THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
143 
Southward, and become South Eaft, or South South Eaft, it 1777. 
then blows more gently, with a fmooth fea, and is called ^ e - e v -°^j 
Maoai. In thofe months, when the fun is nearly vertical, 
that is, in December and January, the winds and wea¬ 
ther are both very variable ; but it frequently blows from 
Weft North Weft, or North Weft. This wind is what 
they call Eoerou ; and is generally attended by dark, cloudy 
weather, and frequently by rain. It fometimes blows 
ftrong, though generally moderate; but feldom lafts longer 
than five or fix days without interruption ; and is the 
only wind in which the people of the ifiands to leeward 
come to this, in their canoes. If it happens to be ftill 
more Northerly, it blows with lefs ftrength, and has the 
different appellation of Era-potaia ; which they feign to be 
the wife of the Toerou ; who, according to their mytho¬ 
logy, is a male. 
The wind from South Weft, and Weft South Weft, is 
ftill more frequent than the former; and though It is, 
in general, gentle, and interrupted by calms, or breezes 
from the Eaft ward, yet it fometimes blows in brilk fqualls. 
The weather attending it is commonly dark, cloudy, and 
rainy, with a clofe, hot air; and often accompanied by 
a great deal of lightning and thunder. It is called Etoa , 
and often fucceeds the Toerou ; as does alfo the Farooa f 
which is ftill more Southerly; and, from its violence, 
blows down houfes and trees, efpecially the cocoa-palms, 
from their loftinefs ; but It is only of a ftiort duration. 
The natives feem not to have a very accurate know¬ 
ledge of thefe changes, and yet pretend to have drawn 
fome general concluftons from their effefts : for they fay, 
when the fea has a hollow found, and dallies llowly on 
the fhore, or rather on the reef without, that it por- 
1 tends 
