BOUNDARY MARKS. 
349 
hid by the wood, and the different peaks only ap¬ 
peared like so many distinct hills at a great dis¬ 
tance. The highest peak bore south-west-by-south 
from Humuula. 
The high land over which we passed was gene¬ 
rally woody, though the trees were not large. 
The places that were free from wood, were covered 
with long grass and luxuriant ferns. The houses 
mostly stood singly, and were scattered over the 
face of the country. A rich field of potatoes or 
taro, sometimes five or six acres in extent, or large 
plantations of sugar-cane and bananas, occa¬ 
sionally bordered our path. But though the soil 
was excellent, it was only partially cultivated. 
The population also appeared less than what we 
had seen inhabiting some of the most desolate parts 
of the island. 
About 10 a. m. we reached the pleasant and 
verdant valley of Kaura, which separates the divi¬ 
sions of Hiro and Hamakua. 
The geographical divisions of Hawaii, and the 
other islands of the group, are sometimes artificial, 
and a stone image, a line of stones somewhat 
distant from each other, a path, or a stone wall, 
serves to separate the different districts, or larger 
divisions, from each other. They are, however, 
more frequently natural, as in the present in¬ 
stance, where a watercourse, winding through the 
centre of the valley, marked the boundary of these 
two divisions. The boundary of the smaller dis¬ 
tricts, and even the different farms, as well as the 
large divisions, are definitely marked, well under¬ 
stood, and permanent. Each division, district, 
village, and farm, and many of th rv sites of houses, 
have a distinct name, which is often significant ^ 
some object or quality distinguishing the place. 
