THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 387 



fliions of wearing it, that it is hard to tell which is moft in '777- 

 vogue. Some have it cut off one fide of the head, while ' — . — • 

 that on the other fide remains long ; fome have only a por- 

 tion of it cut fliort, or, perhaps, fliaved ; others have it en- 

 tirely cut off, except a fingle lock, which is left common- 

 ly on one fide ; or, it is fuffered to grow to its full length, 

 without any of thefe mutilations. The women, in gene- 

 ral, wear it fhort. The men have their beards cut ftiort ; 

 and both men and women flrip the hair from their arm- 

 pits. The operation by which this is performed has been 

 already defcribed. The men are ftained from about the 

 middle of the belly, to about half way down the thighs, 

 with a deep blue colour. This is done with a flat bone in- 

 ftrument, cut full of fine teeth, which, being dipped in the 

 llaining mixture, prepared from the juice of the dooe dooe, is 

 llruck into the fkin with a bit of flick ; and, by that means, 

 indelible marks are made. In this manner they trace lines 

 and figures, which, in fome, are very elegant, both frorn 

 the variety, and from the arrangement. The women have 

 only a few fmall lines or fpots, thus imprinted, on the infide 

 of their hands. Their kings, as a mark of diftincflion, are 

 exempted from this cuflom, as alfo from inflidling on them- 

 felves any of thofe bloody marks of mourning, which fliall 

 be mentioned in another place. 



The men are all circumcifed, or rather fupercifed j as the 

 operation confifls in cutting off only a fmall piece of the 

 forefkin, at the upper part ; which, by that means, is ren- 

 dered incapable, ever after, of covering the glans. This is 

 all they aim at; as they fay, the operation is pradlifed from 

 a notion of cleanlinefs. 



The drefs of both men and women is the fame ; and 

 confifts of a piece of cloth or matting (but moflly the 



3 D 2 former), 



