ETHNOLOGY HEDLEY. 283 



noticed on Oaitupu, the Nukufetau canoes used to start early the 

 next morning, and the fires were continued every night on Oaitupu 

 till the canoes arrived, the distance being about thirty-five miles."* 



On Funafuti the priest, " vakatua " chose the auspicious day 

 for starting on a long voyage and in the event of the vessel missing 

 her destination, he might suffer vengeance by being killed and 

 eaten by the crew of starving castaways. 



As the gigantic Moas of New Zealand have all perished, leaving 

 their small relation, the Apteryx, alone to represent them, so the 

 huge and ancient vessels of the Pacific, the great double canoes 

 and the plank-built ship described to Lister, have vanished, leaving 

 in existence only the little outrigger fishing canoe, " vaka." 

 Whether the double canoe was evolved from the outrigger, or the 

 outrigger from the double canoe, or each arose independently of 

 the other, we lack material for profitable consideration. 



The size of the timbers used in canoe-building is, of course, 

 directly related to the wealth or poverty of the local forest flora. 

 Finsch's figuref of a portion of a Gilbert Island canoe, in which 

 seventeen small pieces of wood are neatly fitted together, speaks 

 eloquently of the few and stunted trees growing there. 



The specimens and figures of South Sea outrigger canoes within 

 my reach, seem to show that, as has already been demonstrated 

 in the case of most articles and ornaments, each archipelago and 

 almost each island may be distinguished by peculiarities of struc- 

 ture. When these shall have been thoroughly studied, a classifi- 

 cation will be possible, now the data is insufficient. 



Of the published illustrations of these canoes that I have seen, 

 the nearest approach in general contour to the Funafuti pattern 

 is made by one from Samoa roughly sketched by Edge-Partington. J 

 The general association of the two islands would lead us to expect 

 a close resemblance between the object of our enquiry and the 

 canoes of Fakaafu, which are thus briefly described by Lister : 

 " The canoes of the present time are built just like those of Samoa, 

 having a single outrigger. Owing to the scarcity of large trees on 

 the island, the body of the canoe is built of several pieces, each 

 separately hollowed, and these are laced together with sinnet 

 (plaited coconut fibre). Often there are as many as four distinct 

 pieces along the bottom, and the sides are built up with additional 

 pieces to the required height. Each piece is accurately shaped so 

 that it will fit in among the neighbouring ones, and the joints are 

 caulked with resin. The bow and stern are covered in for a short 

 distance, and on their upper surfaces a number of small pyramidal 



* Woodford Proc. R. Geogr. Soc., x., 1888, p. 352. 



t Finsch Ann. K. K. Naturhist. Hofmus., viii., 1893, p. 68. 



J Edge-Partington loc. tit., ii., pi. xliv., fig. 9. 



