452 A NATURALIST ON THE "CHALLENGER." 



shell hatchets, and models of canoes, to sell to ns, which were 

 as badly made as the trade gear which we gave in exchange. 

 They understand the rules of barter well, and, as in Labillar- 

 diere's time, seemed anxious to pay their debts. They pretended, 

 with many expressive grimaces, to be unable to bend pieces of 

 tortoiseshell which they offered for sale, and of the thickness 

 (i.e., fine quality) of which they wish to impress the purchaser. 

 They often thus pretended to try ineffectually to bend very thin 

 pieces indeed, and fully entered into the joke when we did the 

 same with thin bits of hoop iron. They always required to see 

 the hoop-iron tested by bending before accepting it. They must 

 trade with one another regularly. They made signs that the ore 

 of manganese which they use came in canoes from a distance 

 eastwards. The native canoes are so seaworthy, and the natives 

 so enterprising and fearless in going to sea, that possibly articles 

 may pass by barter from island to island here over wide distances, 

 even to New Hanover and New Britain. 



The natives took all the hoop-iron from us which they could 

 get, evidently receiving more than they could use, no doubt 

 intending it for future barter. My colleague, the late E. von W. 

 Suhm, believed that the natives on Wild Island recognized the 

 native name of Humboldt Bay (Talok Lintju), and pointed in 

 the direction of New Guinea, having knowledge of the place. 

 Hence he thought that they visited the place to trade. I think, 

 however, that he must have been mistaken. The Admiralty 

 Islanders could never make a stand against a race armed with 

 bows ; they would be cut off at once ; and had they once seen 

 bows and arrows they would surely have adopted them. (The 

 Australians have not done so at Cape York, though the Murray 

 Islanders come to trade there and bring bows and arrows with 

 them, but then they are far lower in intellect, and have the 

 throwing stick.) Many other circumstances concur against the 

 above hypothesis. 



The Islanders were anxious to trade with us to the very 

 last, and followed the ship as she left the anchorage, with that 

 intent. They were in a highly excited state, especially at first, 

 and a man from whom I bought the first obsidian -headed spears 

 I procured, fairly trembled with excitement as I handed him two 



