SAMOAN GROUP. 



143 



choicest treasures, and are so much coveted, that wars have been 

 made to obtain possession of them. For the latter reason they are 

 called Fala-taua. 



There are several distinct trades among the men besides that of 

 tattooing ; among the most esteemed is that of canoe-building, in which 

 there is no little skill displayed. 



The usual fishing-canoe is made of a single tree, with a small out- 

 rigger to balance it. They have no large double canoes, such as are 

 seen in Tonga and Feejee. 



The largest canoes are from thirty to sixty feet long, and capable of 

 carrying from ten to twelve persons. They are formed of several 

 pieces of plank, fastened together with sennit. These pieces are of no 

 regular size or shape. On the edge of each plank is a ledge or pro- 

 jection, which serves to attach the sennit, and to connect and 

 bind it closely to the adjoining one. It is surprising to see the 

 labour bestowed on uniting so many small pieces, where large 

 and good planks might be obtained. Before the pieces are 

 joined, the gum from the bark of the bread-fruit tree is used 

 to cement them close and prevent leakage. These canoes 

 retain their form much more truly than one would have sup- H),l 

 posed, and I saw few whose original model had been impaired Wl|| 

 by service. On the outside, the pieces are so closely fitted as ttl 

 frequently to require close examination before the seams can Mm, 

 be detected. This perfection of workmanship is astonishing to 

 those who see the tools with which it is executed. They are 

 now made of no more than a piece of iron tied to a stick, and used as 

 an adze. This, with a gimlet, is all they have, and before they obtained 

 these iron tools, they used adzes made of hard stone or fish-bones. 



SAMOAN CANOE. 



These canoes are built with a deck forward and aft. They are long 

 and narrow, and their shape is elegant. They are paddled by natives, 



