POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
171 
most fabulous of native legends : it states that the moon 
is diversified with hill and valley like our earthy that it 
is adorned with trees, and among these the aoa, the 
shadow of whose spreading branches, the Polynesians 
suppose, occasions the dark parts in her surface. In 
ancient times, they state that a bird flew to the moon, 
and plucked the berries of the aoa; these are smaller 
than grapes ; the bird readily carried them, and flying over 
the islands, dropped some of the seeds, which, germinating 
in the soil, produced the aoa tree. It was considered 
sacred, and frequently planted in the neighbourhood 
or precincts of the marae. The large one at Tamapua 
was supposed to be a frequent resort of the god; and the 
human sacrifices offered in the temple beneath, were usu¬ 
ally suspended among its branches. A common impre¬ 
cation was, jK tau oe i te amaa toro i momona ; You 
will hang in the branch stretching towards Momona,’" a 
spot beneath one of the principal branches. 
The cottage erected for my lodging, when visiting 
the district of Maeva, was within a few yards of this tree, 
and the chapel stood within the precincts of the ancient 
idol temple. I have often conversed with the people 
respecting it, and they have said that the most appalling 
horrors filled their minds, if they approached the tree or 
the pile after dark; that when they have pushed their 
light canoe along the adjacent lake, they have, as an act 
of reverence, uncovered the upper part of their persons, 
and almost trembled with fear till they had safely passed. 
Considering the dark and gloomy appearance of the 
temple, the wide extent, dense shade, fantastic shape, 
and grotesque appearance of the tortuous fibrous roots 
or trunks of the aoa, it is not surprising that the super¬ 
stitious natives should be under the influence of those 
