in New Zealand . 
215 
appear , in consequence of a curious relation, which, some 
years ago, I received from an old priest, residing in the Bay 
of Plenty. I had been enquiring of him, the place where, 
and the manner how, they in former days obtained the green 
jade, or axe-stone, for ornaments and weapons of war; in 
answer to my enquiry, he asserted that this stone was both a 
fish and a god ! — that it formerly lived at the island of Tuhua, 
whither the priests of all the neighbouring tribes used to go 
to take it; which was done by diving, accompanied with 
several superstitious ceremonies, in order to appease its 
wrath, and to enable them to seize it without injury to them¬ 
selves—but that suddenly it made the whole island, and the 
surrounding sea, its cloaca maxima, covering every place 
thickly with excrementitious substances, which still remain ; 
and swam away to the middle island of New Zealand, where 
it has ever since resided, and whence they have been obliged 
to obtain it. I scarcely need add, that those “ excremen¬ 
titious substances” comprise the different volcanic matter 
with which Tuhua is now covered. Perhaps, after ages may 
verify the tradition related by the old priest, and bring to 
light the soi-disant god, in a buried stratum of axe-stone. 
I obtained from this island, some time ago, several fine 
(though partly damaged) specimens of Argonauta, of a beau¬ 
tiful translucent texture. The whole body of the shell is 
pearly white, with an ochreous tinge towards the upper part 
of the largely dentated keels, which, two in number, are there 
of a dark umber colour, They measure 6-7 inches in dia¬ 
meter, and are closely allied to A. argo; the last whorl, how¬ 
ever, is higher, bolder, and more orbicularly involute than in 
that species, approaching very nearly, in general outline, to 
that of Nautilus Pompilius. 
The wind increasing during the night, the next morning we 
passed Puiaiwakaari, or White Island, whence the steam and 
smoke ascended in dense clouds. On this island, as well as 
on other smaller islets in this bay, sulphur abounds. Soon 
