in the dark. The treachery was unmistakeable, and the poor Taù people, knowing that the morning would only seal their doom, thought their only chance of life would be to jump over one of the precipices into the sea and try to swim to their own island. Seventeen of them did so, and, wonderful to relate, got safely to Taù, but not without considerable exertion, as they had five miles and more to swim, which is no very pleasant work, I can assure you. The two whose courage failed at the thought of the precipice and the sea met their fate the next morning. Taù armed and went off to avenge the death of the five. They fought, killed fifteen and lost eight, got Olosenga to surrender. Taù received the offer of submission, agreed to live henceforth in peace, and went back to their island. Olosengå, however, is afraid of treachery similar to their own, and has retired for a time to Tutuila, an island in the Samoan group; and thus has become extinct also, for the present at least,

that furious volcano of angry passions which will do more harm and is more to be feared than any other volcano, be it in the sea or on land. These deeds of darkness are done principally by the "roughs" of the community, just as in this country. If this state of affairs is to be found in our country, which is the most orderly in the world, can we be surprised when savages quarrel with one another? But such workers of evil, be they white or coloured, always find that they are employed in a work which will not pay. In Samoa the Mission is still encouraging, and the Samoans set an example which the English would do well to copy, that is, cheerful giving; they sent home to the Society last year upwards of £1,300 of subscriptions. If all our people would do like this the Society would not know the word "debt." I can but add that as the

Society prospers the day is being

hastened on when

"all shall

know the Lord, and a man will Inot have to say to his brother,

Know the Lord."

N Tuesday, December 3rd last, we were honoured by a very rare and distinguished visitor, named the "Taeirangi," or the Dolphin. Our people collecting coral in order to burn for lime, when a party walking at daylight on the beach were astonished at the sight of a huge black creature floundering along the reef in shallow water. A heavy swell had been on

were

the reef several days previously, in consequence of which this great fish got on shore, but did not find it easy to get back again. The natives took to their heels at once, to obtain the means of killing the Taeirangi (literally "sky-caught"-in allusion to its not having been caught by man's skill). Some armed themselves with iron crowbars, others with felling axes, others with heavy pieces of iron-wood; one man flourished an enormous sledge-hammer. They were afraid of getting an ugly blow from the tail. In a few minutes their combined efforts put an end to the gambols of the Dolphin. The huge fellow proved to be 17 feet in length. It was forthwith cut up, and divided out to the king and chiefs of the island. The three native pastors were not overlooked. Of the crowd collected each had a good portion. They kindly sent to the writer as their "Orometua" (i.e. missionary) a good share, which I forthwith distributed to our household, as we did not feel tempted to eat it ourselves. The natives consider it to be very delicate eating, and therefore laughed at our squeamishness.

I have seen many Dolphins at sea when sailing in the old John Williams, of happy memory, but none so large as this. A dead Dolphin, somewhat larger than this, was stranded on the other side of the island about 70 years ago. There are about four or five persons now living who ate part of it then. A universal interest was naturally felt in this modern arrival. I suppose that all the adults on the island feasted on the Taeirangi ("sky-caught") of last month.

Many smaller fish (porpoises, &c., &c.) have been

stranded here from time to time.

Five

years ago a live seal got ashore-the first ever seen on Mangaia. Hence they had no name for it. The native who first saw the seal was terribly frightened, and felt sure that his Satanic Majesty had effected a landing on these shores. I fear, however, that He landed here some centuries previously.

The ancient custom in regard to the Taeirangi or Dolphin was, as soon as the fish had been sighted, a special courier was sent to all the chiefs on the island inviting them to gaze upon "the guest" (as such waifs were termed). The fish was "tapu" until they had arrived and all the heathen ceremonies had been performed. The ceremonies consisted in an offering of two half-cooked taro to the gods, in a green cocoa-nut leaf basket, followed by a somewhat lengthy thanksgiving on the part of the king-priest. The rhythm of this song or thanksgiving is something wonderful to a person acquainted with the extreme ruggedness of the native language. A certain person was then authorized to mark off the fish into six portions, corresponding to the six divisions of the island. The head invariably fell to the two districts of "the sunrising;" the upper part going to one and the lower part to the other. The centre of the fish was reserved for the two central districts of the island; as in the former case, the upper side going to one, the under to the other. Thus the tail fell to the two remaining districts at "the sunsetting." Subdivisions were made in the various districts, until every one had a share. For the purpose of dividing,

they formerly had only slips of bamboo and sharp pieces of flint-tough work for those who had the honour of cutting up so large a fish.

According to ancient story, a woman named Vari had two boys. The eldest was Vatea, lord of the ocean. His home was at Tepaparairai. The younger, named Tinirau, lived at Motutapu (i.e. an islet in the harbour of Ngatangüa, Rarotonga), and was king of all fish from the shark to the tiniest minnow. But the Taeirangi was not counted with the other fish, as it is covered with pure fat or blubber. How came this to be so? Why Vātea, himself half fish and half man, tore off a portion of his own person and made it into a Taeirangi. Thus this fish is of necessity unlike all others. Whales were often seen but never tasted on Mangaia in heathenism. Had they been caught, these islanders might have been surprised to learn that other fish besides the "skycaught" are covered with pure fat.

As the ocean was the property of Vatea, it soon became alive with "Taeirangi" sporting about in it. Tinirau became jealous of this magnificent ocean fish-pond, seeing that his own fish were in danger of dying in the too contracted, though very numerous, fish-ponds at Motutapu. So he craved his brother's permission to let some of his small fish go into the great sea. Vatea would consent only upon one condition,-that Tinirau would add a portion of his territory to the land of Vatea. With tremendous difficulty this was accomplished. In fact they had to get under Motutapu, in order to break off a portion of it. This done, Tinirau liberated a por