[Note: this transcription was produced by an automatic OCR engine]

2 52 WITH NATIVES IN THE WESTERN PACIFIC

no recognizable representations of real objects; yet
there seems no doubt that at one time all the designs
represented some real thing. They are carefully
adapted to the body, and accentuate its structure.
The women who do the tattooing are well paid, so
that only the wealthy can afford to have their wives
and daughters tattooed all over; and naturally a
tattooed woman brings a higher price in the matri-
monial market than a “plain” one.

In this same place I had occasion to observe an
interesting zoological phenomenon, the appearance
of the palolo-worm, which occurs almost all over
the Pacific once a year, at a certain date after the
October full moon. The natives know the date
exactly, which proves the accuracy of their chron-
ology. The palolo is a favourite delicacy, and they
never fail to fish for it. We went down to the shore
on the first night; there were not many worms as
yet, but the next evening the water was full of the
greenish and brownish threads, wriggling about
helplessly. Each village had its traditional fishing-
ground, and we could see the different fires all
along the coast. The worms were gathered by hand
and thrown into baskets, and after midnight we went
home with a rich harvest. The palolo is mixed with
pudding, and said to taste like fish; I am not in a
position to pronounce an opinion.

I returned to Nabutriki, and thence to Malo,
where Mr. W. informed me that the Burns-Phin ‘
steamer had already passed, and asked me to stay with
him and his kind family until I should find an oppor—