70 Art. YIL— A. M.its'anmra : 



vertical grove in tlio middle is painted red ; while the other parts 

 are eitiier white or black, more particularly the part in relief is 

 painted black and the part cut in, white. This can bo distinguish- 

 ed in photographs. The ornament is flat-shaped, with absolutely 

 the same figures on both sides. It is fixed to the prow and stern 

 by means of ropes passed through a hole made in its lower part. 

 The prow and stern, wdiich project several feet, are rendered still 

 more remarkable by the addition of such ornaments (PI. VIII, 

 fig. 2). 



It may here be asked what is 

 represented by the carved figures. It 

 seems to me that they indicate two 

 birds facing each other with their 

 bills close together, the long part 

 extending right and left, probably 



showing their tails. The birds re- Fig. 27.-Prow ornament. Tmk. 



presented are probably a kind allied to the Japanese wagtail. 



The writer was unable to determine this question while in 

 the islands. He was informed that the natives could tell l)y the 

 ornaments where the canoes come from. It is likely that among 

 different islands in Truk there exist some variations in the pattern 

 of the figures, but not sufficient to regard the figures as the 

 symbol of a particular island or community. These particular 

 figures, of course, serve to indicate the island to which a canoe 

 belongs, there must, however, be some reason deciding the selec- 

 tion of these figures. The figures of birds are, in my opinion, 

 intended, at least partly, as a sort of charm, originally adopted 

 from association wdth particular birds ; for it is natural for the 

 islanders to desire to sail safely and swiftly over the sea, as the 

 birds fly over the islands dotted on the ocean. This, however, 



