CoLENSo. — Notes on the ancient Dog of the Neiu Zecdanclers. 149 



become extinct ; or, lastly, tliat tliey still have an intercourse with other 

 islands where these animals exist." 



G. Forster also says of the natives of Mallicollo (one of the New 

 Hebrides gTOup) : — "Hogs and common poultry are their domestic animals, 

 to which we have added dogs by selling them a pair of puppies brought 

 from the Society Islands. They received them with strong signs of extreme 

 satisfaction ; but as they called them hogs (puaha), we were convinced 

 that they were enth-ely new to them." 



And Capt. Cook, in his third voyage, states that at the island of 

 Mangaia which he discovered they had no such animals as hogs and dogs — 

 both which, however, they had heard of. This information he obtained from 

 Mourua, a chief of that island, who visited his ship and conversed on board 

 with the Tahitian native Omai, who was now returning to his own country 

 from England m Cook's ship. Another: interesting item Cook relates 

 concerning this chief. He says : — " As soon as Mourua got out of the 

 cabin, he happened to stumble over one of the goats. His curiosity now 

 overcoming his fear, he stopped, looked at it, and asked Omai what bird this 

 was, and not receiving an immediate answer from him, he rejoeated the 

 question to some of the people upon deck." And a few days after, at the 

 next island, Atiu, which Cook also discovered and visited, he found that they 

 had hogs but no dogs, though they knew the name of it, and " were very 

 desirous of obtaining a dog, of which animal this island could not boast, 

 though its inhabitants knew that the race existed in other islands of then- 

 ocean." Of the people of this island Cook further says: — "Our visitors 

 were conducted all over the ship. * * ^'^ They were afraid to come near 

 the cows and horses ; nor did they form the least conception of their nature. 

 But the sheep and goats did not surpass the limits of their ideas, for they 

 gave us to understand that they knew them to be birds. * * * The next 

 day, soon after daybreak, we observed some canoes coming off to the ships, 

 and one of them directed its course to the 'Eesolution' (Cook's own ship). 

 In it was a hog, with some plantains and cocoa-nuts, for which the people 

 who brought them demanded a dog from us, and refused every other thing 

 that we offered in exchange. One of our gentlemen on board happened to 

 have a dog and a bitch, which were great nuisances in the ship, and might 

 have been disposed of on this occasion for a purpose of real utility, by 

 propagating a race of so useful an animal in this island. But then- owner 

 had no such views in making them the companions of his voyage. How- 

 ever, to gratify these people, Omai parted with a favourite dog- he had 

 brought from England, and with this acquisition they departed highly 

 satisfied." 



