H. Travers.—On the Chatham Islands. 123 
expedition may be said to have been undertaken solely for the latter purpose, 
a Maori who happened to have visited the islands whilst engaged as a 
seaman in a vessel trading from Sydney, having reported the aborigines 
as a plump, well-fed race, who would fall easy victims to the prowess of his 
countrymen. By a refinement of cannibal cruelty, the unfortunate wretches 
were compelled to carry the wood and prepare the ovens in which they were 
to be cooked. Such of them as were destined to be eaten were then laid in 
a row upon the ground adjoining the ovens, and were killed by blows from a 
méré by one of the Maori chiefs. It is not more than twenty years since 
the Maoris gave up these feasts. Although I found the remains of numerous 
skeletons in the woods on Pitt’s Island, I was unable to get one in good 
condition: I have, however, brought over several authentic skulls, which will 
probably be interesting for ethnological purposes. 
* As I had determined to make Pitt's Island my head-quarters, in con- 
sequence of its offering greater advantages as a collecting ground, I took 
the opportunity of my first visit to Chatham Island to travel round it. 
Aecordingly, on the 2nd November, accompanied by Mr. Hunt, (who had 
come over with me from Pitt's Island), I started for the Red Bluff, about 
twelve miles from Waitangi. The road led partly through a belt of bush, 
which, for a depth of two or three miles, forms a fringe round a large portion 
of the island, and partly along the sea shore. The weather unfortunately 
was extremely wet, as indeed it was during the whole of my stay on the 
Chatham. The bush consisted principally of Eurybia, Coprosma, Laurus 
karaka, Dracophyllum, &c., with tree ferns, amongst which were Cyathea 
dealbata, the whole so interwowen with our old friend the supple-jack as to 
be almost impenetrable. In this bush I found a Lomaria, closely allied to, 
if not identical with, Lomaria discolor, Polypodiwm billardieri, and several 
other ferns. On the beach the Myosotidiwm nobile grew with rank luxuriance 
where not invaded by the pigs, which fed upon the roots. The Maoris dry 
the leaves, and use them as tobacco. Where the sea shore is sandy, I noticed 
a sand grass identieal with one of those which occurs upon the sand.hills 
near Christchurch. 
* From the Red Bluff we proceeded to Wangaroa, on the north side of 
Petre Bay, and from thence, leaving a large tract of sand-hills between 
that place and Tubong on our left, we crossed to Warikauri, on the north 
side of the island. This route led us past three small lagoons, destitute of 
water plants, but fringed in part with rushes and in part with bush similar 
to that before described. The country here is low, and is now covered with 
a young growth of grasses and sedges, mixed with the common Pteris 
esculenta, and with occasional patches of Phormium tenaz. On the sandy 
tract before alluded to, between Wangaroa and Tubong, I noticed large 
