448 cook's voyage to july, 



The labour and time employed in finishing their 

 canoes, which are the most perfect of their me- 

 chanical productions will account for their being 

 very careful of them. For they are built and pre- 

 served under sheds ; or they cover the decked part 

 of them with cocoa-leaves, when they are hauled on 

 shore to prevent their being hurt by the sun. 



The same tools are all they have for other works ; 

 if we except different shells, which they use as knives. 

 But there are few of their productions that require 

 these, unless it be some of their weapons ; the other 

 articles being chiefly their fishing materials, and 

 cordage. 



The cordage is made from the fibres of the cocoa- 

 nut husk, which, though not more than nine or ten 

 inches long, they plat about the size of a quill or 

 less, to any length that they please, and roll it up in 

 balls ; from which the larger ropes are made, by 

 twisting several of these together. The lines that 

 they fish with are as strong and even as the best cord 

 we make, resembling it almost in every respect. The 

 other fishing implements are large and small hooks. 

 The last are composed entirely of pearl-shell ; but 

 the first are only covered with it on the back ; and 

 the points of both commonly of tortoise-shell ; those 

 of the small being plain, and the others barbed. 

 With the large ones they catch bonnetos and albi- 

 cores, by putting them to a bamboo rod twelve or 

 fourteen feet long, with a line of the same length, 

 which rests in a notch of a piece of wood, fixed in 

 the stern of the canoe for that purpose, and is 

 dragged on the surface of the sea, as she rows along, 

 without any other bait than a tuft of flaxy stuff near 

 the point. They have also great numbers of pretty 

 small* seines, some of which are of a very delicate 

 texture. These they use to catch fish with, in the 

 holes on the reefs when the tide ebbs. 



The other manual employments consist chiefly in 

 making musical reeds, flutes, warlike weapons, and 



