13.  MAO MA ULI—­Mistake and Black.

Two teeth of the sperm whale, and said to have come from Fiji, were so named, and represented the war gods of a large village.  They were kept in a cave, and when the people went to fight a priest remained behind to pray for success and watch and report the position of the teeth.  If they lay east and west it was a good omen, but if they turned over and lay north and south it was a sign of defeat.

14.  MATUU—­Heron, or “Andrea sacra.”

The heron was the incarnation of a war god on the island of Manono.  If it flew before the troops that was a good sign, but the reverse if it flew across the path.

A story is told of Heron and his brother Destruction.  They cooked some food one day, but it was not half done.  The enraged family set upon the two.  Destruction had his neck broken by a stick thrown at him; but Heron escaped by having his neck pulled long, as it is to this day.

15.  MOSO.

1.  This was the name of one of the great land gods, in opposition to Tangaloa, the god of the heavens.  The root of the word is the name of a tree—­“Cananga odorata”—­the yellow flowers of which are highly fragrant.  A stone was his representative in one village, on which passing travellers laid down a scented wreath or necklace as an offering to Moso.

2.  In another place Moso’s representative was a large wooden bowl, decorated with white shells, and called Lipi, or sudden death, as described under Le Fe’e, No. 8.  The priest received offerings from the injured, and, in lieu of them, prayed to Moso with loud crying and forced tears to curse with sudden death the unknown thief or other injurer.  “Oh Moso! make haste, show your power, send down to the lower regions, sweep away like a flood, may they never see the light of another day.”  These were the usual imprecations shrieked out over the bowl.

3.  One of the kings of the district of Atua was supposed to be a man and move about among mortals in the daytime; but at night he was Moso, and away among the gods.

4.  Moso was also a household god in some families.  In one he was incarnate as a man.  He helped himself to food of any kind from the plantations of his neighbours, and, if chased, suddenly disappeared; and hence they considered he was a god, and prayed to him and laid down offerings.

5.  In another family Moso was said to appear, but only one old man could discern him when he came.  A visit was known by the old man shouting out, “Your excellency!  Your excellency has come!” and some such chief’s language.  Then would follow a conversation between the old man and the god, all through the lips of the old impostor himself; and then the family would hear of some new house, or canoe, or food, or marriage, or something else that was wanted.

6.  Moso also appeared in one family in the form of a pet pigeon called the Tu (Phlegoenas Stairi).  When food was brought in, no water was to be spilled on the doorstep.  It would make the protecting god Tu angry, and cause him to go off.