ABSTRACT
Observatory Isle, now Pudiu or Poudioue. 2 Cf. Harvey's note on the weaponry. Journals, n, 529, n. 7 and also Voyage* II, 385-6,
3 George (I'oyage, n, 382) and Cook (Journals, n, 530) give more detail here on their
landing and reception. 4 Probably the Australian Grey Duck Anas superdliosa pelewensis Hartlaub and Finsch,
the only common duck in New Caledonia. See also Journals, n, 531, n. 4,
N A T U R E A N D P E O P L E O B S E R V E D
several windings to several of their houses & plantations. These houses are round, with a low Entrance, full of Smoke Si hot on account of the Fire they have in, to keep out, as I believe, the Mosquitos, which are plentifull in these Marshy places, though to day but few were observed, on account of the cool weather. The houses are made of reeds & other leaves. Their women & all Females wear a kind of round pettycoat, sometimes black, sometimes white, sometimes black below & white above it, consisting of a kind of leaves or filaments, on a string round the waist, about the length of a Span. Shells Sc other Ornaments of small pieces of green Stone are wore by both Sekes. Close to the houses were low Coconut Trees, Arum Macrorhizum Sc esculentum 8c Sugarcanes planted, which they water by little rivulets of fresh water carried there on purpose in elevated trenches. There were spots of Eddies set under water. We stood a few Minutes a shore &: I got a new plant, & saw several which I had seen before, & hastened away, because it grew late. We saw a great many Ducks, Herons,1 Owls,2 Gulls3 & other birds, Sc heard some pretty birds singing, perhaps we may get tomorrow some more. The people in general seem Goodnature*!, some old fellows are bold Sc surly; but generally we find them very good. When we first came ashore, the Chief Natwbooma* held a Speach, & before he began, a Man cried out aloud & immediately a Silence ensued & he then began to speak Sc sometimes in an interrogatory manner, when some old Men allways answered & then he continued to speak; this happened likewise a little while after, when another Chief came & began to speak with the same Circumstances. I observed among the people several with very thick Elephants-Legs, some with two, some with one, Si one Man had just such an arm. It is hard, swelled but it seems without any continued pain. I saw a few with ulcers & sores on their feet & hands. We examined the Genitals of one of the Natives Sc found they had undergone a kind of operation somewhat similar to the circumcision viz: they split the Foreskin, & then tie the part, which gradually decays Sc falls off. This is the practice at Otahaitee Sc the Society Isles, Sc I believe here, for the
1 Probably, mostly, the White-faced Heron Notophoyx novashollandiae nana Amadon,
1942.2 Probably the Barn Owl Tyro alba lifuensis Brasil, 1916.
