100 ; Transactions,—Miscellancous, 
at length into its stomach, there the cannibal food which it had devoured 
was seen! there it lay—women, children, men—with their garments and 
their weapons. Some were found chopped in two, both men and weapons; 
no doubt through the action of its terrible lips in seizing them! others were 
swallowed whole, very likely through its capacious mouth being kept open, 
when the strong internal blasts from its great gullet drew down the men 
into its stomach! For you must also know, that this cave is situated near 
to the water, so that whenever a party came by water paddling in their 
canoe to Tikitapu, and the canoe came on to the landing place, this monster, 
Kataore, seeing this, came out of its cave, and, jumping into the water, 
took the canoe with the men in it into its stomach, so that both men and 
canoe were devoured instantaneously ! 
The victors worked away until they had taken everything out of its big 
maw, both the goods (of clothing and instruments as before) and the 
deal; the dead they buried in a pit. Then they finished cutting up that 
big fish; some of it they roasted and broiled; and some they rendered down 
in its own fat, and preserved in calabashes; and so it came to pass that it 
was all eaten up, as good food for the stomach of man. 
But when the news of this killing was carried to the chief Tangaroamihi, 
to whom this pet Saurian belonged, and he heard it said to him,—‘‘ What 
is this they have done; thy pet has been killed?" The chief enquired, “By 
whom?" and they answered, “By the tribe of Tama" (Ngatitama). On 
hearing this the heart of Tangaroumihi became overeast with gloom, on 
account of his dear pet which had been killed; and this deed of theirs was 
& cause of enmity and war between Tangaroamihi and those who had 
destroyed his pet; and it remained and grew to be a root of evil for all the 
tribes. Thus the story ends. 
It should be briefly noticed, in conclusion, that the name of this chief 
(Tangaroamihi), is one highly suited to the event; or it may have been given 
to him at an earlier date, through his having a pet reptile. Tangaroa is 
the name of the god, or ereator or father and ruler, of all fishes and reptiles; 
(though Punga is sometimes spoken of as a god possessing similar powers, 
but perhaps over only a certain natural section of those animals;*) and mihi 
means, to show affection for, or to lament and sigh over, any one,—present 
or absent, living or dead ;—so that Tangaroamihi might mean, (1) that this 
chief lamented over the death of one of Tangaroa's family, or tribe; or (2) 
that he ever liked and showed great affection towards one of them. 
* Vide the beginning of the following fable, —“ The Shark and the large Lizard,” and 
ihe note there, 
