74 
POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
The most useful bird, however, is the common 
domestic fowl, called moa by the natives. These 
were found among the islands by their discoverers, 
and appear to have been there as long as the people. 
They are of the same kind as those reared in Eng¬ 
land ; the bodies are smaller, and the legs longer, 
but this may perhaps have arisen from their not 
being confined, and seldom fed by the people. 
Those that are tame usually live upon what they 
find in the garden, or the fragments of bread-fruit, 
&c. left after the native meal. During the day 
they seldom wander far from their owner’s dwelling, 
and at night, either take shelter under the same 
roof, or roost on the boughs of the trees by which 
it is overshadowed. Eggs are often plentiful, and 
the flesh of the fowls, though inferior to that of 
those fed in England, is generally good. Besides 
the tame fowls, there are numbers wild in different 
parts of the island, which range the woods, feeding 
on fruits or insects; these are occasionally taken by 
the natives, but are inferior to those that are domes¬ 
ticated. Fowls are not much used by the inhabit¬ 
ants, but are now reared chiefly to supply the vessels 
that touch at the islands for refreshment. 
Fish are numerous in the seas that surround the 
islands; they abound on their coasts among the 
reefs, and in their extensive lagoons. The enor¬ 
mous whale, called by the people tohora , is often 
seen by the natives in their canoes, pursuing his 
gigantic pastime, raising his unwieldy bulk above 
the water, or spouting it in the air. The black-fish 
pass along their straits, and the porpoises often ap¬ 
pear in shoals, or exhibit their gambols to the great 
amusement of the people, frequently throwing their 
whole bodies several feet out of the water, curving 
their tails, and falling headlong into the sea. The 
