44 
SURVEY OF THE INTERTROPICAL 
Isis, and buoyant enough to support the weight of two 
Feb. 27. people. The end is rudely ornamented, and is 
attached to the extremity by the same contrivance 
as the joints of the main stem, only that the two 
are not brought close together. The joint is 
contrived by driving three pegs into the end of the 
log, and by bending them, they are made to enter 
opposite holes in the part that is to be joined 
on ; and as the pegs cross and bend against each 
other, they form a sort of elastic connexion, which 
strongly retains the two together. When it is 
used, they sit astride and move it along by pad- 
dling with their hands, keeping their feet upon 
the end of the log, by which they probably guide 
its course. Such are the shifts to which the ab- 
sence of larger timber has reduced these simple 
savages : they shew that man is naturally a navi- 
gating animal ; and this floating log, which may 
be called a marine-velocipede , is, I should sup- 
pose, the extreme case of the poverty of savage 
boat-building all round the world. 
The island is composed of a rocky basis, co- 
vered by a thin layer of sandy soil. On the 
summit of the bluff east end of the island was 
observed one of those immense nests that were 
seen at King George the Third’s Sound, the 
base of which measured seven feet in diameter. 
Whilst examining the nest, some natives were 
