196 VOYAGES OF A NATURALIST 



but others were much decayed, and showed signs 

 of having lain in these graves for a very great 

 length of time. 



So far as we could discover, only one body was 

 buried in each platform. The body seemed to 

 have been placed in its grave in no special position 

 — at least, the bones were all together in a pile, 

 though possibly the body may have been placed 

 in a crouching position, a supposition borne out 

 to a certain extent by the fact that the spaces in 

 the platforms were of no great size. 



All the bones collected were carefully packed 

 and taken on board, and are now in the British 

 Museum. Mr. T. A. Joyce has examined this 

 collection and has most kindly placed his notes on 

 the subject at my disposal. I have made several 

 extracts from them and owing to his courtesy am 

 able to give a fuller account of aU that is known 

 of this interesting island than would otherwise 

 have been possible. A series of forty-nine skulls 

 was brought from Easter Island by Capt. -Lieu- 

 tenant Geiseler, after the visit of the German 

 gunboat "Hyane" to the island. Geiseler ob- 

 tained several of the skulls himself either from 

 the "platforms" or from specially built mortuary 

 chambers. He stated that the " platforms " were 

 used by the present inhabitants as burial places, 

 and adds that this practice was in vogue at the 

 time of his visit ; and that the natives were in the 

 habit of removing the bones as the bodies decayed 



