THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 307 
fea-animals, fuch as wolves, deer, and porpoifes, and others. 177?* 
But, in general, thefe reprefentations much exceed the na- 
tural fize; and they are painted, and often ftrewed with 
pieces of the foliaceous mica, which makes them glitter, 
and ferves to augment their enormous deformity. They 
even exceed this fometimes, and fix on the fame part of the 
head large pieces of carved work, refembling the prow of 
a.canoe, painted in the fame manner, and projecting to a 
confiderable diftance. So fond are they of thefe difguifes, 
that I have feen one of them put his head into a tin kettle 
he had got from us, for want of another fort of mafk. 
Whether they ufe thefe extravagant mafquerade ornaments 
on any particular religious occafion, or diverf on; or whe¬ 
ther they be put on to intimidate their enemies when they 
go to battle, by their monftrous appearance; or as decoys 
when they go to hunt animals, is uncertain. But it may be 
concluded, that, if travellers or voyagers, in an ignorant 
and credulous age, when many unnatural or marvellous 
things were fuppofed to exift, had feen a number of people 
decorated in this manner, without being able to approach 
fo near as to be undeceived, they would readily have believ¬ 
ed, and, in their relations, would have attempted to make 
others believe, that there exifted a race of beings, partaking 
of the nature of man and beafl; more efpecially, when, be- 
fides the heads of animals on the human fhoulders, they 
might have feen the whole bodies of their men-monfters 
covered with quadrupeds’ fkins 
The only drefs amongfhthe people of Nootka,obferved by 
us, that feems peculiarly adapted to war, is a thick leathern 
* The reflexion in the text may furnifli the admirers of Herodotus, in particular, with 
an excellent apology for fome of his wonderful tales of this fort. 
R r 2 
mantle 
