Paruuwrs.—On the Use of Projectile Weapons by the Maoris, 55 
small bamboo reeds, exceedingly light and durable. They were pointed with 
a piece of aito, or iron-wood, but were not barbed. Their arrows were not 
feathered; but in order to their being firmly held while the string was 
drawn, the lower end was covered with a resinous gum from the bread-fruit 
tree. The length of the arrows varied from two feet six inches to three 
feet. The spot from which they were shot was considered sacred ; there 
was one of these within my garden at Huahine. It was a stone pile, about 
three or four feet high, of a triangular form, one side of the angle being 
convex. When the preparations were completed, the archer ascended this 
platform, and, kneeling on one knee, drew the string of the bow with the 
right hand, till the head of the arrow touched the centre of the bow, when it 
was discharged with great force. It was an effort of much strength, in this 
position, to draw the bowstring so far. The line often broke, and the bow 
fell from the archer’s hand when the arrow was discharged. The distance 
to which it was shot, though various, was frequently 300 yards. A number 
of men, from three to twelve, with small white flags in their hands, were 
stationed to watch the arrows in their fall. When those of one party went 
farther than those of the other they waved their flags as a signal to those 
below. When they fell short, they held down their flags, but lifted up their 
foot, exclaiming, wa pau, beaten. 
« This was a sport in the highest esteem, the king and chiefs usually 
attending to witness the exercise. As soon as the game was finished, the 
bow, with the quiver of arrows, was delivered to the charge of a proper 
person; the archers repaired to the marae, and were obliged to exchange 
their dress and bathe their persons before they could take any refreshment, 
or even enter their dwellings. It is astonishing to notice how intimately 
their system of religion was interwoven with every pursuit of their lives. 
Their wars, their labours, and their amusements, were all under the 
control of their gods." After describing the quiver, Ellis continues as 
follows :—** The bow and arrow were never used by the Society Islanders 
excepting in their amusements ; hence perhaps their arrows, though pointed, 
were not barbed, and they did not shoot at a mark. In throwing the 
spear, and the stone from the sling, both of which they used in battle, 
they were accustomed to set up a mark, and practised that they might 
throw with precision as well as force. In the Sandwich Islands they 
are used also as an amusement, especially in shooting rats, but are not 
included in their accoutrements for battle; while in the Friendly Islands 
(Tonga) the bow was not only employed on occasions of festivity, but also 
used in war; this, however, may have arisen from their proximity to the 
Feejee Islands, where it is a general weapon. In the Society and Sand- 
wich Islands it is now altogether laid aside, in consequence of its con- 
