224, Pickering on the Language and Inhabitants 
one end to hang loose behind, while the other is brought forward 
and fastened to the belt in front. The females wear an apron 
made of the leaves of a plant called by them kurremung, split into 
fine strips and plaited. This extends from the loins nearly to the 
knees. Some few wear rings upon their wrists, made of white 
shells, and some had a similar ornament made of turtle-shell. In 
their ears, which are always bored, they sometimes wear a leaf; 
and round their necks a necklace made of the shell of the cocoa- 
nut, and a small white shell, called keem shell. The children go 
entirely naked. 
The complexion of these islanders is described as a light cop- 
per-color, of rather a deeper yellow than the Chinese, and resem- 
bling the Manilla Spaniards, being much lighter than the Malays 
or the Pelew Islanders ; which last, however, they resemble in the 
breadth of their faces, high cheek-bones, and broad, flattened noses. 
They do not color their teeth by chewing any thing, as many of 
the other islanders do; but their teeth are so strong, that they 
can husk a cocoa-nut with them instantly. 
Their principal food is the cocoa-nut. They occasionally take 
fish, but the supply of these was very small during the stay of 
the Americans in the island. Their fish-hooks are made of tur- 
tle-shell and not well contrived for the purpose; but the seamen 
could not induce them to use our fish-hooks, till they had heated 
them and altered their form so that they would not hold the fish. 
They did this, as they told the seamen, because Yarris (God) 
would be angry with them if they used our hooks without pre- 
paring them according to their fashion. Sometimes they are so 
fortunate as to catch a sea-turtle; but this animal has something 
of a sacred character with them ; five only were taken during the 
two years that the Americans remained there. They also raise a 
