the vicinity as a place of incubation. There they were
joined by their friends the pelicans as usual, but these latter never
followed them to the dwellings of the savages. Among the other kinds of
tame fowls were ducks, differing very little from the canvass-back of
our own country, black gannets, and a large bird not unlike the buzzard
in appearance, but not carnivorous. Of fish there seemed to be a great
abundance. We saw, during our visit, a quantity of dried salmon,
rock cod, blue dolphins, mackerel, blackfish, skate, conger eels,
elephantfish, mullets, soles, parrotfish, leather-jackets, gurnards,
hake, flounders, paracutas, and innumerable other varieties. We noticed,
too, that most of them were similar to the fish about the group of Lord
Auckland Islands, in a latitude as low as fifty-one degrees south. The
Gallipago tortoise was also very plentiful. We saw but few wild animals,
and none of a large size, or of a species with which we were familiar.
One or two serpents of a formidable aspect crossed our path, but the
natives paid them little attention, and we concluded that they were not
venomous.

As we approached the village with Too-wit and his party, a vast crowd of
the people rushed out to meet us, with loud shouts, among which we could
only distinguish the everlasting Anamoo-moo! and Lama-Lama! We were
much surprised at perceiving that, with one or two exceptions, these new
comers were entirely naked, and skins being used only by the men of
the canoes. All the weapons of the country seemed also to be in the
possession of the latter, for there was no appearance of any among the
villagers. There were a great many women and children, the former not
altogether wanting in what might be termed personal beauty. They were
straight, tall, and well formed, with a grace and freedom of carriage
not to be found in civilized society. Their lips, however, like those of
the men, were thick and clumsy, so that, even when laughing, the teeth
were never disclosed. Their hair was of a finer texture than that of the
males. Among these naked villagers there might have been ten or twelve
who were clothed, like the party of Too-wit, in dresses of black skin,
and armed with lances and heavy clubs. These appeared to have great
influence among the rest, and were always addressed by the title Wampoo.
These, too, were the tenants of the black skin palaces. That of Too-wit
was situated in the centre of the village, and was much larger and