Etlmograpliy of Micronesia. 1\^ 



Formerly combs of tortoise-shell^ were in use in Palau, but 

 they have now almost disappeared, being replaced by wooden ones. 

 The comb, which is made of more than ten wooden sprigs held 

 together b}^ wooden nails, more or less closely resembles the kind 

 (First class, A) used in Truk. The former, however, in comparison 

 with the latter, is of a larger size and stronger make, with thicker 

 teeth which are also more in number. The lashings on the handle 

 are also thicker, and the whole comb compares but poorly in ap- 

 pearance witli those of Truk and Yap. It differs greatly from 

 the combs in Truk in that the end of its handle sometimes ex- 

 pands outward (Fig. 41). 



The combs we collected in Palau varied from 190 to 330 mm. 

 in length ; while the greatest breadth of combs was from 54 to 

 138 mm., the number of the teeth being 9 in one, 12 in a second, 

 15 in a third and 16 in a fourth. As in Truk, the wearers of 

 combs here are also grown-up men. 



The comb of the Palau Islanders, which is of the Yap type, 

 is called "lausekamm"' by Kubary;'^ but this is for practical use 

 only and not for ornamentation. According to Van der Sande, 

 some tribes of Dutch New Guinea wear a small round stick made 

 of palm wood in the hair, for scratching. On Masi-Masi such 

 sticks made of the nerve of a sago leaf are said to be used in 

 killing vermin.^ The " lausekamm " in Palau is employed for 

 much the same purpose. 



The use of the comb in the South Sea Islands and the com- 

 parison of those in Yap and the Fiji Islands, have already been 

 given in Part I. 



1 .T. S. Kubary, •' Ethnograjahisclie Beitrüge zur Kenntnis des Karolinen Arcliii)cls," p. 192 ; 

 Taf. XXIII, fig. 16. 



2 .T. S. Knbary, ibid., p. 195 ; Taf. XXIV, fig. 1. 



■^ G. A J. Van der Sande, "Nova Guinea, HI. Ethnog, and Antlir.," pp. G5, CG; PI. MI. 



