324 Memoirs Bcniicc P. Bislwp Museum 



UNCLASSIFIED ADZES 



There are a few Alarquesan adzes which defy classification and deserve in- 

 dividual descriptions. 



A large adz 8?^ inches long with a maxiniuni thickness of i^ inches is 

 shown in Plate XLVi, B. i. The poll is 2y2 inches wide and has across its center 

 a well marked ridge. The bit has the remarkable width of 7^ inches. The 

 blade is rectangular in cross section and has been smoothly ground on all sur- 

 faces. The bevel is ground at a long angle, making a thin blade unsuitable for 

 heavy work and it is hard to see for what purpose an implement of this sort could 

 ha\e been employed. The specimen is heavil}' patinated, indicating a con- 

 siderable age. 



The adz illustrated in Plate XL\'i.B. 4 has a thin, flat, com])letely polished 

 blade of beautiful workmanship. It is 3 inches long, with a thickness of less 

 than }i of an inch and a width of about one inch at the top and i-js inches at 

 the bit. The edge is ground with a flat well-marked bevel, and the angles formed 

 by the juncture of the sides with the inner surface have been rounded ofif. 



A large adz of remarkably fine workmanship is shown in Plate XLVi, B. 2. 

 In general outline and form of tang it conforms to the toki kouma type, but the 

 sides below the tang diverge rather rapidly, forming a broad bit instead of the 

 narrow one normal in implements of that type. The lower side of the bit is con- 

 siderably hollowed, giving to the cutting edge a well marked curve. The dimen- 

 sions are: length, 11^ inches; length of tang, 4 inches; maximum thickness of 

 blade, 2;54 inches; width at upper end, 2 inches; width at bit, t,]/^ inches. This 

 specimen was purchased in the island of Ua Huka and is said to be of local ma- 

 terial and w'orkmanship. 



The still more curious adz shown in Plate XLVi, B. 3, is the largest Alar- 

 quesan adz known to the author, being 14^/2 inches long and weighing slightly 

 over 6 pounds. The upper end is formed into a well marked tang 4^/3 inches long. 

 Below this tang the shaft is triangular in cross section and of uniform size to 

 within 4^4 inches of the bit. From this point the inner surface slopes forward 

 at an angle of 40 degrees, while the sides broaden out and the outer edge slopes 

 slightly backward. As a result of this the inner ground surface of the bit is ob- 

 long, the outer triangular. The whole surface is heavily patinated indicating an 

 age greater than that of most of the specimens in the collection. 



On Plate xlvi, 5 is shown a small and crudely made blade 3J4 inches long, 

 one inch wide and one inch thick. The shaft is triangular, but with the base of the 

 triangle forming one side of the implement so that its plane is across that of the 

 cutting edge. The bit appears to be ground equally from both sides, as in an axe, 

 and the cutting edge forms a distinct angle with the axis of the implement, as in 



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