TE PITO TE HENUA, OR EASTER ISLAND. 



481 



have called at the island. A niche in the wall of each of these dwell- 

 ing's was evidently designed to receive tbe household god and the va- 

 rious valuables which were possessed by the inhabitants. Whatever 

 treasures they may have held in former years, we found them empty, 

 and our search revealed nothing of importance. 

 • Attention was directed to one of the buildings in t his assemblage thai 

 apparently had no entrance way. One wall was demolished, disclosing 

 a rude coffin containing the remains of a native recently deceased. 

 The unoccupied house had been utilized as a tomb, and sealed up with 

 the material of which the walls were built. 



SCULPTURED ROCKS. 



The most important sculptured rocks on this island (Plate XXII) are 

 in the immediate vicinity of the stone houses at Urongo (Fig. 7). As 



Pig. t. 

 Sculptured rocks near ouo.ngo. 



much time as possible was devoted to examining and sketching these 

 curious relics. The hard volcanic rock is covered by carvings intended 

 to represent human faces, birds, fishes, ami mythical animals, all very 

 much defaced by the ravages of time and the elements (Plate XXIII). 



The apparent age of some of the rock-carvings antedates the neighbor- 

 ing stone houses, the images, and other relics of the island except the 

 ruined village on the bluff west of Kotatake Mountain. Fishes and 

 turtles appear frequently among these sculptures, but the most common 

 figure is a mythical animal, half human in form, with bowed back and 

 long claw like legs and arms. According to the natives, this symbol was 

 B- Mis. 224, !><• 2 31 



