. *773?
October,
near twenty times. We were much furprifed to hear that
he^tnew the name of an animal which did not exifli in his-
country, and made him a prefent of one of each fex, with
which he went on fhore in an extafy of joy. That the
name of dogs (hould be familiar to a people, who are not?
poffeffed of them* feems to prove either that this knowledge
has been propagated by tradition from their anceftors, who
migrated hither from other iffands, and from the continent
j or that they have had. dogs upon their iiknd, of
which the race, by fome accident, is become cxtindi, or
laftly, that they ftill have an ihtcixourfe with other iilands
where thefe animals exift,
I remained on bttard all this day, to arrange the Collection;
of plants and birds which we had made upon our iirfl ex-
eurfion, and which was far from defpicable, confidering the-
fmall fize of the ifland, The natives continued to croud
about our veffels in a number of canoes, whilft many were
fwimming to and from the fhore, who were- probably not
rich enough to poflefs a canoe. Thefe embarkations were
of different GonffiruCtion. The Common fmall trading-canoes
were {harp-bottomed; and ended in a fharp edge at
each extremity, which was covered with a board or deck,
becaufe their narrow form frequently expofed thefe parts to>
an entire fubmerfion, which Would have filled them with
water without this precaution. They commonly had a.
flight out-rigger or balancer, made of a few poles, to preventvent
their overfetting. The body of the canoe confifted of
feveral planks, of a hard brown wood, fewed together with
firings made of the fibrous coco-nut core, and fo artfully
joined that they appeared to be remarkably tight. The Ta-
heitians Amply bore holes in each plank, through which
they pafs their firings ; but by this means their canoes are
always leaky. At Tongo-Tabboo they dub the infide of
the plank in fitch a manner as to leave a projecting lift or
rim clofe to the edge, and through this they pafs their
threads. Along the deck or narrow board at each extremity
are placed fevefi or eight knobs, which feem to be an
imitation o'f the little fins-, (finnula fpUria,} on the belly of
honitoS, albecores, or mackarels ; and I cannot but conjecture
that the natives have taken thefe fwift fifties for their
models in the conftruCtion of their boats. Though thefe
canoes are commonly fifteen or eighteen feet long, yet they
are as neatly and fmooihl'y polifhed as our belt cabinetwork,
which muft appear the more furprifing when we-
eonfider that the tools of the natives are only wretched bits-
of coral, and rafps made of the {kins of rays. Their paddles
were equally well poliftied, of the fame wood as the canoe,
and had fliort rhomboidal broad blades, like thofe of Ta-
heitee. The other fort of canoes were conftruCted for failing,
and perfons {killed in nautical matters acknowledge
that they were admirably well adapted for this purpofe;
We Caw one of them in Maria Bay, confifting of two joined
together,,
till