50 DANCING GIRLS. 



wicked," and its bite almost certain death. It was 

 a pale brown above, and greyish white beneath. 



We had yesterday expressed a wish to see some 

 dancing girls perform, and the Rongo had to-day 

 provided a set to entertain us after dinner. Ac- 

 cordingly, about eight o'clock, the front of the 

 verandah being spread with mats and dimly lighted 

 up with lamps, we seated ourselves for the spectacle, 

 a large ring of people being squatted on the grass 

 outside. Four girls then made their appearance, 

 their hair ornamented with chaplets of white flowers, 

 their dresses rather gay, with long scarfs round the 

 neck and shoulders, and thin bands of silver round 

 the waist and wrists. They had no pretension to 

 beauty, and only one had any elegance of figure, the 

 rest being plain, dumpy little bodies enough. The 

 dancing consisted of slow gesticulations, bending of 

 the body, and waving and curving of the arms and 

 wrists ; in short, mere attitudinizing, in which the 

 only thing exhibited was flexibility of the joints, 

 with an occasional graceful posture or motion. The 

 tallest and best figure was the principal performer, 

 the others merely grouping themselves around her, 

 or occasionally taking a part. It was always accom- 

 panied by the band, and sometimes by the voice, 

 one of the performers taking up the end of her scarf, 

 drawing it over her mouth, and screeching forth the 

 harshest and shrillest tones I ever heard from a 

 woman's mouth. We had four scenes, with a pause 

 between each: each apparently represented some 



