THEPACIFICOCEAN. 307 



and fea-animals, fuch as wolves, deer, and porpoifes, and '778* 



* ' April. 



Others. But, in general, thefe reprefentations much exceed 

 the natural fize; and they are painted, and often flrewed 

 witli pieces of the foliaceous mica, which makes them glit:- 

 ter, and ferves to augment their enormous deformity. They 

 even exceed this fometimes, and fix on the fame part of the 

 head large pieces of carved work, refembling the prow of 

 a canoe, painted in the fame manner, and projecting to a 

 confidcrable diftance. So fond are' they of thefe difguifcs, 

 that I have feen one of them put his head into a tin kettle 

 he had got from us, for want of another fort of mafk. 

 Whether they ufe thefe extravagant mafquerade ornaments 

 on any pTirticular religious occafion, or diverfion ; 01 -vhcther 

 they be put on to intimidate their enemies wlien they go to 

 battle, by their monftrous appearance; ar as decoys when tliey 

 go to hunt animals, is uncertain. But it may be coiicluded, 

 that, if travellers or voyagers, in an ignorant and credulous 

 age, when many unnatural or marvellous things were fup- 

 pofed to exift, had feen a number of people decorated in 

 this manner, without being able to approach fo near as to 

 be undeceived, they would readily have believed, and, in 

 their relations, would have attempted to make others be- 

 lieve, that there exifled a race of beings, partaking of the 

 nature of man and beaft ; more cfpccially, when, befides 

 the heads of animals on the human ftioulders, they might 

 have feen the whole bodies of their nicn-monllers covered 

 with quadrupeds' fkins *. 



The only drels amongft the people of Nootka, obferved by 

 \is, that feems peculiarly adapted to war, is a thick leathern 



* The refleiStion in the text may furnifli the adinJieis of Herodotus, in particular, 

 with an excellent apology for feme of his wonderful tales of this fort. 



R r 2 mantle 



