2o8 AVOYAGETO 



'778- fklns, though moift, had neither a tafte nor fmell that 



January. " 



*— -V ' could give room to fufpedt the ufe of anciputrefcent fub- 



flances*. - 



Tharfday22. In the night, and all the morning, on the 22d, it rained 

 almoft continually. The wind was at South Eaft, South 

 South Eaft, and South ; which brought in a fliort, chopping 

 fea ; and as there were breakers little more than two cables 

 length from the flern of our fliip, her lituation was none of 

 the fafeft. The furf broke fo high againft the fliore, that 

 we could not land in our boats ; but the day was not wholly 

 loft ; for the natives ventured in their canoes, to bring ofF to 

 the fliips hogs and roots, which they bartered as before. 

 One of our vifiters, on this occafion, who offered fome fifli- 

 liooks to fale, was obferved to have a very fmall parcel, tied 



* It is matter of real curiofity to obferve, how very cxtenfively the predilc6lion for 

 red feathers is fpread throughout all the iflands of the Pacific Ocean : and the addi- 

 tional circumftance, mentioned in this paragraph, will, probably, be looked upon, by 

 thofc who amufe themfelves in tracing the wonderful migrations of the fame family, or 

 tribe, as a confirmation of that hypothefis (built indeed on other inftances of lefem- 

 blancc), which confiders New Guinea, and its neighbouring Eaft India iflands, from 

 whence the Dutch bring their birds of paradife, as originally peopled by the fame race, 

 which Captain Cook found at every ifland from New Zealand to this new group, 

 to which Atooi belongs. 



What Mr. Sonnerat tells us, about the bird of paradife, agrees perfedly with the 

 account here given of the prefcrved red-birds. Speaking of the Papons, he pro- 

 ceeds thus : " Us nous prefcntcreiit plufieurs efpcces d'oifcaux, aufli elegants par 

 *' leur forme, que brillants par I'cclat de leur couleurs. La depouille des oifeaux fert 

 *' a la parure dcs Chefs, qui la portent attachce a leurs bonnets en forme d'aigrettes. 

 " Mais en fripnrant ks pcimx-, lis coupent li-s pieds. Les Hoilandois, qui trafiquciit fur 

 •' ces cotes, y achetent de ces pcaux ainfi preparees, les tranfportent en Perie, a Su- 

 " rate, dans les Indcs, ou ils les vendent fort chcrc aux habitans riches, qui en font 

 " dcs aigrettes pour leurs turbans, & pour le cafque dcs guerriers, & qui en parent 

 ** leur chevaux. C'eft de la qu'cft venue I'opinion, qu'unc de ces efpeccs d'oifcaux 

 " (I'oifeau de paradis) n'a point de patUs. Les Hoilandois ont accrcditc ces fables, 

 " qui, en jetant du mcrvcilleux fur I'objet don: ils traffiquoient, ctoient proprcs a le 

 *' rcndre plus prcticux, & a en rcchauficr la valcur." 



Voyage a la Nowjelle Guinie, p. 154. 



•f to 



