180 TAHITI. 



ai'G tattooed in the same manner as the men, and 

 very commonly on llicir fingers. One unbecoming 

 fashion is now ahnost universal : namely, shaving 

 the hair from the upper part of the head, in a cir- 

 cular form, so as to leave only an outer ring. The 

 missionaries have tried to persuade the people to 

 change this habit ; but it is the fashion, and that is 

 a sufficient answer at Tahiti, as well as at Paris. 

 I was much disappointed in the j)ersonal appear- 

 ance of the women : they are far inferior in every 

 respect to the men. The custom of wearing a 

 white or scarlet flower in the back of the head, or 

 through a small hole in each ear, is pretty. A 

 crown of woven cocoa-nut leaves is also worn as a 

 shade for the eyes. The women appear to be in 

 greater want of some becoming costume even than 

 the men. 



Nearly all the natives understand a little English 

 — that is, they know the names of common things ; 

 and by the aid of this, together with signs, a lame 

 sort of conversation could be carried on. In re- 

 turning in the evening to the boat, we stopped to 

 witness a very pretty scene. Numbers of children 

 were playing on the beach, and had lighted bon- 

 fires, which illumined the placid sea and surround- 

 ing trees ; others, in circles, were singing Tahitian 

 verses. We seated ourselves on the sand, and 

 joined their party. The songs were impromptu, 

 and I believe related to our amval : one little girl 

 sang a line, which the rest took up in parts, form- 

 ing a very pretty chorus. The whole scene made 

 us unequivocally aware that we were seated on 

 the shores of an island in the far-famed South Sea. 



11th. — This day is reckoned in the log-book as 

 Tuesday the 17th, instead of IMonday the 16th, 

 owing to our, so far, successful chase of the sun. 

 Before breakfast the shiji was hemmed in by a 



