Liberia ^ 



brown tint (especially after recent lubrication with oil) that they 

 delight a painter's eye. 



In th^^ir natural condition the men of the Km race are 

 inclined to considerable growth of pile cr body-hair. I have 

 seen some examples the legs of which were covered with tightly 

 curled black hair, and the same growth over the chest and 

 stomach, but in no case have I ever noticed hair on the 

 back, such as not infrequently makes its appearance in the 

 Caucasian species. As a rule there is the s.ime tendency 

 amongst these Liberian Negroes as elsewhere in Africa to 

 dislike any growth ot hair on the body, and a good many 

 young men pluck out with tweezers the body pile when it 

 begins to grow. Sm;:oth-skinned specimens of Krumen are 

 generally those persons who have artificially removed the body- 

 hair. 



As regards the hair on the head, it grows abundantly : 

 but underlying the abundance is the true Negro tendency for 

 the head-hair in its growth lo be sprinkled in those separate 

 peppercorn clusters which are such a marked characteristic of 

 the Bushmen-Hottentots and some other Negro races. This 

 may be seen, for example, on the sides of the head in those 

 'i^iberians where the growth of the hair is not so long. The 

 beard, whiskers, and moustache are often abundant among the 

 Krumen after the age of about twenty-five years: face- hair 

 among Negroes is generally late in making its appearance. This 

 hairiness of visage is also noticeable in the Grebo and Basa, 

 perhaps also in the Vai. The Gora and Mandingo do not 

 usually produce much whiskers or moustache, but can grow a 

 beard which in the Mandingo is usually a tufted " goatee." 

 It is noteworthy that among the civilised Americo-Liberians 

 there is the same abundant development of face-hair that is 

 characteristic of the Negro after transplantation to America. 



942 



