stars was often a carefully guarded secret, but through prevailing European influence it has now fallen entirely into decay. In Samoa it is now an exception for a native to know the name of this or that constellation, since an islander engaged in the fishing trade can only indicate and name this or that star if it marks the beginning of some important native occupation[537]. The Polynesian material for star-names is exceedingly abundant, and can here only be represented in outline, so as to give some idea how far astronomy may advance at this stage of civilisation[538]. The Marquesas Islanders know and name a great number of constellations and separate stars, e. g. ‘the Little Eyes’ (the Pleiades), ‘the Rudder’ (Orion’s belt)[539]. Constellations mentioned as being known to the Society Islanders are:--the Pleiades, Orion’s belt, Sirius (‘Big Star’), the Magellanic Clouds (the upper and lower ‘Haze’), the Milky Way (‘the Long-blue-cloud-eating-shark’), Venus, called sometimes ‘Day-star’ or ‘Herald-of-the-morning’, and sometimes ‘Taurna-who-rises-at-dusk’, Mars (‘the Red Star’), Jupiter, and Saturn[540]. The people of Nauru, west of the Gilbert Islands, observe the stars, chiefly the Pleiades, Orion, Sirius, and the morning and evening stars[541]. For the Marshall Islands see above, p. 125. For Tahiti names are given for Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, the Pleiades (‘Star-of-the-nest’), Sirius (‘Big Star’), and the belt of Orion, and it is further stated that many other stars are known by separate names[542]. The Hawaiians had names for many constellations, and they also knew the five planets[543]. An apparently distinguished native astronomer, named Hoapili, stated that he had heard from others (Europeans?) that there was one more travelling-star, but he had never observed it, and was acquainted only with the five[544]. The Maoris had names for all the principal stars and for a great number of constellations. The most important of the latter is ‘the Canoe of Tamarereti’, which consists of the following parts:--the three stars of Orion’s belt form the stern, _matariki_ (the Pleiades) is the prow, _te toke o te waka_ is the mast, the Southern Cross is the anchor, and the two Pointers are the cables. Further, Orion’s belt is called ‘the Elbow of Maui’; the Scorpion is ‘the House-of-Te-Whiu-and-his-slaves’; _Waka mauruiho_ and _Waka mauruake_ are the husbands of _Hurike_ and _Angake_, and their daughters are _Tioreore_ and _Tikatakata_, the two Magellanic Clouds, whose husbands are _Taikeha_ and _Ninikuru_. By the position of the Magellanic Clouds the natives think they can tell from what quarter the wind will blow. One constellation is called ‘the Garment of Maru’, which he let fall as he ascended into heaven. Unfortunately the names corresponding to our star-map are not given, and I have omitted many which are not translated[545]. Some stars are mentioned below in the account of the Maori calendar of months[546].