the Pelorus District,” published in the “Polynesian Journal,”* “Journal of the Polynesian Society,” vol. 6, p. 53. the editors have pointed out that I laid too much stress on the Melanesian affinities of the Morioris. In an article on “Cremation among the Maoris,” published in the same journal,† “Journal of the Polynesian Society,” vol. 3, p. 53. the writer, Mr. R. E. M. Campbell, makes the following remarks: “How much of the blood of the present native inhabitants of New Zealand is derived from the people who lived here before the arrival of the historical canoes, and how much from the conquering canoe-men? At present almost every Maori in New Zealand, except the Urewera Tribe, claim to have nothing but the bluest of blue blood, and quite deny any ‘tangata whenua’ admixture; but then we know that all England, so to speak, is descended from William the Conqueror—at least, so they claim. I think that probably most of the Maoris have more or less of the blood of those who came in the canoes, but that by far the greater portion is derived from those who preceded the canoes by many generations.” If this view is correct, assuming that the ancient inhabitants of New Zealand and the Chatham Islands belonged to the same stock, between the Maoris and the Morioris there will not be a very marked difference. A comparison of the Maoris and the natives of the Cook and Society Islands would be useful. Were the Papuan characteristics more pronounced in the former? If they were there must have been a cause. Since the remote period when New Zealand was first peopled the distribution of races in the Pacific may have changed, but the physical conditions of the region are unaltered. What there is reason to believe took place here may also have taken place in New Caledonia, an art commenced by one people being continued by another. Much is being done to determine the exact island from which the historic canoe-men set forth for New Zealand, but the more important questions—Did they on their arrival find the country already peopled? and, if so, whence came the earlier inhabitants?—have received very little consideration. It is with the hope of directing attention to this subject I have raised the question, Did the Maori discover the greenstone?