ETHNOLOGY HRDLEY. 273 



" This peculiar fish," writes Becke, " is, as far as I know, only 

 found in the Tokelau, Ellice, and Kingsmill Groups, and at the 

 isolated islands of Pukapuka (Danger Island), Suwarrow, and 

 Manahiki. I do not know for certain, but I have been told by 

 many intelligent natives that the palu is never to be found among 

 the high islands, such as the Fijis, Samoa, New Hebrides, &c." 

 He also mentions catching palu at Nieue. 



Tracing the geographical distribution of this hook, we note it 

 recorded from Nanomea,* by Brill ; from Nukufetau in the Ellice, 

 Nukuor in the Carolines, and Tarowa in the Gilberts, by Dr. 

 Finsch ;f from Nukulailai, Nieue, Tamana, and the Union Group, 

 and -possibly an eccentric type from the Louisiades,| by Edge- 

 Partington, and the latter also by Macgillivray ; a drawing 

 of a Penrhyn Island hook, by Wilkes,|| may be intended for this 

 type ; while a huge form is represented in the Australian 

 Museum from the Mortlock Group, and another variation is 

 pictured from the Trobriands by Finsch. U A specimen resembling 

 the latter, said to come from Milne Bay, B.N. Guinea, was lately 

 procured by Mr. Norman Hardy at Samarai, and will be described 

 shortly in the Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South 

 Wales. 



Lister** figures a palu hook from Fakaafu, and from Atafu, Dr. 

 Coppingerff procured "a large wooden shark-hook, with rope 

 snooding made of coconut fibre." A modification of the usual 

 pattern is shown from Fiji in the Macleay Museum, Sydney, 

 agreeing with a figure by Edge-Partington. |t 



The shape of the palu hook is roughly that of a V or U, of 

 which one arm projects beyond the other, the shorter being turned 

 at right angles towards the longer and ending in a sharp point. 

 So bizarre a form rather strains the application of ordinary 

 terminology, but the re-entering point, seen on closer examination 

 to be a separate piece, may most conveniently be termed the 

 " barb," the remainder of the hook the " shank," while a coconut 

 fibre rope always attached to the longer limb, and homologous 



* Brill Ethnographische Abtheilung, Katalog, i., 1897, pi. vi., fig. 

 365. 



t Finsch Ann. K K. Naturhist. Hofmus., viii., 1893, pp. 54 and 333, pi. 

 iii., figs. 14, 15. 



I Edge-Partington loc, cit., i., pi. Ixvii , fig. 6 ; pi. cccvii., fig. 4 ; ii., 

 pi. xcv., fig. 1 ; pi. xcvi., figs. 1, 2. 



Macgillivray Voy. " Rattlesnake," i., 1852, p. 198, fig. 



ii Wilkes U.S. Explor. Exped., iv., 1845, p. 307. 



1 Finsch Ethnol. Atlas, 1881, pi. ix., fig. 9. 



** Lister op. cit., pi. ix., fig. 2 



ft Coppinger Cruise of the " Alert," 1883, p. 157. 



tt Edge-Partington loc. cit., L, pl.cxvii., fig. 11. 



