FOOD. 288 



tain extent also the natives feed upon iish^ judging 

 from the nets and fishing'-spears seen among- them. 

 The former^ althoug-h frequently thirty or forty feet 

 in leng-th^ did not exceed eig'hteen inches in depth^ — 

 they have small meshes^ thin triang'ular wooden 

 floats, and shells at the bottom as sinkers. Althouo-li 

 we saw many pig's on shore in the villag-e^ only one 

 was obtained by barter^ in this one a spear wound 

 behind the shoulder was made along-side the ship 

 before handing- it on board^ but for what purpose 

 we could not understand^ as it did not kill the animal. 

 Dog-s also I have reason to believe are occasionally 

 eaten^ but whether cannibalism is ever practised by 

 these people is a question which we have not the 

 means of settling'^ as no evidence bearing- upon the 

 point could be obtained. 



August 29th, — During- our stay of thirteen days 

 at this anchorag-e the wind has usually been strong- 

 fi'om East to E. S. E.^ with dull^ g-looni}^^ squally 

 weather^ and occasionally showers of drizzling- rain. 

 To-day^ however^ the rain was so heavy that we 

 caug-ht seven tons in the awning*. To this haziness^ 

 which by obscuring- distant objects was unfavourable 

 for surveying purposes^ we owed our long' detention 

 here. As our intercourse with the shore was limited 

 to the two brief visits formerly -mentioned^ I made 

 no addition to the collection^ with the exception of a 

 solitary Helix^ nor was anything of zoological interest 

 brought off by the natives^ except a string of heads 

 of a species of hornbill {Buceros plicatus), and fea- 



