COASTS OF AUSTRALIA, 
197 
under sail, but delayed by light winds we were, 1819 . 
at noon, within half a league of the island, 2. As June is. 
there was no immediate appearance of a breeze, 
I landed on a steep beach, at the N.W. end of 
the island, whence the latitude was observed to be 
18° 50' 15", and from which I obtained an useful 
set of bearings. Near our landing-place were 
some natives’ huts and two canoes ; the former 
appeared to have been recently occupied, and 
were very snug habitations. They were of a 
circular shape, and very ingeniously constructed 
by twigs stuck in the ground and arched over, 
the ends being artfully entwined so as to give 
support to each other ; the whole was covered 
with a thatch of dried grass and reeds; they 
were not larger than two people could conve- 
niently occupy. In one of the huts, which was of 
a more elliptical shape and of larger dimensions 
than the other, was a bunch of hair that had been 
recently clipped from either the head or beard. 
This proves that these operations are not done 
solely by fire, as Captain Cook supposed # , but 
by means of a sharp-edged shell, which must be 
both tedious and painful to endure ; and we have 
often witnessed the delight shewn by the natives 
at the speedy effect a pair of scissors has produced 
Hawkeswortii, vol. iii. p. 229. 
