706 
THE VOYAGE OE H.M.S. CHALLENGER. 
to recognise no advantage in seeing their faces in them; in Labillardiere’s time, however, 
they broke them to look for the picture, or man, inside. Tobacco and pipes were not 
understood. Biscuit was eagerly taken and eaten. G-reat wonder was expressed at the 
whiteness of European legs and chests by the natives, and the women at D’Entrecasteaux 
Island crowded with great curiosity and astonishment to look at a white arm or chest. 
The natives possibly thought that the hands and faces were only painted white, and 
took the negroes on board the ship for men who had not got the paint on. 
The Humboldt Bay and Admiralty Island natives’ probably believed that their weapons 
were purchased in order that they might be used as such, for they frequently, when 
offering spears and bows, showed by signs how well they would kill. 
The following account of the natives of the Admiralty Islands is largely taken from a 
paper on the subject published in 1877 by Mr. Moseley, 1 to which the reader is referred 
for further details as to the language and other matters. It must be remembered 
that the stay of the Challenger at the islands lasted only a week, and that the period 
during which the natives- and their customs could be studied was very short. A most 
important and full account of the anthropology of the group is to be expected when 
Baron de Miklucho-Maclay publishes in full the results of his prolonged researches on 
Melanesian races. Some corrections of erroneous impressions formed at the time of the 
visit of the ship have been made in the following account from information which has 
been derived from that illustrious naturalist in conversation. 
Nearly all the ornaments, weapons, and utensils figured in the text and plates are 
deposited in the Christy Collection at the British Museum. 
About fifty-five words and the numerals of the islands were obtained, and the results 
are published in Mr. Moseley’s paper above referred to. The numerals are interesting 
because those for 8 and 9 are expressed as 10. minus 2, and 10 minus l. 2 In the process 
of learning the art of counting, a term for the numeral 10 has been reached by the 
natives, before 8 and 9 have been named. This method of forming the numerals 8 and 
9 is known amongst other distant races, such as the Ainos and some North American 
peoples, but apparently does not occur amongst either Polynesians or other Melanesians. 
It is, however, found in the language of one Micronesian Island, Yap, in the Caroline 
group. In counting objects, the natives clap their hands, held with the fingers pointed 
forwards and closed side by side, once when 10 is reached, twice when 20 is pronounced, 
thrice for 30, and so on. Up to 10 counting is done on the fingers, and after that, 
11, 12, &c., are reckoned on the toes. 
1 Jour. Anthrop. Inst., vol. vi. pp. 379-425, 1877. 
2 Admiralty Island Numerals : — 1, Sip. 2, Huap. 3, Taro. 4, Vavu. 5, Lima. 6, Wono. 7, Hetarop. 8, Anda Huap. 
9, Anda Sip. 10, Sangop. Jacobs, loc,. cit., p. 172 gives See, Maruer, Tollo, Ear, Leme, Ouno, Andru-tollo, Andru-ruer, 
Andru-see, Songule. Thus, according to him, the numeral for 7 is formed in the same manner as that for 8 and 9. His 
numerals are no doubt from a different part of the Admiralty group, and the method of spelling adopted by him is very 
different, still they correspond closely with those obtained. 
