256 PUBLIC WORKS. 
expended in killing the bird. (This is the law ; 
but the practice is to send back the dead fowl, 
and drop the claim for ammunition.) If a pig 
be seen trespassing, no one is allowed to give 
information excepting to the owner of the land, 
that he may not be baulked in whatever course 
he may think to adopt. 
Squid (a glutinous fish, in shape not unlike 
a starfish) is not allowed to be taken for food 
from off the rocks at the north end of the island, 
excepting by the owner of the rocks ; but any 
one may take it for bait, when going fishing. 
Carving upon trees is forbidden. " It seems," 
says Mr. Brodie, " that the lads and maidens 
used to amuse themselves with carving true love- 
knots, which are considered by the elders, who 
had written their own long ago, as a practice 
fraught with danger." The trees generally used 
for the above purposes were the large banana 
and plantain. It is as easy to write upon the 
leaves of these trees as upon paper. 
PUBLIC WORKS. 
The magistrate for the time being is obliged 
to superintend the execution of all public works, 
among which are ranked the building of houses, 
fresh thatching them — which is necessary every 
seven years — reparations and alterations of the 
church, roads, and water-tanks, three of which 
have been cut out of the solid rock, on tho 
west side of the island, for the supply of ves- 
sels, &c. In these public works, one member 
of each family (excepting that of Mr. Nobbs) is 
