Ch. v. the Islands of the South Sea. 71 



Yet powerful as these checks to population are, it 

 appears, from the recurrence of seasons of scarcity, 

 that they seldom repress the number of people 

 below the average means of subsistence. " That 

 " such seasons there are," (Captain Cook says,) 

 " our observations leave us no room to doubt.' 4 

 Fish is a principal part of their food, which, being- 

 only to be procured on the sea-coast, and at cer- 

 tain times,| must always be considered as a pre- 

 carious resource. It must be extremely difficult 

 to dry and preserve any considerable stores in a 

 state of society subject to such constant alarms ; 

 particularly, as we may suppose, that the bays 

 and creeks most abounding in fish would most 

 frequently be the subject of obstinate contest to 

 people who were wandering in search of food. % 

 The vegetable productions are, the fern root, 

 yams, clams and potatoes. § The three last are 

 raised by cultivation, and are seldom found on 

 the southern island, where agriculture is but little 

 known. || On the occasional failure of these 

 scanty resources from unfavourable seasons, it 

 may be imagined that the distress must be dread- 

 ful. At such periods it does not seem improbable 

 that the desire of a good meal should give addi- 

 tional force to the desire of revenge, and that they 

 should be " perpetually destroying each other by 



* Cook's First Voyage, vol. iii. p. 66. 

 t Id. p. 45. 



\ Id. Third Voyage, vol. i. p. 157. 

 § Id. First Voyage, vol. iii. p. 43. 

 || Id. vol. ii. p. 405. 



