GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. '3'29 



side, being fastened together. On the out-rigger, 

 they had tied a number of lances of cocoa-wood, 

 about two fathoms long, which they first declined 

 to barter for iron. They kept up an incessant 

 loud noise, distorted their eyes, and made other 

 savage motions, to make themselves appear 

 terrible. Their boats were very simple, resem- 

 bling a trough, and composed of many pieces, but 

 did not seem adapted to sailing ; in general, there 

 were six men in each. They seemed to call iron 

 (as on Easter Island) Hoio : they appeared not to 

 understand the word taboo, or rather did not know 

 what we meant by using it, as the word is, to them 

 a very serious one. Waihini seemed, in their 

 language, also to be a denomination for a woman. 

 They brought us nothing eatable, with the excep- 

 tion of green cocoa-nuts ; they, however, seemed 

 to be very well fed. 



On the 13th of May, (after we had been only 

 two days in the northern hemisphere,) we har- 

 pooned a dolphin for the first time, (^Delphinus 

 DelphiSy Lin.) The head ended in a long snout ; 

 on each side of its jaw we counted twenty-three 

 teeth, that is in all ninety-two. This day we like- 

 wise, for the first time, caught a Velellay the inter- 

 nal gristly shell of which, went from the front 

 angle of the left side, in the under membrane, to 

 the back angle of the right side, (placing the ani- 

 mal with one of the longer sides of the under mem- 

 brane towards the spectator.) This Veklla was 



