OUB POSSESSION IN SAMOA. !•- 



about five minutes, when the straining is commenced 

 with a swab of bark fillers, which is continued until all 

 coarse particles are removed from the soapy-looking 

 liquid; the entire time required being about fifteen 

 minutes. The liquid has a peppery, rather pleasant 

 taste. It is served in cups of carved cocoanut shell. Thin 

 drink suits the place and climate better than any other 

 beverage. In larger quantities it produces a form of 

 slight intoxication, in moderate quantities it is a di- 

 uretic and slight soporific. 



NATIVE HOUSES. 



The natives remain true to their original architecture 

 in the construction of their houses. The houses are 

 circular, open, the round dome-like thatched roof rest- 

 ing on poles. The rafters are made of the bread-fruit 

 tree, held together and fastened to the upright poles 

 with an intricate lacework of bark and twigs. The 

 ground is covered with gravel. The bed consists of tapa 

 mats, and the pillows are bamboo sticks, as large as the 

 a I'm of an adult, supported by props at each end, about 

 four inches in height. The cooking is done outside. As 

 there is no furniture in the house the domestic duties 

 of the female part of the family are certainly of the 

 simplest kind. The tapa cloth is made of the thick, 

 soft bark of a tree ; it is pounded into thin sheets, dried 

 and painted in figures most pleasing to its future owner. 

 It is the principal article of barter, and its abundance 

 or scarcity constitutes the wealth or poverty of the 

 family. These open houses and the frugal diet are most 

 conducive to the preservation of the native's health. 

 Indoor air, combined wfth the inherent inactivity of 

 the natives, could not fail in multiplying disease and 

 increasing the death rate. 



DISEASES. 



Samoa, like all islands of the South Pacific, has lost 

 its full share of population from the effects of the in- 



