a Surate, dans
les Indes, ou ils les vendent fort chere aux habitans riches, qui
en font des aigrettes pour leurs turbans, et pour le casque des
guerriers, et qui en parent leur chevaux. C'est de la qu'est venue
l'opinion, qu'une de ces especes d'oiseaux (l'oiseau de pardis) _n'a
point de pattes_. Les Hollandois ont accredite ces fables, qui, en
jettant du merveilleux sur l'objet dont ils traffiquoient,
etoient propres a le rendre plus precieux, et a en rechausser la
valeur."--Voyage a la Nouvelle Guinee, p. 154.--D.]

In the night, and all the morning, on the 22d, it rained almost
continually. The wind was at S.E., S.S.E., and S., which brought in a
short, chopping sea; and as there were breakers little more than two
cables length from the stern of our ship, her situation was none of
the safest. The surf broke so high against the shore, that we could
not land in our boats; but the day was not wholly lost, for the
natives ventured in their canoes, to bring off to the ships hogs and
roots, which they bartered as before. One of our visitors, on this
occasion, who offered some fish-hooks to sale, was observed to have
a very small parcel, tied to the string of one of them, which he
separated with great care, and reserved for himself, when he parted
with the hook. Being asked what it was, he pointed to his belly, and
spoke something of its being dead, at the same time saying, it was
bad, as if he did not wish to answer any more questions about it. On
seeing him so anxious to conceal the contents of this parcel, he was
requested to open it, which he did with great reluctance and some
difficulty, as it was wrapped up in many folds of cloth. We found that
it contained a thin bit of flesh, about two inches long, which, to
appearance, had been dried, but was now wet with salt water. It
struck us, that it might be human flesh, and that these people might,
perhaps, eat their enemies, as we knew that this was the practice of
some of the natives of the South Sea islands. The question being put
to the person who produced it, he answered, that the flesh was part
of a man. Another of his countrymen, who stood by him, was then asked,
whether it was their custom to eat those killed in battle? and he
immediately answered in the affirmative.

There were some intervals of fair weather in the afternoon, and the
wind then inclined to the E. and N.E. but, in the evening, it veered
back again to S.S.E., and the rain also returned, and continu