Frkrp.— Notes on some Ancient Aboriginal Caches near Wanganui. 227 
engaged in catching the titi, or mutton birds, which would to some extent meet 
some of the difficulties. Such camps would only be used at night, in fine 
summer weather ; and as the wind at such times is merely the light land breeze, 
no great annoyance from blowing sand would be experienced. As, too, the 
Natives would only retire from the camp during the day, to work at culti- 
tions or other matters, and return again in the evening, their leaving their 
adzes, etc., only slightly covered up appears the more intelligible. It might 
also account for the camp being so near the cliff, and so far from water, as 
enough of the latter for the night’s consumption might easily be carried up 
as the savages returned each evening. While, too, some of the party were 
catching the birds, others, who were to succeed them, might very likely be 
occupied in grinding the stone tools into shape. But this conjecture utterly 
fails to account for the articles remaining permanently deposited. For, 
even supposing the party to have been attacked and overcome during the 
day, some would no doubt escape and return. And, moreover, it would not 
explain such quantities of the rings and of the cooking stones, ete., being 
collected together; as I have no reason to suppose that titi were ever 
so numerous hereabouts as to lead such bodies of Natives to assemble for 
their capture as would appear to have mustered at these spots. After 
careful consideration, therefore, of the whole subject, I have come to the 
conclusion that these supposed camps are really the depositaries of articles 
belonging to the dead. We know that the northern Natives fancied that 
the souls of the departed took their flight from earth off a cliff at the North 
Cape; and probably other tribes held similar ideas respecting cliffs in their 
own neighbourhoods. We know that the Maoris had such a dislike to 
using articles that had belonged to a deceased person that, even within the 
last fifteen or twenty years, axes, spades, ete., whose owner was dead, were 
destroyed, and any hut within which a death occurred was at once burned. 
We know, moreover, that weapons and other valuables were buried with 
their owners. Now, it would be simply impossible to do this last where the 
owner had been killed and eaten by an enemy, as must have constantly 
happened in olden times in New Zealand ; and it appears likely, therefore, 
that, in such cases, the property of the deceased would be placed near the 
place from whence his spirit was believed to have started on its journey to 
the other world. This would explain at once why the treasures were buried 
under the sand, as they would probably be purposely placed at the very 
foot of an advancing sand-hill, with a view to its covering them, and pro- 
tecting them from desecration. The bones found with them might be those 
of food, intended for the departed ; or may have been for their use in some 
other way. And the large quantity of scattered bones and’ cooking stones 
(particularly of the latter,) might be explained by the fact that on occasions 
