3 2 3 
THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 
were ignorant of the plant to which it belongs; and alfo 177s. 
of another root, which is very large and palmated, which « _ AfiL j . 
we faw them dig up near the village, and afterward eat it. 
It is alfo probable that, as the feafon advances, they have 
many others, which we did not fee. For though there be 
no appearance of cultivation amongft them, there are great 
quantities of alder, goofeberry and currant bufhes, whofe 
fruits they may eat in their natural Hate, as we have feen 
them eat the leaves of the laft, and of the lilies, juft as 
they were plucked from the plant. It muft, however, be 
obferved, that one of the conditions which they feem to , 
require, in all food, is, that it fhould be of the bland or 
lefs acrid kind; for they would not eat the leek or garlic, 
though they brought vaft quantities to fell, when they un- 
derftood we were fond of it. Indeed, they feemed to have 
no relifh for any of our food ; and when offered fpirituous 
liquors, they rejected them as fomething unnatural and 
difgufting to the palate. 
Though they fometimes eat fmall marine-animals, in 
their frefh ftate, raw, it is their common practice to roaft 
or broil their food ; for they are quite ignorant of our me¬ 
thod of boiling; unlefs we allow that of preparing their 
porpoife broth is fuch ; and, indeed, their veffels being all 
of wood, are quite infufficient for this purpofe. 
Their manner of eating is exaffly confonant to the nafti- 
nefs of their houfes and perfons; for the troughs and plat¬ 
ters, in which they put their food, appear never to have 
been wafhed from the time they were firft made, and the 
dirty remains of a former meal are only fweeped away by 
the fucceeding one. They alfo tear every thing folid, or 
tough, to pieces, with their hands and teeth; for though 
they make ufe of their knives to cut off the larger portions, 
T t 2 they 
