an epidemic, 

 is unknown, but sporadic cases of it occur, occa- 

 sioned by imprudence in diet. 



There is an eruptive complaint, called ilamea, 

 which covers many of the children under the age 



