472 A NATURALIST ON THE "CHALLENGER." 



blew a child's tin trumpet with evident satisfaction. He appro- 

 priated it from one of his subjects, to whom I had given it, and 

 came off to the ship standing on his canoe platform and blowing 

 it with all his might, with three bright coloured cricket belts 

 which he had purchased, put on one above the other round his 

 middle. The drums were constantly sounded on Wild Island, 

 often in the afternoon. 



The women, both old and young, dance, moving round in a 

 ring with a quick step. The men signified that they danced 

 too, but were not seen to do so. I did not see dancing myself. 



I saw some old women performing a kind of incantation. 

 They sat on the ground in the yard of one of the houses, four of 

 them sitting facing one another in a circle, whilst two sat out- 

 side the circle. They had their faces and bodies blackened. 

 They uttered at regular intervals a chant, " ai aiai aiai aiai aiai 

 umm." The commencement was shrill, in a high key, and the 

 terminal " umm " was sounded low, with the peculiar humming 

 lingering sound, just as in Fijian chants. 



Polygamy is practised. Oto, the chief, told E. Von W. 

 Suhm that he had five wives. I do not imagine that the aged 

 are killed. I saw several aged miserably lean hags, one 

 especially emaciated and disgusting to look upon, and also old 

 men. On one occasion amongst a party of 42 natives in nine 

 canoes there were two old men, one with grey hair, the other 

 somewhat infirm. Children are carried by the women generally 

 on the back, but sometimes on the hip astride. 



The chief Oto pointed out one youth as his son, and took 

 away presents which were given to him. 



The village at Dentrecasteaux Island is fortified. A pali- 

 sade about ten feet high, stretches right across the corner of the 

 island, where the village lies, shutting this off from the landing- 

 place. The path to the village led through a gate-like opening 

 in the palisade, which seemed in not very good repair. The 

 palisade was without ditch or embankment. The village itself 

 was surrounded by a second wall, low, and crossed by stiles ; at 

 Wild Island there was no fortification. The natives inhabit the 

 small outlying islands, probably for protection from attack. 

 Very few natives were seen living on the main land, and these 



