1769' ROUND THE WORLD. 19S 



consists of human hair, plaited in threads, scarcely 

 thicker than sewing silk. Mr. Banks has pieces of 

 it above a mile in length, without a knot. These they 

 wund round the head in such a manner as produces a 

 very pretty effect, and in a very great quantity ; for 

 I have seen five or six such pieces wound about the 

 head of one woman : among these threads they stick 

 flowers of various kinds, particularly the Cape- 

 jessamine, of which they have great plenty, as it is 

 always planted near their houses. The men sometimes 

 stick the tail-feather of the Tropic-bird upright in 

 their hair, which, as I have observed before, is often 

 tied in a bunch upon the top of their heads : some- 

 times they wear a kind of whimsical garland, made 

 of flowers of various kinds, stuck into a piece of the 

 rind of a plantain ; or of scarlet peas, stuck with gum 

 upon a piece of wood : and sometimes they wear a 

 kind of wig, made of the hair of men or dogs, or 

 perhaps of cocoa-nut strings, woven upon one thread, 

 which is tied under their hair, so that these artificial 

 honours of their head may hang down behind. 

 Their personal ornaments, besides flowers, are few ; 

 both sexes wear ear-rings but they are placed only 

 on one side : when we came they consisted of small 

 pieces of shell, stone, berries, red peas, or some small 

 pearls, three in a string ; but our beads very soon 

 supplanted them all. 



The children go quite naked : the girls till they 

 are three or four years old ; and the boys till they are 

 six or seven. 



The houses, or rather dwellings, of these people, 

 have been occasionally mentioned before : they are 

 all built in the wood, between the sea and the moun- 

 tains, and no more ground is cleared for each house 

 than just sufficient to prevent the dropping of the 

 branches from rotting the thatch with which they are 

 covered ; from the house, therefore, the inhabitant 

 steps immediately under the shade, which is the 

 most delightful that can be imagined. It consists of 



VOL. I. o 



