204 A MISSION TO VITI. 
are here offered. Attention is constahtly directed to 
them, and you have as little chance of remaining 
ignorant of the great deeds of Degei, Rokoua, and the 
Vasu-ki-lagi, as you have in the Kast of the stories of 
successful magicians, spell-bound princesses, and mighty 
treasures concealed in obscure caverns. In Kurudua- 
dua’s dominion I could hardly turn without hearing of 
the doings of the Veli, and the greater part of the even- 
ing at this place was again devoted to them. My curi- 
osity had already been so much excited that I deter- 
mined, come what might, to write their natural history 
in the very localities most frequented by them. By 
inquiry and frequent cross-examination, I found the 
Veli to be a class of spirits in figure approaching to the 
German gnome, in habits of life the fairy of England. 
They have been in the country from time immemorial, 
and live in hollow Kowrie-pines and Kabea-trees. They 
are of diminutive size, and rather disproportionately 
large about the upper part of their body. Their hair is 
thick, and prolonged behind in a pig-tail. Some have 
wings, others have not. Their complexion rather re- 
sembles that of the white race than the Fijian. They 
have great and petty chiefs; are polygamists, and bear 
names like the Fijians. They also resemble the latter 
in wearing native cloth or tapa, which however is much 
finer and whiter than the ordinary sort. They are 
friendly disposed, and possess no other bad quality than 
that of stealing iron tools from the natives. They sing 
sweetly, and occasionally gratify the Fijians by giving 
them a song. They feed on the fruit of the Tankua 
(Ptychosperma) and Boia (Scitaminearum gen. nov.), 
