192. SUPPLEMENTAL HISTORY OP MAN. 



not out of any sense of decency, as they were put 

 off or thrown behind when the weather was warm. 



An old woman and a boy were observed each to 

 have but one eye, and it was understood, though not 

 with sufficient certainty, to warrant the statement 

 that these people had a custom of mutilating them- 

 selves in this way. The practice of their aboriginal 

 neighbours of punching out a front tooth, so mi- 

 nutely described by Colonel Collins, gives a degree 

 of probability to the otherwise almost incredible 

 absurdity of a set of people voluntarily depriving 

 themselves or each other of an eye. Governor 

 Macquarie, however, met with but two instances out 

 of upwards of fifty of these people thus mutilated ; 

 but whether they were voluntarily so or by accident, 

 ignorance of their language would not permit the 

 Europeans to ascertain. 



The inhabitants of New Zealand, (says Captain 

 Cruise,) are in general tall, active, and well made ; 

 their colour is brown, with black hair, sometimes 

 straight, and sometimes curling; and they have 

 very fine teeth. There is a striking difference be- 

 tween the Itungateedas, that is, the chiefs and 

 better class of people, in stature and cast, and 

 those who are by birth cookees, or slaves. Many of 

 the latter are almost black, and below the middle 

 size. The New Zealanders exhibit as much variety 

 in features as the Europeans ; there is little national 

 character in their countenances, which, before they 

 come to the age for being tattooed, may be called 

 regular and pleasing. 



