Ornaments of the New Zealanders. 29 
long, nor is it ever adorned with feathers. Their garments 
were made of the fame materials, and in the fame form, as 
thofe of the other fex, but the lower one was always bound 
fail round them, except when they went into the water to 
catch lobllers, and then they took great care not to be feen by 
the men. Some of us happening one day to land upon a fmall 
iildfod in Tolaga Bay, we furprized feveral of them at this em- 
ployment ; and the chaite Diana, with her nymphs, could not 
have difcovered more confufion and diilrefs at the fight of Ac- 
tion, than thefe women expreffed upon our approach. Some 
of them hid themfelves among the rocks, and the refl.crouched 
down in the fea till they had made themfelves a girdle and 
apron of fuch weeds as they could find, ana when they came 
out, even with this veil, we could perceive that them modefly 
fuffered much pain by our prefence. The girdle and apron 
which they wear in common, have been mentioned before. 
Both fexes bore their ears, and by firetching them the holes 
become large enough to admit a finger at leafl. In thefe holes 
they wear ornaments of various lands, cloth, feathers, bones of 
large birds, and even fometimes a flick of wood ; and to thefe 
receptacles of finery they generally applied the nails which we 
gave them, and every thing which it was poffible they could 
contain. The women fometimes thruft through them the 
down of the albatrofs, which is as white as fnow, and which, 
fpreading before and behind the hole in a bunch almofl as big 
as the fill, makes a very fingular, and however flrange it may 
be thought, not a difagreable appearance. Befides the orna- 
ments that are thruft through the holes of the ears, many others 
are fufpended to them by firings ; fuch as chiffels or bodkins 
made of green talc, upon which they fet a high value, the nails 
and teeth of their deceafed relations, the teeth of dogs, and eve- 
ry thing elfe that they can get, which they think either curious 
or valuable. The women alfo wear bracelets and anclets, made 
of the bones of birds, fhells, or any other fubflances which they^- 
can perforate, and firing upon a thread. The men had fome- 
times hanging to a firing, which went round the neck, a piece 
of green talc, or whalebone, fomewhat in the fhape of a tongue, 
with the rude figure of a man carved upon it ; and upon this 
ornament they fet a high value. In one inflance, we faw the 
griflle that divides the noflrils, and called by anatomifls, the 
feptum uaft, perforated, and a feather thrufl through the hole, 
which projected on each fide over the cheek's : it is probable 
that this frightful Angularity was intended as an ornament, 
but of the many people we faw, we never obferved it in any 
other, nor even a perforation that might occaftonally ferve for 
fuch a purpofe. 
Their houfes are the moll inartificially made of any thing among 
them, being fcareely e^ual, except in fize, to an Englilh dog- 
C 3 • kennel 
