OP LA PEROUSE. 279 



took pofTeflion of it, after having, with a piece of 

 volcanic ftone, cut the line to which it was made 

 fail. 



Thefe natives now made no difficulty in ap- 

 proaching quite clofe to our fhip, without, how- 

 ever, confenting to come on board. By degrees 

 the number of the canoes increafed, and traffic 

 was carried on with all poffible fairnefs: we 

 even faw feveral of thefe lavages, who, having 

 been pufhed off from our fhip by the great crowd 

 of canoes, before they had been able to pay for 

 the article which they had purchafed, made every 

 effort to bring back its equivalent. They afli- 

 duoufly fought for the perfon to whom they were 

 indebted, and fome returned even at the expira- 

 tion of half an hour, and delivered the value of 

 the goods they had received. ' . 



A very remarkable Angularity is the ufe to / 

 which they apply the fhell dehgnated by the 

 name of bulla ovum (fee Plate III.). They each 

 had one fufpended at the extremity of the penis : 

 for this purpofe they had made an opening above 

 the moft inflated part of this fhell, in order to 

 lodge in it the glans : fo whimfical an appendage 

 diverted our people exceedingly. Thefe natives 

 made great difficulties in parting with this orna- 

 ment, on which they feemed to fet a great value : 

 in truth, its dazzling whitenefs formed a very 

 ftriking contraft with the blacknefs of their ikin. 

 t 4 I cannot, 



