188 NEW ZEALAND CHAP. VIII 
of bone (he said of a whale). He stayed but a short time, 
and when he went he took with him our three guests, much 
to our, as well as their, satisfaction. 
In sailing along shore, we could clearly see several 
cultivated spots of land, some freshly turned up, and lying 
in furrows, as if ploughed; others with plants growing 
upon them, some younger and some older. We also saw in 
two places high rails upon the ridges of hills, but could only 
guess that they are a part of some superstition, as they were 
in lines not inclosing anything. 
15th. Snow was still to be seen upon the mountains inland. 
In the morning we were abreast of the southernmost cape of 
a large bay, the northernmost of which was named Portland 
Isle. The bay itself was called Hawke’s Bay. The southern 
point was called Cape Kidnappers, on account of an attempt 
made by the natives to steal Tayeto, Tupia’s boy. He was 
employed in handing up the articles which the natives were 
selling, when one of the men in a canoe seized him and 
pushed off A shot was fired into the canoe, whereupon 
they loosed the boy, who immediately leaped into the water 
and swam to the ship. When he had a little recovered from 
his fright, Tayeto brought a fish to Tupia, and told him that 
he intended it as an offering to his eatwa, in gratitude for 
his escape. Tupia approved it, and ordered him to throw it 
in the water, which he did. 
16th. Mountains covered with snow were in sight again 
this morning, so that a chain of them probably runs within 
the country. Vast shoals of fish were about the ship, 
pursued by large flocks of brownish birds a little bigger 
than a pigeon (Nectris munda). Their method of fishing 
was amusing enough: a whole flock of birds would follow 
the fish, which swam fast; they continually plunged under 
water, and soon after rose again in another place, so that the 
whole flock sometimes vanished altogether, and rose again, 
often where you did not expect them; in less than a 
minute’s time they were down again, and so alternately as 
long as we saw them. Before dinner we were abreast of 
another cape, which made in a bluff rock, the upper part of 
