HTOIAN BONES 195 



which the platforms are built are of the size of a 

 man's head, perhaps slightly larger, and they are 

 arranged in the form of a rough square of about 

 the dimensions of an ordinary dinner-table ; in 

 the centre of each platform there is a hollow space. 

 Soon after we first landed, one of the party 



noticed a fragment of a 

 human skull lying near 

 one of the statues, and, 

 on enquiry, we were told 

 that the skull had 

 come from one of the 



Fig. 2.— Lava crown for statue. platfomiS. Our informant 



added that there were 

 human remains in all the piles of rocks at the 

 foot of the images, and that, if we liked, he would 

 tell the rest of the natives to collect a quantity 

 of bones for us. This same man — a native of 

 Tahiti, who had been on Easter Island for several 

 years — told us emphatically that the bones were 

 on the island when the present inhabitants first 

 arrived there from Tahiti. 



We, of course, accepted his offer, and, on our 

 return to the landing-place a few hours afterwards, 

 we found a large stack of bones awaiting us. We 

 ourselves examined several of the platforms, 

 and in each one there were remains of human 

 skeletons. Some were complete, and some con- 

 sisted only of a few small bones, such as vertebrae 

 or ribs. Many of the bones were in good condition. 



