GENERAL ACCOUNT HEDLEY. 67 



quite otherwise now (except at Rarotonga, .fee.)." And at 

 Penrhyns, " Turtle and porpoises were eaten only by men. The 

 superstition of those days was that if a woman ate of the 

 porpoise, her children would have porpoise faces."* 



At Daudai, New Guinea, " Everything is eaten without regard 

 to persons or occasions except the flesh of the porpoise."! 



Porpoises^ are occasionally captured by the men in a fleet of 

 canoes, who drive a shoal of them to the beach in front of the 

 village, and when penned in shallow water the women wade into 

 the sea and haul them ashore. It is impossible, I am told, to 

 grasp a porpoise by the tail, but by putting an arm round the 

 animal's head, it may be dragged ashore with ease. Some women 

 even capture two at once, and with one tucked under each arm 

 successfully land them. 



The following graphic description is from the pen of Dr. Gill : 

 " Shoals of porpoises are occasionally driven ashore by the 

 Penrhyn Islanders ; they think it poor fun if the result is less 

 than four or five porpoises apiece. When a shoal comes in sight, 

 as many boats and canoes as they can muster, each carrying 

 large stones, go right out to sea to cut off their retreat. The 

 porpoises are easily driven towards shore by the sight of approach- 

 ing boats and the shouts of excited natives. On nearing the 

 reef, some of the big stones are dropped into the sea to add to 

 their alarm. Again and again great stones are dropped. When 

 close in, numbers of natives dive down among them, until, in 

 sheer terror, they rush through the boiling surf on the reef, and 

 are at once despatched by those ashore." 



With expressions of disgust, the natives received the informa- 

 tion that beche-de-mer were eaten in some countries. Unlike the 

 Samoans, the Funafuti Islanders were unacquainted with Echini 

 as articles of food. 



I was surprised to find how little the Mollusca were laid under 

 contribution. The large Pteroceras lambis, " Karea," I saw eaten 

 raw and roasted. Tridacna squamosa, " Fasua tuka," and T. 



* Gill Jottings from the Pacific, 1885, pp. 128 and 146. 



t Beardmore Journ. Anthrop. Inst., 1890, p. 462. 



J Throughout Australasia this is the only name by which Delphinus is 

 known, a misapplication of even greater popularity than the Australian 

 " Iguana " and " Alligator." 



Gill loc. cit., p. 147. Whilst these pages were receiving their final 

 revision, the friends of this veteran Missionary and Author are deploring 

 his loss. The late reverend gentleman evinced a most kindly interest 

 in the progress of this Report, and, as will be seen from the numerous 

 references, placed his MS. notes and experience unreservedly at my 

 disposal. 



