hands upon their breads near their ftioulders. When they fight in their boats, they
generally throw a ftring to one another to fallen the canoes together; and the men
who are employed in doing this are never (truck at -f*.
The natives cut their hair in various forms. When their neareit relations die,
fome of them cut it off entirely, and go bare-headed; others leave a border all
round the head ; and others cut it into circles ; while fome have only a circular
piece cut off the crown like a prieffs tonfure; others dill prefer another mode,
leaving the hair upon the crown of the head, and cut off all the reft. All this they
perform with a fhark’s tooth, which cuts it very clofe: they alfo (have with
a (hark’s tooth fitted to a piece of coarfe (hell. The natives are accuftomed
to mark themfelves in a very fingular manner, which they call tataowing; {fee
pi. VII. fig. i.] this is done with the juice of a plant; and they perform the
operation with an inftrument having teeth like a comb, dipped in the juice, with
which the (kin is perforated. '[See pi. XIII. fig. 2, 3, arid 4.] Mr. Stainiby, my-
felf, and fome others of our company, underwent the operation, and had our arms
marked : the ftain left in the (kin, which cannot'be effaced without deftroying it,
is of a lively bluiih purple, fimilar to that made upon the lkin by gun-powder.
Thefe people have invented a mufical inftrument, fomewhatlike a flute, [fee pi.
XIII. fig. 8. and pi. IX.] which they blow into through their nofes; but their notes,
which,are but very few, are rude and ungrateful. Their dances are not lefs Angular
than their mufic; for they twift their bodies,into many extravagant poftures,
fpread their legs, fet their arms a-kimbo, and, at the fame time, diftort the mufcles
of their .faces, and twift their mouths diagonally, in a manner which none of us
could imitate. [See pi. VII.' fig. 2.]
Polygamy is not allowed amongft them; but the married women have not a very
delicate fenfe of modefty : their huibands will allow you any liberty with their
wives, except the laft, which they do not approve. Moil of our (hip’s company
procured temporary wives amongft the natives, with ,whom they occafionally.co
habited; an indulgence which even many reputed virtuous Europeans allow themfelves,
in uncivilized parts of the world, with impunity ; as if achange of place
f We faw two men who had been piereed through the ikull by (tones from a fling; the wounds
were healed up, but had left a large, operculum.
E altered