82 T U T U I L A. 



to March.* I obtained from the pilot a register of the weather from 

 January, 1839, till October of the same year, which will show more 

 clearly the state of the climate. This will be found in Appendix VII. 



In our explorations, nearly all the villages of this island vere visited 

 by some of the officers of the squadron, and from their report they 

 much resemble each other. Those of Fagaitua and Leone, on the 

 southern coast, are the largest, and are more of the Devil's towns than 

 the others. One of their customs is truly savage. They seldom use 

 pork as a food, consequently it is a great rarity with them ; but at 

 intervals of several months the villagers assemble at a feast, at which 

 thirty or forty hogs are killed, when they gormandize on them for four 

 or five days, or as long as the food lasts. The whole is eaten, entrails 

 and all. Fish and taro are the principal food, and large numbers of the 

 natives may be seen fishing off the coast in fine weather. The kind of 

 fish usually caught are mullet. 



There is a large kind of worm which they esteem a great delicacy, 

 and which is eaten with much relish. It is impossible to see them 

 sucking down the entrails of the biche-de-mar, holithuria, and echina, 

 without disgust. They also eat many of the shell-fish that are found 

 on the shore. 



The temperature found on the top of Matafoa, at the altitude of two 

 thousand three hundred and fifty-nine feet, was at 4 r. m., 69-4°, whilst 

 that on board the ship was 79-5°. 



We made an endeavour here to search the reefs at night for shells, 

 with flambeaux or torchlight, after the manner of the Chain Islanders, 

 by which means it is said that many species of shells are taken, which 

 are never seen by daylight. We cannot vouch for this being the case, 

 our experiment not having succeeded. The leaves of the cocoa-nut 

 were either too green or too wet to burn. If success really attends this 

 method, it is a singular trait in the economy of mollusca, which are 

 generally supposed to be partial to daylight. It was my determination 

 to make another trial, under more favourable circumstances; but from 

 our constant occupation and fatigue of the crew in the daytime, we 

 were unable to renew the experiment. 



A few days before leaving Pago-pago, Mr. Murray brought to my 

 notice the account of a murder that was supposed to have been com- 

 mitted on a foreigner at the west end of the island, for the sake of the 

 little property he had about him. The report, however, appeared to me 

 to be too vague to authorize any delay for the purpose of making an 



* During eleven days of our stay, the quantity of rain that fell was 4 A. inches. 



