177^. ROUND THE WORLD. 309 



head-dress, and what appears to be their chief orna- 

 ment, is a sort of broad fillet, curiously made of the 

 fibres of the husk of cocoa-nuts. In the front is 

 fixed a mother-of-pearl shell wrought round to the 

 size of a tea-saucer. Before that another, smaller, 

 of very fine tortoise-shell, perforated into curious 

 figures. Also before, and in the centre of that, is 

 another round piece of mother-of-pearl, about the 

 size of half-a-crown ; and before this another piece 

 of perforated tortoise-shell, the size of a shilling. 

 Besides this decoration in front, some have it also on 

 each side, but in smaller pieces ; and all have fixed 

 to them the tail-feathers of cocks or tropic-birds, 

 which, when the fillet is tied on, stand upright -, so 

 that the whole together makes a very sightly ornament. 

 They wear round the neck a kind of ruff or necklace, 

 call it which you please, made of light wood, the out 

 and upper side covered with small red peas, which 

 are fixed on with gum. They also wear small 

 bunches of human hair, fastened to a string, and tied 

 round the legs and arms. Sometimes, instead of hair, 

 they make use of short feathers ; but all the above- 

 mentioned ornaments are seldom seen on the same 

 person. 



I saw only the chief, who came to visit us, com- 

 pletely dressed in this manner. Their ordinary orna- 

 ments are necklaces and amulets made of shells, &c. 

 I did not see any with ear-rings, and yet all of them 

 had their ears pierced. 



Their dwellings are in the valleys, and on the sides 

 of the hills, near their plantations. They are built 

 after the same manner as at Otaheite ; but are 

 much meaner, and only covered with the leaves of 

 the bread-tree. The most of them are built on a 

 square or oblong pavement of stone, raised some 

 height above the level of the ground. They like- 

 wise have such pavements near their houses, on 

 which they sit to eat and amuse themselves. 



In the article of eating, these people are by no 



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