128 



MlUWIFKltY. 



Icngtli from the abdomen of tlir infant. The 

 |iar('?it tlidi taking sonic wat^-r into her nioiitli, 

 tiirows it over tlni chihl, ruljbing the infant at 

 th^ sam^ time with coarse grass ; and this, I 

 suppMe, they would call deatiiiig ih^ HttJe acw- 

 horn ri'i iLtiD'C. The first flow of niilk is not 

 i^'wim ]}\ tlie niotlii'i" \o tin- cliild, lln-v say it 

 woiihl prodncr !i:ri|>iii<i". Tlie atturliirtli is Inirit'd 

 hy the mother, antl soon taken up again and 



buijti; it is only buHed, IwJWJEfrer, if tliey are 

 mt prepared t<> hvm it imniedi^y^ but it i& 



iisnall}^ destroyed on the same day or night on 

 wliirh the wonnm has been (Udivered, altliougli 

 1 could not ascertain correctly whether thr^- en- 



teftdii «my ^tsd( Bup^tisi^ a^Hons regmling 

 the placenta, m olMim^mg lite i^WZj^aland 

 females, yet by the cB,t0 hi burning it iiom^ sitch 

 idea no donbt exists amonjT; tbeni.* If the 

 phacenta is retaim'd long after the birth of the 

 intant, tiiey endeavour to excite uterine con- 



tcadldn, by emijloying piressiafe m ih^^ im^ 



* At Xcu- Zealand tlic placcntii is named " fVnua." wliidi 

 M'oicl !jit;uilic8 Jiuid. It is applied by the iiiuives to tlic pla- 

 centa, from tfeMT supposing it to "be tlna i^«!t<leitt>« ^tlte 



clulil : on bcirii^ disi-liai sit tl, it is ininK diatrly buried uiib 

 j^reat care, as they linve the superstitious idea that the priests, 

 it* offehW, would p*wia«* It; aiid, hy "j^^i^ wet It, oe«a*- 

 sion the ihiiili iioiii iiuitliei- and eluld, by pfaylftg tticm 



to dentil,'" to Use lliea- own expression. 



