When they Go into the Mountains, which they often do in Companys to Cut Timber, Gather Herbs & sandal wood for their Oil, Cut rafters for their Houses, Paddles for Canoes, &c. and for the Purpose of dying Cloth which takes them up several days, they subsist themselves on Birds, fish &c. Using the Mountain Plantain and Wild Roots for Bread, the land producing plenty of Birds and the Springs plenty of Fish; they catch the birds by fixing the Gum of the bread fruit on long Bamboos, and setting them up, take the Birds which perch on them as we do with Birdlime; others who are used to this Method of living can with much exactness knock them down with a stone which they throw by hand, pointing at the Bird with the fore finger of the left hand, as it were to take Aim while the Stone is prepared in Right and if the Birds are sitting they seldom fail to bring it down but cannot bring one off the Wing — and when a party go into the Mountains on any of the aforesaid occasions their first Care is to send a party in Search of Provisions (as they never Carry any with them) while others erect huts for their lodgings made of reeds and Covered with the leaves of the Tee and others procure fire and fuel — as they seldom take the trouble to Make an Oven they roast their roots & Plantains and dress their fish or Birds in Peices of Green Bamboos. The provisions, being put into the Bamboo and stopd up with leaves, is laid on the fire and kept turning round like a spit till the Contents are sufficiently dressd, the Moisture inside keeping the bamboo Wet it keeps its form tho burnt nearly to peices — In this Manner they live when on these excurtions and tho they have hard labour in hand they turn the work into pleasure, and taking no thought for tomorrow they leave off & return when they think Proper.

As they are very fond of the Tail feathers of the Tropic Birds which they esteem for dressing their Parais or Mourning dress they go two together to Hunt for them and as the birds build in the Face of the highest Cliffs they are at Much trouble to get them. Their Method is this — the Bird catchers are provided each with 10 or 12 fathoms of Rope of sufficient strength to bear His own Weight, & having fixd their place of abode near the Clift, where provisions

Indigenous Histories