1779* THE PACIFIC OCEAN. HI 



are two small birds, both of one ge?ius, that are very 

 common ; one is red, and generally seen about the 

 cocoa-nut trees, particularly when they are in flower, 

 from whence it seems to derive great part of its sub- 

 sistence; the other is green; the tongues of both are 

 long and ciliated, or fringed at the tip. A bird with 

 a yellow head, which, from the structure of its beak, 

 we called a perroquet, is likewise very common. It, 

 however, by no means belongs to that tribe, but 

 greatly resembles the lexia Jlavicans, or yellowish 

 cross-bill of Linnaeus. 



Here are also owls, plovers of two sorts, one very 

 like the whistling plover of Europe; a large white 

 pigeon; a bird with a long tail, whose colour is black, 

 the vent and feathers under the wing (which is much 

 longer than is usually seen in the generality of birds, 

 except the birds of paradise) are yellow ; and the 

 common water or darker hen. 



Their vegetable productions are nearly the same 

 with the rest of the South Sea islands. I have before 

 mentioned, that the (arrow root is much superior to 

 any we had before tasted, and that we attributed this 

 excellence to the dry method of cultivating it. The 

 bread-fruit trees thrive here, not in such abundance, 

 but produce double the quantity of fruit, they do on 

 the rich plains of Otaheite. The trees are nearly of 

 the same height, but the branches begin to strike out 

 from the trunk much lower, and with greater luxuri- 

 ance. Their sugar-canes are also of a very unusual 

 size. One of them was brought to us at Atooi, 

 measuring eleven inches and a quarter in circumfe- 

 rence, and having fourteen feet eatable. 



At Oneeheow, they brought us several large roots 

 of a brown colour, shaped like a yam, and from six to 

 ten pounds in weight. The juice, which it yields in 

 great abundance, is very sweet, and of a pleasant 

 taste, and was found to be an excellent substitute for 

 sugar. The natives are very fond of it, and use it as 



