demons “born without father and mother, who are neither male nor female, who have not wife, nor to whom child is born,” probably do not exist in Polynesian, Melanesian, or Australasian mythology or philosophy. The disease demons of the older civilisations are in the lower replaced by malignant human spirits. Lizard Atua. Certain species of lizards are greatly dreaded by the superstitious Maori, owing to the belief that these reptiles are the chosen abode, the aria or incarnation, of all kinds of evil and disease-inflicting atua The ghosts of the dead, old and young, which had not been admitted to the underworld often became incarnate in lizards, and appeared before their living relatives as omens of impending disaster or death, or by crawling down their throats while asleep set up all manner of disease. The kakariki (Naultinus elegans), a beautiful bright-green lizard, about 8 in. long, is the variety generally chosen by the kehua (wandering ghost of the dead) for its earthly habitation. It has the power of contracting and dilating its pupil, and makes a curious noise which the Maori regards as malicious laughter, and the unfortunate person who hears the sound knows that he will soon die. The Tuhoe tribes regard the tara-kumukumu lizard as a malignant atua or demon, which, by entering the body, causes swelling or ulceration in the region of the thighs. This disease demon was exorcised by means of the hirihiri rite, in which would probably be some special reference to this reptile. In addition to the lizards animated by kahukahu (miniature infant spirits), kehua (wandering ghosts of the dead) and tribal ancestral atua, who inflicted painful and wasting diseases on their relatives and enemies, either from pure malice, or as punishment for infringement of the ritenga or ordinances of the established superstitions, there were the lizard gods proper, descendants of the great primeval pair, Rangi and Papa. Thus Tangaroa, son of Heaven and Earth, and god of the ocean, had a son Punga, whose children Ikatere and Tu-tewehiwehi, or Tu-tewanawana, were respectively the male progenitors of all fish and reptiles. Tu-tewanawana, by his second wife, Tupari, begat Mokohikuwaru, the tutelary deity of lizards, and a god of evil whose dwelling-place is with Miru in Hades Lower down the line of descent came the reptile deity Mokotiti, the god of pulmonary consumption and chest-diseases generally, and Ngarara, the disease-producer. Then, again, there were the mythical monsters called Mokoroa, serpents or lizards of immense size, which came across the sea from Hawaiki. In the following lament of a dying chieftainess her incurable illness is attributed to a demon of this latter class:—