ASTRONOMY OF THE NATIVES. 17) 
tionary during the whole period. I refrain from all 
comment on this singular tradition, which was 
almost universally received in the islands. 
Their ideas of the moon, which they called avae 
or marama, were as fabulous as those they enter- 
tained of the sun Some supposed the moon was 
the wife of the sun; others, that it was a beautiful 
country in which the aoa grew. Iam not aware 
that they rendered divine homage either to the 
sun or moon—theirs was a far less rational and 
innocent system than the worship of the host 
of heaven: they, however, supposed the moon to 
be subject to the influence of the spiritual beings 
with whom their mythology taught them to people 
the visible creation; and to the anger of those 
spirits, they were accustomed to attribute an 
eclipse. During an eclipse, the moon is said to 
be natua, bitten or pinched, as well as swallowed. 
The stars, which they call fetza or fetu, were 
by some considered as the children of the sun and 
moon; by others, the progeny of a principal star. 
They are, however, generally supposed to be inha- 
bited by spirits of the departed, or to be the spirits 
of human beings, several principal stars being 
designated by the names of distinguished men. 
The phenomenon called a shooting star, they sup- 
posed to be the flight of a spirit, and an omen of 
the birth of a great prince. Many of the constel- 
lations, and more of the single stars, have distinct 
names. Mars they call fetta ura, red star. The 
morning star they call fetza ao, star of day; or 
horo povpor, forerunner of morning, and the even- 
ing star Taurua o hit2 ete a hiah2, twilight-rising 
Taurua. The Pleiades they call matarz, small 
eyes. The nebulee near the southern pole, called 
the Magellanic clouds, are denominated mahu, 
