NATURAL HISTORY, 
25 
cloaks of the chiefs are ornamented. But the 
feathered tribes of Hawaii are not in general dis¬ 
tinguished by variety of plumage* or melody in 
their notes. There are wild geese in the mountains, 
and ducks near the lagoons or ponds in the vicinity 
of the sea shore ; the domestic fowl was found there 
by their first discoverer, and, though now seldom 
used as an article of food, many are raised for the 
supply of shipping. 
In common with the other islands of the Pacific, 
they are entirely free from every noxious and poi¬ 
sonous reptile, excepting centipedes, which are nei¬ 
ther large nor numerous. 
Fish are not so abundant on their shores as 
around many of the other islands; they have, how¬ 
ever, several varieties, and the inhabitants procure 
a tolerable supply. 
The vegetable productions, though less valuable 
and abundant than in some of the islands both to 
the west and the south, are found in no small va¬ 
riety, and the most serviceable are cultivated with 
facility. The natives subsist principally on the 
roots of the arum esculentum , which they call 
taro, on the convolvulus batatas, or sweet potato, 
called by them ulira, and uhi, or yam. The prin¬ 
cipal indigenous fruits are the uru, or bread-fruit; 
the niu, or cocoa-nut; the maia, or plantain ; the 
ohia, a species of eugenia ; and the strawberry and 
raspberry. Oranges, limes, citrons, grapes, pine¬ 
apples, papaw-apples, cucumbers, and water¬ 
melons, have been introduced, and, excepting the 
pine-apples, thrive well. French beans, onions, 
pumpkins, and cabbages, have also been added 
to their vegetables, and, though not esteemed 
by the natives, are cultivated to some extent, 
for the purpose of supplying the shipping. 
