﻿OBSERVATIONS 
  IN 
  NATURAL 
  HISTORY, 
  do. 
  409 
  

  

  blocks 
  of 
  lava 
  in 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  a 
  human 
  head 
  and 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   body. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  figures, 
  which 
  are 
  about 
  thirty 
  feet 
  in 
  

   height, 
  are 
  placed 
  in 
  a 
  standing 
  position, 
  facing 
  the 
  sea, 
  on 
  the 
  

   sides 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  craters, 
  while 
  others 
  are 
  placed 
  at 
  

   intervals 
  along 
  the 
  shore. 
  Why 
  these 
  figures 
  are 
  there 
  is 
  un- 
  

   known, 
  but, 
  as 
  Easter 
  Island 
  has 
  never 
  been 
  properly 
  "worked," 
  

   this 
  is 
  not 
  surprising. 
  Except 
  for 
  mention 
  of 
  some 
  caves 
  in 
  the 
  

   largest 
  crater, 
  which 
  I 
  shall 
  try 
  and 
  describe 
  later, 
  I 
  have 
  been 
  

   unable 
  to 
  find 
  any 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  mystery 
  of 
  Easter 
  Island. 
  

   During 
  our 
  short 
  visit 
  we 
  found 
  a 
  human 
  skull 
  lying 
  near 
  one 
  of 
  

   the 
  images, 
  and 
  on 
  questioning 
  a 
  native 
  (Easter 
  Island 
  is 
  now 
  

   used 
  by 
  a 
  Chilian 
  company 
  as 
  a 
  sheep 
  and 
  cattle 
  run, 
  and 
  Poly- 
  

   nesians 
  have 
  been 
  introduced 
  to 
  work 
  there), 
  we 
  were 
  told 
  that 
  

  

  Crania 
  found 
  at 
  Easter 
  Island. 
  

  

  there 
  were 
  quantities 
  of 
  human 
  bones 
  under 
  the 
  statues, 
  or 
  rather 
  

   among 
  the 
  large 
  blocks 
  of 
  lava 
  on 
  which 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  images 
  are 
  

   standing. 
  We 
  at 
  once 
  set 
  the 
  natives 
  to 
  work 
  to 
  collect 
  some 
  of 
  

   these 
  bones, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  short 
  time 
  we 
  got 
  about 
  a 
  dozen 
  skulls 
  and 
  

   many 
  other 
  bones, 
  nearly 
  all 
  of 
  which 
  appeared 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  great 
  

   age, 
  and 
  in 
  many 
  instances 
  were 
  crumbling 
  away. 
  

  

  My 
  illustration 
  shows 
  the 
  facial 
  part 
  of 
  two 
  of 
  these 
  skulls, 
  

   which 
  I 
  photographed. 
  These 
  bones 
  are 
  now 
  being 
  worked 
  out 
  

   at 
  the 
  British 
  Museum, 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  not 
  yet 
  heard 
  the 
  result 
  ; 
  they 
  

   undoubtedly 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  race 
  which 
  formerly 
  inhabited 
  Easter 
  

   Island, 
  and, 
  according 
  to 
  measurement 
  made 
  by 
  the 
  doctor 
  on 
  

  

  