624 Forestry Quarterly. 



during the cultivation and harvesting of the crops on a few Httle 

 parcels of hadly cleared land. 



The inhabitants of a pueblo generally hold an election once in 

 two years to nominate and elect a captain, a Justice of the Peace, 

 a senior lieutenant, and one councilman and "teniente" for each 

 district within the jurisdiction of the pueblo. In addition there 

 are police and a "Comisario Mayor" as well as a "Comisario 

 Segundo," the two latter of whom are Christians in most cases. 



As the Negritos have been born and have spent their entire life 

 in the forests their practical knowledge and the experience they 

 have gained are of incalculable value, for nowhere else can we 

 find rational beings so intimately allied to the plant world and its 

 reproduction and so thoroughly conversant with the geographical 

 features of the mountains and the names of trees and places. To 

 the Negritos the name of every spot, of every tree and forest not 

 only has some distinctive meaning but also brings up the memory 

 of some notable incident in his life. Even the younger gene- 

 ration know most of the different kinds of trees, their character- 

 istics and their practical uses, and when the name of this or that 

 tree is mentioned it is common to hear such remarks as, "The 

 fruit of this tree is edible," or "The bark of such and such a plant 

 has certain medicinal properties" — and they can guide you to a 

 spot with the exactness of a magnetic compass. As each Negrito 

 has a certain patch of forest which he considers peculiarly his 

 own, it is easy to understand his great familiarity with the moun- 

 tains and the vegetation which they support. 



The most distinguishing characteristics of the Negritos as a 

 tribe have always been obedience and docility. As they are a 

 simple people in one sense and of a nervous, excitable tempera- 

 ment they have always shown a fidelity which borders upon 

 timidity. Imagine for a moment a machine in action, and com- 

 pare it to a group of Negritos working under the direction of a 

 foreman in whom they have confidence because they feel sure of 

 receiving fair treatment at his hands, and the comparison will be 

 marvelously exact. A primitive people of few wants and basing 

 all their pride in being able to please their friends or fulfill the 

 wishes of their rulers, they are well adapted to employment in any 

 sort of forest work. 



We should not consider laziness the cause of the poverty of a 



