1 16 cook's voyage to march, 



have no tradition of their own origin, but what is 

 perfectly fabulous; whilst, on the other hand, the 

 unadulterated state of their general language, and the 

 simplicity which still prevails in their customs and 

 manners, seem to indicate, that it could not have 

 been at any very distant period. 



The natives of these islands are, in general, above 

 the middle size, and well made ; they walk very 

 gracefully, run nimbly, and are capable of bearing 

 great fatigue ; though, upon the whole, the men are 

 somewhat inferior, in point of strength and activity, 

 to the Friendly Islanders, and the women less deli- 

 cately limbed than those of Otaheite. Their com- 

 plexion is rather darker than that of the Otaheiteans, 

 and they are not altogether so handsome a people. 

 However, many of both sexes had fine open coun- 

 tenances ; and the women, in particular, had good 

 eyes and teeth, and a sweetness and sensibility of 

 look, which rendered them very engaging. Their 

 hair is of a brownish black, and neither uniformly 

 straight, like that of the Indians of America, nor 

 uniformly curling, as amongst the African negroes, 

 but varying, in this respect, like the hair of Europeans. 

 One striking peculiarity, in the features of every 

 part of this great nation, I do not remember to have 

 seen any where mentioned ; which is, that, even in 

 the handsomest faces, there is always a fulness of the 

 nostril, without any flatness or spreading of the nose, 

 that distinguishes them from Europeans. It is not 

 improbable that this may be the effect of their usual 

 mode of salutation, which is performed by pressing 

 the ends of their noses together. 



The same superiority that is observable in the per- 

 sons of the Erees, through all the other islands, is 

 found also here. Those whom we saw were, without 

 exception, perfectly well formed ; whereas the lower 

 sort, besides their general inferiority, are subject to 

 all the variety of make and figure that is seen in the 

 populace of other countries. Instances of deformity 



