Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.2): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

1835. HAIR — POPULATION— FEATURES. 66^ The hair of a New Zealander is naturally luxuriant, though rather coarse ; its rough, free curliness in an unadorned, almost untouched state, heightens that expression of untameable fero- city which is so repulsive in the older men, especially in those of inferior degree. Many of the young women are good-looking and they dress their hair with some pains, and not a little oil. Although cannibalism and infanticide have ceased in the northern parts of New Zealand, the aboriginal race is decreasing. The natives say frequently, ' The country is not for us ; it is for the white men !' and they often remark upon their lessening numbers. Change of habits, European diseases, spirits, and the employment of many of their finest young men in whale-ships (an occupation which unhappily tends to their injury), combine to cause this diminution. Wearing more clothes (especially thick blankets), exposes them to sudden colds, which often end fatally. We were surprised at seeing almost every native wrap- ped up in a thick blanket, perhaps even in two or three blan- kets, while we were wearing thin clothing. The countenances of some of the men (independent of the tattowing) are handsome, according to European ideas of line beauty. Regular, well-defined, and high features are often seen ; but they are exceptions, rather than the usual characteristics. Generally speaking, the New Zealander has a retreating and narrow forehead — rather wide, however, at the base ; a very prominent brow ; deeply-sunk black eyes, small and ever rest- less ; a small nose, rather hollow, in most cases, though occa- sionally straight or even aquiline, with full nostrils ; the upper lip is short, but that and the lower are thick ; the mouth rather wide ; white and much blunted teeth ; with a chin neither large nor small, but rather broad. Some have higher and better heads, and a less marked expansion of brow, nostrils, and lips ; others, again, are the reverse : usually, their eyes are placed horizontally ; but some are inclined, like those of the Chinese, though not remarkably ; indeed not so much so as those of a Scotchman whom I met there. Among the women I noticed a general depression of the bridge of the nose, and a flat frontal region.