BOW DITCH ISLAND. 17 



The officers lost many small articles, which were pilfered very 

 dexterously; and if any things were dropped or suffered to be out of 

 sight a moment, they were instantly concealed or made away with. 

 Mr. Rich, when near the boat, gave his botanical collecting-case to a 

 native to hold, who, the moment his back was turned, ran off with it ; 

 and it required a hard chase to overtake him. 



In one part of the village, two drums were seen : one of these was 

 a trough, resembling those at the Feejee and Tonga Islands ; the other 

 was a cylindrical frame, set upright in the ground, with a piece of 

 shark's skin drawn tightly over it, like those of Hawaii : the latter was 

 beaten like our drums, with two sticks, and was intended as an accom- 

 paniment to dancing ; for when it was beaten, the natives began that 

 exercise. The motions of the dance were similar to those observed in 

 other parts of Polynesia, only more varied. 



The younger portion of the community, of both sexes, were naked; 

 while those more advanced in life wore the maro, which in the men 

 was from six to eighteen inches wide. Some of these were very fine 

 in texture, and bordered with fringe. The maro worn by the elder 

 and it was presumed married women, consisted of a great number of 

 leaves tied to a cord, and then slit into fine threads. These were 

 kept well oiled and perfectly pliable, and formed a huge apron, 

 resembling a bundle of straw tied around the loins : it was almost 

 impossible to conceive a more unwieldy or ridiculous dress; its weight 

 was about fifty pounds, which may give some idea of its size ; if it 

 were rolled up, it would never have been recognised as a part of 

 female attire. 



Their ornaments consisted of necklaces of shells and bone, ear- 

 rings of the same, and false curls in front. It was observed, that 

 their hair appeared to be thinner than that of the other islanders, 

 though their heads did not approach to baldness. 



In manufactures they seemed quite apt. They had two kinds of 

 mats, the one about four feet square for sleeping, the other for 

 clothing : they evinced some ingenuity in these, as well as in their 

 fish-hooks, which were made of bone, shark's teeth, and shell ; many 

 of these were small and remarkably neat. They also had saws and 

 files, formed of shark's skin stretched on sticks, which in their hands 

 were quite effective in wearing away the soft wood, &c. The con- 

 struction of their drill was ingenious; it was pointed by a hard 

 stone, and the mode of using it and producing the circular motion 

 can be more readily comprehended by reference to the wood-cut. 



