A MEETING 213 



been left by visitors from a neighbouring shore. * 

 It may be that the Easter Island people paid 

 periodical visits. 



No mammals are indigenous to Pitcairn, but 

 rats have been imported by ships, and their burrows 

 were seen in plenty. A number of goats, of which 

 we saw a large herd, run wild, and provide meat 

 for the inhabitants. Occasionally they are driven 

 in a valley to be counted, as only a certain number 

 may be shot annually. 



We saw no butterflies on the island, but there 

 were many small moths, and one species 

 Plutella maculipennis was most abundant. 



At sunset we went on board the yacht, which 

 was anchored off the settlement, but early next 

 morning a heavy squall arose and the anchor was 

 found to be dragging. Fortunately steam was up, 

 and we got away from the rocky shore, towards 

 which the wind had been rapidly carrying us, 

 without mishap. It was found afterwards that 

 the flukes of the anchor had been broken off, 

 probably by striking a rock when "let go " on 

 the previous morning. During the following day, 

 for as long as we remained at Pitcairn, the yacht 

 had to be hove to off the island. 



During the morning we landed again and 

 attended in the large building previously mentioned 

 a meeting of the islanders, at the close of which 



* It is possible that these " visitors " were those " vanquished in 

 war " and cast adrift on a raft from neighbouring islands, as suggested 

 by Brodie (Pitcairn Island, 1851, p. 48). 



Q 



