﻿Bi 
  Transactions.— 
  MisrellanctmB, 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Nicholas, 
  who 
  accompanied 
  Mr, 
  Marsden 
  on 
  his 
  first 
  visit 
  to 
  New 
  

   Zealand 
  in 
  1814, 
  says 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  While 
  in 
  the 
  forests 
  at 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Islands, 
  

   observing 
  a 
  hole 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  trees, 
  which 
  evidently 
  appeared 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  burrowed 
  by 
  some 
  quadruped, 
  we 
  inquired 
  of 
  Kena 
  what 
  animal 
  

   he 
  supposed 
  it 
  was 
  ; 
  and 
  from 
  his 
  description 
  of 
  it, 
  we 
  had 
  reason 
  to 
  believe 
  

   that 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  the 
  Guana. 
  Wishing 
  to 
  knov/ 
  how 
  far 
  our 
  surmise 
  was 
  

   correct, 
  we 
  desired 
  our 
  friend 
  to 
  thrust 
  a 
  stick 
  into 
  the 
  hole, 
  and 
  endeavour 
  

   to 
  worry 
  the 
  animal 
  out 
  of 
  it 
  ; 
  but 
  this 
  he 
  tried 
  with 
  no 
  effect, 
  for 
  either 
  it 
  

   was 
  not 
  in 
  the 
  hole 
  at 
  the 
  time, 
  or, 
  if 
  there, 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  dislodged 
  by 
  such 
  

   means. 
  Kena, 
  however, 
  was 
  rather 
  well 
  pleased 
  than 
  otherwise 
  at 
  not 
  

   meeting 
  with 
  this 
  animal 
  ; 
  for 
  his 
  dread 
  of 
  it 
  was 
  so 
  great, 
  that 
  he 
  shrunk 
  

   back 
  with 
  terror 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  he 
  thought 
  it 
  would 
  come 
  out, 
  nor 
  did 
  he 
  

   examine 
  the 
  hole 
  but 
  with 
  very 
  great 
  reluctance. 
  This 
  we 
  thought 
  very 
  

   strange, 
  for 
  the 
  Guana 
  (the 
  animal 
  we 
  took 
  it 
  for) 
  is 
  perfectly 
  harmless, 
  

   * 
  >h: 
  :;< 
  ijijig 
  chief, 
  Euatara, 
  however, 
  informed 
  us 
  that 
  a 
  most 
  destructive 
  

   animal 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  interior 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  which 
  made 
  great 
  havoc 
  

   among 
  the 
  children, 
  carrying 
  them 
  off 
  and 
  devouring 
  them, 
  whenever 
  they 
  

   came 
  its 
  way. 
  The 
  description 
  he 
  gave 
  of 
  it 
  corresponded 
  exactly 
  with 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  alligator. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  The 
  chief 
  had 
  never 
  seen 
  the 
  animal 
  himself, 
  

   but 
  received 
  his 
  accounts 
  from 
  others 
  ; 
  and 
  hence 
  it 
  appears 
  to 
  me 
  very 
  

   probable 
  that 
  his 
  credulity 
  might 
  have 
  been 
  imposed 
  upon."* 
  

  

  Captain 
  Cruise, 
  of 
  the 
  84th 
  Eegiment, 
  who 
  came 
  to 
  New 
  Zealand 
  in 
  

   H.M.S. 
  'Dromedary' 
  five 
  years 
  after 
  Mr. 
  Nicholas, 
  and 
  who 
  resided 
  in 
  

   this 
  country 
  ten 
  months, 
  gives 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  words 
  an 
  interesting 
  notice 
  of 
  

   the 
  abject 
  fear 
  exhibited 
  by 
  the 
  Maori 
  at 
  the 
  mere 
  sight 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  hzard 
  ! 
  

   which, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  (or 
  was) 
  so 
  truthful 
  — 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  too 
  often 
  myself 
  witnessed 
  — 
  

   I 
  also 
  quote 
  : 
  — 
  " 
  A 
  man 
  who 
  has 
  arrived 
  at 
  a 
  certain 
  stage 
  of 
  an 
  incurable 
  

   illness, 
  is 
  under 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  Atua, 
  who 
  has 
  taken 
  possession 
  of 
  him, 
  

   and 
  who, 
  in 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  a 
  lizard, 
  is 
  devouring 
  his 
  intestines 
  ; 
  after 
  which 
  

   no 
  human 
  assistance 
  or 
  comfort 
  can 
  be 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  sufferer, 
  and 
  he 
  is 
  

   carried 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  village 
  and 
  left 
  to 
  die. 
  ■■' 
  '■'- 
  ■'• 
  This 
  curious 
  hypothesis 
  

   was 
  accidentally 
  discovered 
  by 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  gentlemen, 
  who, 
  having 
  found 
  a 
  

   lizard, 
  carried 
  it 
  to 
  a 
  native 
  woman 
  to 
  ask 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  it. 
  She 
  shrunk 
  

   from 
  him 
  in 
  a 
  state 
  of 
  terror 
  that 
  exceeded 
  description, 
  and 
  conjured 
  him 
  

   not 
  to 
  approach 
  her, 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  in 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  the 
  animal 
  he 
  held 
  in 
  his 
  

   hand 
  that 
  the 
  Atua 
  was 
  wont 
  to 
  take 
  possession 
  of 
  the 
  dying, 
  and 
  to 
  devour 
  

   their 
  bowels."! 
  

  

  In 
  various 
  parts 
  of 
  this 
  island, 
  but 
  all 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  Napier, 
  I 
  have 
  

   had 
  shown 
  me 
  when 
  travelling 
  (1834-1844), 
  many 
  spots 
  where 
  it 
  was 
  said 
  

   monsters 
  of 
  the 
  Saurian 
  Order 
  had 
  formerly 
  dwelt. 
  

  

  Narrative, 
  A'ol. 
  II., 
  pp. 
  124, 
  128. 
  

   f 
  Jotu'nal, 
  pp. 
  283, 
  320. 
  

  

  