POLYNESIAN RESEARCHES. 
473 
sisting of a chief, and three, four, or five of his depend¬ 
ants. Their appearance, equipment, and dress presented 
the most singular spectacle I ever witnessed. The sym¬ 
metry of form^ well-shaped and finely turned limbs and 
graceful steps of some, together with their tasteful, cum¬ 
berless dress, the light spear in their hand, and the excite¬ 
ment of their countenance, presented a figure that could 
not be contemplated without admiration 3 and the only 
feelings of a different order, on beholding such an 
individual, were those of regret at the errand on which 
he was going. 
There were others, however, very different in appear¬ 
ance, which made the contrast the more striking 5 some 
exceedingly corpulent and heavy, others spare in habit, 
all arrayed in a different kind of dress from that they 
ordinarily wore, and some presenting frightful figures. 
Many wore a kind of turban, others a bandage of human 
hair, across their forehead, and round the back of the 
head. 
The most singular head-dress was that worn by Buhia, 
one of the chiefs of Maeva. It was a kind of wig, con¬ 
sisting of long and yellow beards, fastened in a sort of 
net-work fitted to the head. Whether they were the 
beards of vanquished enemies, that had been taken as 
trophies by his ancestors, as the Americans are accus¬ 
tomed to preserve the scalps of their prisoners, I did not 
learn. The singularity of his appearance was greatly 
increased by two or three small whales’ teeth, the roots 
which were attached tO' the net-work, while the points 
projected through the hair like very short horns: one 
was placed over each eye, and, I think, one over one 
of the ears. The other parts of his dress were alto¬ 
gether those of an ancient warrior 5 and his appearance 
II. 3 p 
