COLLECTION OF HUMAN SKULLS. 37 



were mostly old and weather-worn^ and some of 

 them had pandanus seeds stuck in the orbits by way 

 of eyes. In front was a larg-e smooth stone painted 

 red and blacky and partially imbedded in the earth, 

 and beside it were some painted human leg- and arm 

 bones, shells and other ornaments. Behind, some 

 thirty or forty skulls of turtle were arrang-ed on the 

 gTound in several rows forming* a triangle. 



In a beautiful opening- among- the trees behind 

 the villag'e we saw an extraordinary screen — named 

 W07VS — the purpose of which, so far as we could 

 understand, had some connexion with the memory 

 of the dead. It extended fifty-six feet in leng-th, 

 with a slig'ht outward curvature, and measured five 

 feet and a half in heig-ht. It was formed of a row 

 of poles stuck in the g-round, crossed in fi'ont by 

 three horizontal strips of bamboo, and covered with 

 cross lattice work. The bars of the screen were 

 daubed over with red paint, and hung- with rows of 

 spider shells also painted red. Some poles project- 

 ing* above the others two to four feet had painted 

 jaws of the dug-oug- and larg-e conch shells [Fusus 

 proboscidiferus) fixed to the top, and numerous other 

 dug'ong- bones and shells were scattered along- the 

 front. On the ground along- the foot of the screen 

 was a row of stones painted with black and red in 

 imitation of g-rotesque faces, and to several of these 

 the old man who acted as cicerone attached the 

 names of persons who were dead. In some the 

 painting- was comparatively recent, and the stones 



