398 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



close together so as to touch." * It is said that an African prin- 

 cess, who had her arm covered from wrist to shoulder with these 

 curious bracelets, suffered so much from the heat of the sun 

 playing upon these rings, that she was obliged to hire a maid, 

 whose duty it was to attend her constantly and cool them from a 

 watering pot. 



Thus the different parts of the body the neck, arms, and an- 

 kles which Nature has so abundantly provided for the carrying 

 of ornaments are utilized ; and, what is still more curious, the 

 savage, not satisfied with this, cuts holes in himself for the 

 purpose of carrying others. The most frequent mutilations are 

 those of the lip, cheek, nose, and ear. Some curious illustra- 

 tions of this custom are related by Schweinfurth. The upper lip 

 is pierced, and there is inserted a round-headed copper nail or a 

 copper plate. Among the Bongos, the women suffer a hideous 

 mutilation for the purpose of extending the lower lip. A hole is 

 bored in it, and in this a wooden plug is fitted, which is gradu- 

 ally enlarged until the lip is five or six times its original size. 

 In this way, by wearing these plugs, which are an inch in thick- 

 ness, the lower lip remains extended beyond the upper, though 

 the latter is similarly pierced and fitted with a smaller copper 

 plate or nail or bit of straw. The lips are similarly extended 

 sometimes by the insertion of circular plates of quartz, ivory, or 

 horn the size of a half-dollar. These cause the lips to rest in a 

 horizontal position, and when the wearer is in a fit of anger have 

 their advantages, for these cymbal-like attachments on the lips 

 add noise and effect to the chattering of the individual. It is 

 likely that the wooden or quartz plug which is so often inserted 

 in the lower lip was suggested by the horn of the rhinoceros. 

 Not content with labial adornment, they attack the nose in the 

 same manner, small bits of straw being fitted into each side of 

 the nostrils. Occasionally the cartilage between the nostrils is 

 pierced, and a wooden plug or copper ring is worn. This is a 

 common sight among Indian tribes. The ear is often pierced in 

 many places, sufficient to carry a half dozen rings. The slitting 

 and the stretching of the ear is also a common practice. Mr. 

 Catlin gives a picture of a chief in a Delaware tribe, " Lay-law- 

 she-kaw " i. e, " He who goes up the river " who had his ears 

 slit and elongated to the shoulders, through the wearing of heavy 

 weights in them at times. When on parade, he made use of them 

 as quivers, carrying in that way a bunch of quills or arrows for 

 the sake of ornament. Other savages use them for the carrying 

 of snuffboxes or knives ; and I have known a Chinaman in these 

 days to make use of his ear as a pocketbook, in which he carried 



* Schweinfurth's The Heart of Africa, vol. i, p. 153. 



