io8 Voyage of the No vara. 



zygoma lias a rather bold curve. The ears are small, but the 

 flaps on the other hand are so broad, that when pierced they 

 are ornamented with a piece of bamboo an inch thick. 



Some of the natives make use of this broad aperture to 

 store away cigars. The thin eye-brows do not curve over the 

 whole of the superior arch of the eye. The hair for the most 

 part is beautiful, thick, black, and soft, in many instances de- 

 pending low on both sides. The beard is universally very 

 thin, and instances of mustachios or goatees are very rarely 

 encountered. However a beard does not seem to be classed 

 among those objects which add to the Nicobar ideal of beauty. 

 At least, as often as they found an opportunity of seizing a 

 pair of scissors from our dressing-cases, we used always to see 

 the natives eagerly setting about extirpating the few hairs, 

 which despite all their endeavours would persist in appearing 

 upon the upper lip on either side of the mouth. The expres- 

 sion of their face is grave, tranquil, and rather insouciant. 

 We never saw in their features any expression of emotion, 

 such for instance as might have been imparted by delight at 

 having obtained some coveted object, not even when they 

 had manifested the utmost eagerness to possess it. The only 

 excitement which their ordinarily impassive countenances 

 were however many a time called on to indicate, took the 

 form of an expression of pain and anxiety, as often as they 

 saw a number of strangers make a descent upon their islands. 

 The singulai^ly marked similarity of feature in each and 

 every individual, may safely be ascribed to the similarity of 



