in New Zealand. 
303 
These, the natives distinguish by the name of Aumoana. 
Routing over a heap of cast up Algce , I found what 
appeared to have been the air-bladder of a fish; it was 
complete, stout, semi-transparent, and inflated, about 
6 inches long by 2£ inches wide, and forked throughout 
three-fourths of its entire length. The natives assured 
me, it was the air-bladder of a fish of the Diodon genus, 
with which they were well acquainted, and to which 
they had given the very appropriate name of Kopu- 
totara,i.e. Prickled-belly. These air-bladders are some¬ 
times used by the natives instead of small calabashes 
for the purpose of holding liquids, such as oil, ink, &c. 
A large Cephalopod (Sepia, sp .), with long formidable- 
looking tentacula studded with large tubercules, I also 
noticed. 
The village of Owae, being built on a" sandy spot 
close to the sea, the sand flies are here exceedingly 
numerous and annoying. When at this place, in 1839, 
I detected a very tall and graceful fern-tree (Cyathea 
dealbata) growing by the river side. Sending one of 
my native lads to the top of the fern to measure its 
height, I found it to be upwards of 38 feet. Another 
arborescent fern of the same species, which I subse¬ 
quently discovered in a wood in the neighbourhood, 
was three-branched at about 5 feet from the ground, 
each branch being 4 feet in length, and bearing a fine 
head of living fronds. 
Leaving Owae in a canoe, on the morning of the 21st, 
we paddled across Wangaruru Bay, and by noon gained 
the upper end of Wangaruru River. This salt-water 
inlet is famous for a species of Grey Mullet (Mugil 
- ), which is very numerous. It is a particularly 
interesting sight, and one that invariably gives an addi- 
