468 The Aeu Islands. 



are often attached to the earrings, and then looped on to the 

 hair-knot behind. This has really an elegant appearance, the 

 beads hanging gracefully on each side of the head, and, by es- 

 tablishing a connection with the earrings, give an appearance 

 of utility to those barbarous ornaments. We recommend this 

 style to the consideration of those of the fair sex who still 

 bore holes in their ears and hang rings thereto. Another style 

 of necklace among these Papuan belles is to wear two, each 

 hanging on one side of the neck and under the opposite arm, 

 so as to cross each other. This has a very pretty appearance, 

 in part due to the contrast of the white beads or kangaroo 

 teeth of which they are composed with the dark glossy skin. 

 The earrings themselves are formed of a bar of copper or silver, 

 twisted so that the ends cross. The men, as usual among sav- 

 ages, adorn themselves more than the women. They wear 

 necklaces, earrings, and finger-rings, and delight in a band of 

 plaited grass tight round the arm just below the shoulder, to 

 which they attach a bunch of hair or bright colored feathers, 

 by way of ornament. The teeth of small animals, either alone, 

 or alternately with black or white beads, form their necklaces, 

 and sometimes bracelets also. For these latter, however, they 

 prefer brass wire, or the black, horny wing-spines of the cas- 

 sowary, which they consider a charm. Anklets of brass or 

 shell, and tight plaited garters below the knee, complete their 

 ordinary decorations. 



Some natives of Kobror from further south, and who are 

 reckoned the worst and least civilized of the Aru tribes, came 

 one day to visit us. They have a rather more than usually 

 savage appearance, owing to the greater amount of ornaments 

 they use — the most conspicuous being a large horseshoe- 

 shaped comb which they wear over the forehead, the ends 

 resting on the temples. The back of the comb is fastened 

 into a piece of wood, which is plated with tin in front, and 

 above is attached a plume of feathers from a cock's tail. In 

 other respects they scarcely differed from the i^eople I was 

 living with. They brought me a couple of birds, some shells 

 and insects, showing that the report of the white man and his 

 doings had reached their country. There was probably hard- 

 ly a man in Aru who had not by this time heard of me. 



Besides the domestic utensils already mentioned, the mov- 



