little pointed, will spread out or open like the sticks of a fan, by which
means they can beat up the quarters of an hundred lice at a time. These
combs or scratchers, for I believe they serve both purposes, they always
wear in their hair, on one side their head. The people of Tanna have an
instrument of this kind for the same use; but theirs is forked, I think,
never exceeding three or four prongs; and sometimes only a small pointed
stick. Their beards, which are of the same crisp nature as their hair, are,
for the most part, worn short. Swelled and ulcerated legs and feet are
common among the men; as also a swelling of the scrotum. I know not whether
this is occasioned by disease, or by the mode of applying the wrapper
before-mentioned, and which they use as at Tanna and Mallicollo. This is
their only covering, and is made generally of the bark of a tree, but
sometimes of leaves. The small pieces of cloth, paper, etc. which they got
from us, were commonly applied to this use. We saw coarse garments amongst
them, made of a sort of matting, but they seemed never to wear them, except
when out in their canoes and unemployed. Some had a kind of concave,
cylindrical, stiff black cap, which appeared to be a great ornament among
them, and, we thought, was only worn by men of note or warriors. A large
sheet of strong paper, when they got one from us, was generally applied to
this use.

The women's dress is a short petticoat, made of the filaments of the
plantain-tree, laid over a cord, to which they are fastened, and tied round
the waist. The petticoat is made at least six or eight inches thick, but
not one inch longer than necessary for the use designed. The outer
filaments are dyed black; and, as an additional ornament, the most of them
have a few pearl oyster-shells fixed on the right side. The general
ornaments of both sexes are ear-rings of tortoise-shell, necklaces or
amulets, made both of shells and stones, and bracelets, made of large
shells, which they wear above the elbow. They have punctures, or marks on
the skin, on several parts of the body; but none, I think, are black, as at
the Eastern Islands. I know not if they have any other design than
ornament; and the people of Tanna are marked much in the same manner.

Were I to judge of the origin of this nation, I should take them to be a
race between the people of Tanna and of the Friendly Isles, or between
those of Tanna and the New Zealanders, or all three; their lan