86 The N.Z. Journal of Science and Technology. [Mar 
In Captain Cook’s account of his sojourn at Mercury Bay lie remarks, 
“ Wherever we went, whether upon the hills or in the vallies, the woods or 
the plains, we saw vast heaps of shells, often many waggon loads together, 
some appearing to be very old, and others recent/' 
On the shores of Evans Bay, the Hataitai Peninsula (Miramar), Lyall 
Bay, &c., many small shell-middens and areas of mixed refuse were formerly 
seen, as at Kilbirnie (near Wellington Road), below the Crawford home¬ 
stead, Karaka Bay, Seatoun, Maranui, &c., but the two most prominent 
ones were those at Tarakena and Owhiro, now almost obliterated. Many 
deposits of this kind were concealed by debris, others by grass or other 
herbage, while a considerable number cannot be termed shell middens or 
heaps, but merely show shells, oven-stones, and other refuse mixed with 
the soil. It is in such places as the latter that the suburban gardener 
exposes the dwelling-places of neolithic man, and occasionally unearths 
some interesting implement of the old-time Maori. 
The midden at Tarakena, the old Pilot Station on the coast-line between 
Lyall Bay and the Heads, is situated at the mouth of a gully lying between 
two bluff-ended spur-points, which is in itself a fact of some interest. The 
hills above the bluffs on either side have undoubtedly been occupied by 
natives in the past, that on the western side yet showing a series of 
terraced hut-sites and the eroded' remains of a defensive scarp. The hill 
on the eastern side is Palmer Head. From these villages all refuse has 
assuredly been cast over the cliff-heads, after the Maori manner, and now 
lies buried under much detritus. The midden at the gully-mouth has, 
however, been formed by a people occupying the low-lying land near it, 
and not by people dwelling in the hill villages. A considerable number 
of suck middens, situated in indefensible places, tend to prove that the 
native occupants of the Wellington and Porirua districts must have enjoyed 
extended periods of peace, during which they were not compelled to live 
in fortified places. This applies more especially to Porirua. 
The shells found in the Tarakena midden are, as we should expect, 
nearly all univalves, and consist principally of Haliotis, Turbo, and Hel- 
cioniscus. But one Mytilus was seen at this place ; and, indeed, this genus 
is extremely rare in all local middens, as also those of Porirua, with the 
exception of those of Som.es Island. Seldom are they found entire, and it 
is possible that they perish much quicker than other species. Inasmuch 
as these mussels live packed closely together, they do not receive the rude 
buffeting that many other species do, hence the .shell is comparatively thin 
and presumably decays sooner. The shells of Astraea sulcata and Glycymeris 
laticostata, as seen at Mana Island and Komanga-rautawhiri respectively, 
are marvels of durable strength. Very few Chione shells are seen in the 
middens on the coast-line from Wellington Heads westward ; apparently 
the inhabitants of these parts did not make a practice of visiting the 
cockle - bearing sandy beaches of the harbour. It is quite possible that 
such an act would have been a trespassing on clan rights, a serious matter 
in Maori eyes. 
At Tarakena are also seen the usual fish-bones and bird-bones, as also 
broken and discarded oven-stones that have been shattered by heat and 
hence thrown away : these are very numerous at some old village-sites, 
as at Titahi and Hongoeka. Waterworn stones of convenient size and of 
a nature that would withstand heat without cracking or exploding were 
ever much sought after, and in some cases were obtained from distant 
places. A gift of good durable oven-stones was not an uncommon feature 
in interclan communication in some districts. 
