The other manual employments consist chiefly in making musical reeds, flutes, warlike weapons, and stools, or rather pillows, to sleep on.  The reed have eight, nine, or ten pieces, placed parallel to each other, but not in any regular progression, having the longest sometimes in the middle, and several of the same length; so that I have seen none with more than six notes, and they seem incapable of playing any music on them, that is, distinguishable by our ears.  The flutes are a joint of bamboo, close at both ends, with a hole near each, and four others; two of which, and one of the first only, are used in playing.  They apply the thumb of the left hand to close the left nostril, and blow into the hole at one end with the other.  The middle finger of the left hand is applied to the first hole on the left, and the fore-finger of the right to the lowest hole on that side.  In this manner, though the notes are only three, they produce a pleasing, yet simple music, which they vary much more than one would think possible, with so imperfect an instrument.  Their being accustomed to a music which consists of so few notes, is, perhaps, the reason why they do not seem to relish any of ours, which is so complex.  But they can taste what is more deficient than their own; for, we observed, that they used to be well pleased with hearing the chant of our two young New Zealanders, which consisted rather in mere strength, than in melody of expression.

The weapons which they make, are clubs of different sorts (in the ornamenting of which they spend much time), spears, and darts.  They have also bows and arrows; but these seemed to be designed only for amusement, such as shooting at birds, and not for military purposes.  The stools are about two feet long, but only four or five inches high, and near four broad, bending downward in the middle, with four strong legs, and circular feet; the whole made of one piece of black or brown wood, neatly polished, and sometimes inlaid with bits of ivory.  They also inlay the handles of fly-flaps with ivory, after being neatly carved; and they shape bones into small figures of men, birds, and other things, which must be very difficult, as their carving instrument is only a shark’s tooth.

Yams, plantains, and cocoa-nuts, compose the greatest part of their vegetable diet.  Of their animal food, the chief articles are hogs, fowls, fish, and all sorts of shellfish; but the lower people eat rats.  The two first vegetable articles, with bread-fruit, are what may be called the basis of their food at different times of the year, with fish and shell-fish; for hogs, fowls, and turtle, seem only to be occasional dainties reserved for their chiefs.  The intervals between the seasons of these vegetable productions, must be sometimes considerable, as they prepare a sort of artificial bread from plantains, which they put under ground before ripe, and suffer them to remain till they ferment, when they are taken out, and made up into small balls; but so sour and indifferent, that they often said our bread was preferable, though somewhat musty.