PERSONAL ORNAMENTS. 133 



usuall}' carries his ]upe or his tobacco tucked inside them. They 

 are often worn very tight, especially in the case of the ]ilaited arm- 

 lets, which actually constrict the limb. 



Nose ornaments are not commonly worn in the eastern islands, 

 though the nasal septum is generally pierced b}'- a hole for the 

 appendage which may be of tortoise-shell, bone, shells, &c. Youths 

 keep the hole patent by retaining in it a small piece of wood of the 

 thickness of a lead pencil, and between one and two inches in length. 

 The tip of the nose is frequently pierced by a small hole about half 

 an inch deep, in which a small peg of M'ood is sometimes placed 

 which projects beyond the nose and gives the face an odd appear- 

 ance. 



The lobes of the ears are perforated by holes, which by continual 

 distension become of the size of a crown-piece and often larger. In 

 some islands, as in Santa Anna, a disc of white wood 1|- to 2 inches 

 in diameter is placed in these holes. Sometimes they ai'e kept in 

 shape by the insertion of a shaving of wood rolled into a spiral ; but 

 more frequently they are left empty. Singular uses are made of 

 these holes in the lobes of the ear, pipes and matchboxes being 

 sometimes placed in them. On one occasion, Taki, the Wano chief, 

 came on board with a heavy bunch of native shell-money hanging 

 from each ear, a sign of mourning, as he infoi-med us, for a recently 

 deceased wife. In some instances, more particularly amongst the 

 elder men, the pendulous loop formed by the distended hole in the 

 lobe becomes severed and hangs in two pieces. I am told that when 

 these loops break, the two parts are readily joined by paring the 

 torn surfaces obliquely and binding them together. 



TliB natives of the islands of Bougainville Straits pay less atten- 

 tion to personal decoration than do those of St. Ciiristoval and the 

 adjacent islands. The large Tridacna armlets are not often worn, 

 the small shell armlets being those generalh' preferred, and as in the 

 case of those worn in the eastern islands, their number indicates the 

 rank and wealth of the wearer. The plaited arm-bands described 

 on page 132 are frequently worn. Armlets made of trade beads are 

 favourite ornaments of the women : when visiting the houses of the 

 chiefs, I have sometimes found their wives employed in this kind of 

 fancy-work, small red, blue,- and white beads being tastefully worked 

 together in the common zig-zag pattern. Here, as in the eastern 

 islands, the septum of the nose is pierced by a hole, but I rarely saw 

 any ornament -suspended from it. The women of Treasur}^ Island, 



