PAINTINGS AND IDOLS 201 



" We rode down to a cave by the sea on the 

 west side, called in the map ' Hangaroa.' There 

 were many paintings in red and white and black, 

 principally frigate birds (Fig. 7), and a man-of-war 

 with white portholes, and another square-sailed 

 ship. These do not appear to be of great 

 antiquity. 



" In the village I got some rough obsidian spear- 

 heads and a large stone adze. 



" Mr. Cooper tells me that there are, in other 

 parts of the island, inscriptions in stone, but we 

 saw none ; he describes them as like ' Japanese 



FIG. 8. Wooden " charm." Worn, perhaps, on the heart. 



writing.'* The more modern idols are of the type 

 of the statues, with a broad nose with narrow 

 bridge. The old wooden idol (mentioned above) 

 is quite different, with high cheek bones and a 

 * Wellington ' nose." 



There is evidently much of great interest to 



* The Easter Islanders alone of all the inhabitants of Oceanea and 

 South America p ossessed a written language. Wooden tablets, on which 

 the script has survived, are described by Mr. O. M. Dalton, cf. "Man," 

 19041. 



