8G 



Art. YII. — A. Matsumura : 



in the former islands not only concentric patterns but designs 

 representing human figures or those of birds are found. In most 



cases, however, these 

 human or bird figures 

 are transformed into 

 geometric patterns. 

 This is something not 

 met with in the East 

 Caroline group. Among 

 the natives of Polynesia and Melanesia conventionalized representa- 

 tions of animal forms are used in ornamentation. 



Fig. 35. — ^Baskets from Kusaie. 



Chapter VIL 



Castration. 



One of the most extraordinary customs in the East Caroline 

 Islands is castration which is practised in Ponapé, where boys have 

 their testicles removed when sixteen or seventeen years of age. I 

 inspected a native, aged twenty-five, who was castrated. He had 

 his right testicle removed, and a scar, some 20 mm. long, was left 

 on his scrotum. His remaining testicle appeared somewhat larger 

 than the ordinary size. It is said that only the right testicle is 

 here removed in castration. 



Circumcision as practised by the Jews is the most well-known 

 of all practices injm-ing the genital organs. The same practice 

 prevails extensively in various parts of the world, such as Africa, 

 Australia, Fiji, New Guinea, New Caledonia, New Hebrides, 

 and other South Sea Islands. Besides, artificial hypospadia is 



