POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
351 
of the chiefs^ however^ now only dress as much as is 
necessary for the immediate consumption of their 
families^ and salt the remainder. 
Next to the flesh of swine^ that of the dog was formerly 
prized by the Tahitians^ as an article of food. Never¬ 
theless^ dogs do not appear to have been reared for food 
so generally as among the Sandwich Islanders; here they 
were fed rather as an article of luxury^ and principally 
eaten by the chiefs. They were usually of a small or 
middling size^ and appear a kind of terrier breeds but 
were by no means ferocious ; and^ excepting their shape 
and habits^ they have few of the characteristics of 
the English dog ; this probably arises from their differ¬ 
ent food. The hog and the dog were the only quadru¬ 
peds whose flesh was eaten by the Tahitians. Rats were 
occasionally eaten uncooked by the Friendly Islanders | 
but^ although numerous^ they do not appear to have been 
used for that purpose here. The Tahitians have no 
kinds of game^ but the common domestic fowls are 
reared in great numbers | these were used as food; 
they had also a few wild ducks^ together with pigeons^ 
in the mountains, and several kinds of aquatic birds. 
The fowls> although good, are not now much eaten by 
the natives, but are usually reared for the purpose of 
supplying the ships, which touch at the islands for 
refreshments. 
Fish abound on the coasts, among the coral reefs 
that surround the islands, and in their extensive 
lagoons. The islanders are usually expert fishermen, 
and fish is a principal means of support for those 
who reside near the shore. The albicore, bonito, 
ray, sword-fish, and shark, are among the larger 
sea-fish that are eaten by them; in addition to which. 
