228 POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
held a small round stone in the right hand, which 
they threw several feet up into the air, and, before 
it fell, took up one of the stones from the heap, 
which they held in the right hand till they caught 
that which they had thrown up, when they threw 
down the stone they had taken up, tossed the 
round stone again, and continued taking up a 
fresh stone every time they threw the small round 
one into the air, until the whole heap was removed. 
The teaiea mat a was a singular play among the 
children, who stretched open their eyelids by 
fixing a piece of straw, or stiff grass, perpendicu¬ 
larly across the eye, so as to force open the lids in 
a most frightful manner. Tupaurupauru, a kind 
of blind-man’s-buff, was also a favourite juvenile 
sport. 
They were very fond of the tahoro , or swing, 
and frequently suspended a rope from the branch 
of a lofty tree, and spent hours in swinging back¬ 
wards and forwards. They used the rope singly, 
and at the lower end fastened a short stick, which 
was thus suspended in a horizontal position; upon 
this stick they sat, and, holding by the rope, were 
drawn or pushed backwards and forwards by their 
companions. Walking in stilts was also a favourite 
amusement with the youth of both sexes. The 
stilts were formed by nature, and generally con¬ 
sisted of the straight branches of a tree, with a 
smaller branch projecting on one side. ; Their 
naked feet were placed on this short branch, and 
thus, elevated about three feet from the ground, 
they pursued their pastime. 
The boys were very fond of the uo, or kite, 
which they raised to a great height. The Tahitian 
kite was different in shape from the kites of the 
English boys. It was made of light native cloth. 
