POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
117 
his friend. Sometimes the razor becomes rather dull^ 
and something more than a little additional strength 
is necessary. A whetstone is then applied to the edge; 
but if this be not at hand, the man gets up half-shaved, 
and both go together to the nearest grindstone; and 
I have beheld that the transition from the grindstone 
to the chin is sometimes direct, without any inter¬ 
mediate application to the edge of the razor. The hone 
and the strap, however, have' been introduced, and ere 
long will probably supersede the use of the grindstone, 
and also the whetstone. 
The islanders appear to have paid at all times great 
attention, not only to cleanliness, but to personal orna¬ 
ments. On public occasions, their appearance was in 
a high degree imposing. At their dances, and other 
places of amusement or festivity, they wore a profusion 
of ornament, and on ordinary occasions, with the ex¬ 
ception of the aged and decrepit, devoted much time to 
the improvement of their appearance. The hair of the 
females, which was neatly trimmed, and sometimes 
appeared in short loose curls, was an’ object of great 
attention; the eye-brows were also reduced, or shaped 
according to their ideas of beauty. The hair was orna¬ 
mented with elegant native flowers, sometimes exhi¬ 
bited in great profusion and variety, at others with 
only one or two single jessamine blossoms, or a small 
wreath interwoven with their black and shining ring¬ 
lets. They displayed great taste in the use of flowers, 
and the adorning of their hair. Frequently I have 
seen them with beautiful wreaths of yellow flowers, 
worn like fragrant necklaces on their bosoms, and 
garlands of the same around their brows, or small 
bunches of the brilliant scarlet hibiscus rosm chinensis 
