4 6 Wild Life in Southern Seas. 
appear from the fact of Cook’s witnessing on 
one occasion, in Huahine, the departure of 
seventy canoes filled with Areois. On landing 
at the place of destination they proceeded to the 
residence of the king or chief, and presented 
their ‘ marotai,’ or present : a similar offering 
was also sent to the temple and to the gods, as 
an acknowledgment for the preservation they 
had experienced at sea. If they remained in 
the neighbourhood preparations were made for 
their dances and other performances. 
“ On public occasions, their appearance was, 
in some respects, such as it is not proper to 
describe. Their bodies were painted with 
charcoal, and their faces, especially, stained with 
the ‘ mati,’ or scarlet dye. Sometimes they 
wore a girdle of the yellow ti leaves, which, in 
appearance, resembled the feather girdles of the 
Peruvians or other South American tribes. At 
other times they wore a vest of ripe yellow 
plantain leaves, and ornamented their heads 
with wreaths of the bright yellow and scarlet 
leaves of the ‘ hutu,’ or ‘ Barringtonia ’ ; but, 
in general, their appearance was far more 
repulsive than when they wore these partial 
coverings.” 
