Employments.—­Girls always, and boys for four or five years, were under the special charge of the mother, and followed her in domestic avocations.  The girl was taught to draw water, gather shell-fish, make mats and native cloth.  The boy after a time followed his father, and soon became useful in planting, fishing, house-building, and all kinds of manual labour.  Boys were also accustomed to club together, and wander about the settlement, the plantation, or in the bush.  If they fell in with a fallen cocoa-nut one boy would sit down and name some to come and join him in eating it, and to the rest he would call out, “Go and catch butterflies.”  Hence one who is excluded from eating anything nice is called a butterfly-catcher.  If they called at the residence of one of themselves, then perhaps the lad of that house would select some to have food with him there, and call them “cocoa-nut princes,” and the rest he would send off, calling them “cocoa-nut pigs.”  The latter would go off offended, and vow to each other never again to be friendly with that stingy, stunted fellow!  The following is a translated specimen of one of the old songs chanted for the diversion of children, or to lessen the tedium of a long canoe journey.  I do not tamper with an exact translation by any attempt at rhythm or rhyme, but simply give the thoughts as they stand, and as a fair translation would explain them.:—­

1.  Mailesaeia and Mailetupengia were married. 
They had two children, and these were their names,
The boy Tulifauiave, and the girl Sinataevaeva.
Chorus—­Aue! or wonderful!

2.  They were unkind to their children, and deserted them;
They did not wish to have children.
etc.

3.  Then said the girl to the boy:  “Come let us go,
Let us seek another home,” and away they wandered.
etc.

4.  They called at the house of Tangaloa of the heavens,
And Tangaloa took the girl and married her.
etc.

5.  The brother of the girl acted as their child. 
He was a lovely boy, and grew up to be a beauty.
etc.

6.  Tangaloa of the heavens became jealous of the lad,
And told his people to kill him.
etc.

7.  They took him to the bush and killed him,
He yielded to their wishes and resisted not.
etc.

8.  They were divided about the disposal of the body,
Some said throw it into the river, others said leave it in the bush.
etc.

9.  They cast it into the river to float to the sea,
It came floating down, and there his sister stood on the beach.
etc.
10.  She screamed, and wept, and wailed;
She seized the body, patted his head, and prayed for life.
etc.

11.  The wounds closed up and healed, the lad sat up,
And thus he spake:  “Let us both be off together.”
etc.

12.  They went to the village, the people were in the bush;
They smashed every canoe but one, and in that they left,
To search for the land of their parents.
etc.