THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
227 
what we faw of it, as well as the Hates and whetftones, was 
cut artificially. 
Befides the Vegetable articles, bought by us as refrefh- 
ments, amongft which were, at leaft, five or fix varieties of 
plantains, the illand produces bread-fruit; though it feems 
to be fcarce, as we faw only one tree, which was large, and 
had fome fruit upon it. There are alfo a few cocoa-palms ; 
yams, as we were told, for we faw none; the kappe of the 
Friendly Iflands, or Virginian arum\ the etooa tree, andfweet 
fmelling gardenia , or cape jafmine . We faw feveral trees of 
the dooe dooe , fo ufeful at Otaheite, as bearing the oily nuts, 
which are fiuck upon a kind of Ikewer, and burnt as 
candles. Our people faw them ufed, in the fame manner, 
at Oneeheow. We were not on fhore at Atooi but in the 
day-time, and then we faw the natives wearing thefe nuts, 
hung on firings, round the neck. There is a fpecies of 
Jida , or Indian mallow, fomewhat altered, by the climate, 
from what we faw at Chriftmas Ifland; the morinda citri- 
folia , which is called none ; a fpecies of convolvulus; the ava, 
or intoxicating pepper; and great numbers of gourds. Thefe 
laft grow to a very large fize, and are of a vaft variety of 
fhapes, which probably is effected by art. Upon the dry 
fand, about the village, grew a plant, that we had never 
feen in thefe feas, of the fize of a common thiftle, and 
prickly, like that; but bearing a fine flower, almoft refem- 
bling a white poppy. This, with another fmall one, were 
the only uncommon plants, which ourfhort excurfion gave 
us an opportunity of obferving. 
The fcarlet birds, already defcribed, which were brought 
for fale, were never met with alive; but we faw a fino-le 
fmall one, about the fize of a canary-bird, of a deep crimfon 
colour; a large owl; two large brown hawks, or kites; and a 
G g 2 wild 
1778. 
February. 
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