Amongft the articles which they brought to barter, this
day, we could not help taking notice o f a particular fort o f
cloak and cap, which, even in countries where-drefs ¡is more
particularly attended to, migh t be reckoned elegant. T h e
lirft, are nearly o f the fize and ihape o f the fliort cloaks
worn by the women in England, and by the men in Spain,
reaching to the middle o f the back, and tied loofely before.
T h e ground o f them-is a net-work, upon w h ich the molt
beautiful red and y e llow feathers are fo clo fely fixed, that
the furface migh t be compared to the thickeft and riche ft
velvet, w h ich they refemble, both as to the feel, and the
g lo ffy appearance. T h e manner o f va ryin g the mixture is
v e ry different; fome ha vin g triangular fpaces o f red and
yellow, a lte rn ate ly ; others, a kind o f c re fc en t; and fome
that were entirely red, had a broad ye llow border, w hich
made them appear, at fome diftance, exactly lik e a fcarlet
clo ak edged w ith gold lace. T h e brilliant colours o f the
feathers, in thofe that happened to be new, added not a little
to their fine appearance; and we found, that they were in
h ig h eftimation w ith their owners ; fo r they wou ld not, at
firft, part w ith one o f them, fo r any thin g that w e offered,
a ik in g no lefs a price than a mufquet. However, fome were
afterward purchafed for ve ry large nails. Such o f them as
were o f the beft fort, were fc a r c e ; and it ihould feem, that
they are only ufed on the occafion o f fome particular ceremony,
or diverfion ; for the people who had them, always
made fome gefticulations, which w e had feen ufed before by
thofe who fung.
T h e cap is made almoft exadfly lik e a helmet, with the
middle part, or creft, fometimes o f a hand’s b re ad th ; and it
fits very clofe upon the head, having notches to admit the
ears. It is a frame o f twig s and oilers, covered with a net-
* work,
work, into w hich are w rou gh t feathers, in the fame man-
J an u a ry.
n er as upon the cloaks, though rather clofer, and lefs diver- u— „— „
fified; the greater part b eing red, w ith fome black, y e llow ,
or green ftripes, on the fides, fo llow in g the curve direftion
o f the creft. Thefe, probably, complete the drefs, with
the c lo a k s ; fo r the natives, fometimes, appeared in both
together.
W e were at a lofs to guefs -from whence they could g e t
fuch a quantity o f thefe beautiful feathers ; but were foon
informed, as to one f o r t ; fo r they afterward brou ght great
numbers o f fkins o f fmall red birds for fale, w hich were often
tied u p in bunches o f twenty or more, or had a fmall
wooden fkewer run throu gh their noftrils. A t the firft,
thofe that were bought, confifted only o f the ikin from behind
the w in g s forward ; but we., afterward, got many with
the hind part, in cludin g the tail and feet. T he firft, how ever,
ftruck us, at once, with the o rig in o f the fable forme
rly adopted, o f the birds o f paradife wan ting le g s ; and fu f-
ficiently explained that circumftance. Probably the people
o f the iflands Eaft o f the Moluccas, from whence the ikin s
o f the birds o f paradife are brought, cut o ff their feet, fo r
the ve ry reafon afligned by the people o f Atooi, fo r the lik e
p ra c tice ; w h ich was, that they hereby can preferve them
w ith greater eafe, without lofing any part w hich they
reckon valuable. T h e red-bird o f our ifland, was judged by
Mr. Anderfon to be a fpecies o f -merops, about the fize o f a
fparrow ; o f a b eautiful fcarlet colour, with a black tail, and
wings ; and an arched bill, twice the length o f the head,
w hich, with the feet, was alfo o f a reddiih colour. T h e
contents o f the heads were taken out, as in the birds o f paradife
; but it did not appear, that they ufed any other
method to preferve them, than by fimple d r y in g ; for the
ikins,