48 L I EUT ENA NT COOK’S V O Y A G E
177a: ornament, a fafhion which at prefent prevails among the
--v——> ladies o f England. The men generally wear their beards
Ihort, and their hair tied upon the crown of the head in a
bunch, in which they flick the feathers of various birds, in
different manners, according to their fancies; fometimes
one is placed on each fide of the temples, pointing forwards,
which we thought made a very difagreeable appearance.
The women wear their hair fometimes cropped Ihort, and
fometimes flowing over their fhoulders.
The bodies of both fexes are marked with the black ftains
called Amoco, by the fame method that is ufed at Otaheite,
and called Tattowing ; but the men are more marked, and
the women lefs. The women in general flain no part of
their bodies but the lips, though fometimes they are marked
with fmall black patches on other parts: the men, on the
contrary, feem to add fomething every year to the ornaments
of the laft, fo that fome of them, who appeared to be
of an advanced age, were almoft covered from head to foot.
Befides the Amoco, they have marks impreffed by a method
unknown to us, of a very extraordinary kind: they are furrows
of about a line deep, and a line broad, fuch as appear
upon the bark of a tree which has been cut through, after a
year’s growth: the edges of thefe furrows are afterwards
indented by the fame method, and being perfectly black,
they make a moft frightful appearance. The faces of the
old men are almoft covered with thefe marks; thofe who
are very young, black only their lips like the women; when
they are fomewhat older, they have generally a black patch
upon one cheek, and over one eye, and fo proceed gradually,
that they may grow old and honourable together :
but though we could not but be difgufted with the horrid
deformity which thefe ftains and furrows produced in the
“ human face divine,” we could not but admire the dexterity