OF LA PEROUSE. 



SI 



the wrinkles which have been produced by child- 

 bearing. The fkin of their belly was marked 

 with three great Temi-circular punctures placed 

 one above the other. 



One of thefe favages had on his head feveral 

 very recent marks of burning. Perhaps they 

 applied the actual cautery in various difeafes ; 

 a cuiiom eftabliflied among many other na- 

 tions, and particularly among molt of the 

 Indians. 



We fiiw them make their meal about the 

 middle of the day. Till now we had only a faint 

 ideaof the trouble that the women are at to pro- 

 cure the food neceflary for the fubliftence of 

 their family : prefently they each took a bafket, 

 and were followed by their daughters, who did 

 the fame; they then went to the rocks projedl- 

 ing into the fea, and thence ventured to the 

 bottom of the water in fearch of lobflers and 

 other flicU-lifli. As they were out of fight for 

 a long time, we felt very uneafy on their ac- 

 count; for they had dived in the midft of fea- 

 weeds of a great length, among which I re- 

 marked the fiiciis pyriferus : we were afraid that 

 they were entangled in them, and were not able 

 to regain the furface of the fea ; at length they 

 reappeared, and fliewed us that it was no diffi- 

 cult matter for them to remain underwater twice 

 as long as our moft expert divers. An inltant 



E 2 ^'as 



