TE PITO TE HENUA, OR EASTER ISLAND. 457 



Verbena officinalis, and a few others grow in great profusion, but they 

 grew from cuttings obtained from a French vessel of war. 



Ferns of many varieties are common, and grow in profusion in the 

 craters of the volcanoes. Except in a few exposed places, the slopes 

 of the hills aud the valleys are covered with a perennial grass. It 

 strongly resembles the Jamaica grass (Paspalum) and grows in bunches 

 or tufts, which in the dry season become so slippery as to make the 

 walking both difficult and dangerous. This natural growth supplies 

 ample pasturage for the numerous cattle and sheep owned by Messrs. 

 Salmon and Brander. 



To avoid the depredations of the sheep that wander over the island 

 without restraint, the natives are compelled to protect their cultivated 

 patches by stone walls. The volcanic stones furnish the only available 

 material for these barriers, and are thrown loosely together to a height 

 of 5 or 6 feet, and inclose gardens from a few feet square to several 

 acres. The deeply rooted prejudice existing in the native mind against 

 physical exertion that might be avoided, has developed a happy ex- 

 pedient to save labor and at the same time to escape the ravages of the 

 animals lately imported by the foreign residents. Ruins of houses, 

 cairns, platforms, and tombs are thickly scattered over the island; 

 many of the standing walls are sufficiently well preserved and others 

 require but little repair. Within these ancient foundation walls are 

 raised their limited crops of fruit and vegetables; the only disadvan- 

 tage being the contracted area available for each plot. 



MAMMALS. 



There are no quadrupeds peculiar to the island except several vari- 

 eties of rodents. The ancient traditions claim that a goat like animal 

 was found here by the first colonists, with wide-spreading horns and 

 giving six young at a birth. It is difficult to imagine the foundation 

 for this fancy. We found no representation of such an animal either 

 in the mural paintings or outlined on the sculptured rocks, and diligent 

 search of the debris of the caves failed to disclose any of the bones or 

 traces of mammals. 



La Perouse found the islanders without domestic animals, and left 

 with them two ewes, a she-goat, and a sow, with the male of each spe- 

 cies. Their native names indicate the recent addition to the language. 



In the caves and among the ruins we saw many rats of great size. 

 The examination of the tombs disclosed the fact that the bones had 

 been frequently gnawed by these rodents, and their nests were some- 

 times found inside the crania. 



There, are on the island a few cats as wild as though they had never 

 seen the face of man, though they are descended from feline pets landed 

 by some passing vessel. They have grown to an immense size, and 

 upon several occasions wlien encountered in the dark recesses of a cave 



