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Tllh: AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



trailing skirts resemble dwarfed, aged 

 women. All the wearing apparel is 

 made of woolen clotli of home manu- 

 facture. The men permit their hair to 

 o-row long and hraid it in a queue 

 which hangs down the Ijaek. Both 

 sexes wear peculiar little hats made of 

 some kind of skin prepared by a pro- 

 cess which renders it very hard : these 

 hats reminded us of steel helmets. With 

 the exception of huge, spoon-sha])('d 

 pins of CO])])!'!', wllich the woilicll used 



The pincomamchachi is one of the official bird 

 killers of the Quichuas. Armed with a sling, he 

 spends the days in field and orchard, keeping up 

 a continuous fusillade upon the birds which come 

 to feed on fruit or grain. Posing for the camera 

 was a new and mysterious experience for this lad 



to fasten their shawls, we saw no orna- 

 ments of metal, nor Jewelry of any kind. 

 The home life of these Indians is 

 tranquil and uneventful. Usually the 

 little stone lints contain two or three 

 rooms ; potatoes and other produce are 

 stored in one of them, and the rest are 

 used for cooking and sleeping quarters. 

 Ill very cold weather a fire is kept 

 Imniing day and night and all the 

 occupants of a house Inirrow into ]iiles 

 of >li('cp skins and Itlankcls close to the 

 -niouhlcring embers. 



W'c ])ersuaded one of the women to 

 bring goat's milk to cam]) eacli morn- 

 ing, but to do this we liad tlie greatest 

 difliculty. Only by payment for a 

 week's supply in advance could she be 

 induced to perform this service. From 

 past exiierienccs with his fellow 

 countrymen, the Quichua has learned to 

 icgaii! all strangers with apprehension. 

 On fi'c(picnt occasions we had the op- 

 p(ui unity of observing how the average 

 jiiii^diio treats the Indian. Should 

 niglit overtake him on the trail, he stops 

 at the nearest hovel and demands food 

 and shelter for himself and his animals. 

 In the event that the owner has noth- 

 ing to otTcr, he draws his rifle or re- 

 volver and shoots any fowls that may be 

 lunning about, or lacking these, a sheep 

 or goat, and seizes whatever else he 

 can find. Should he see an attractive 

 blanket, it is also taken. In the morn- 

 ing a few rentavos are thrown on the 

 ground and he continues on his 

 journey. 



As a rule we found that if the 

 Indians were treated in a frank, honest 

 manner, they were most amiable. The 

 little woman we had engaged to bring 

 us milk trudged down from the 

 mountain-top daily in faithful compli- 

 ance with her obligation. She brought 

 cheese also, and occasionally a few oggt". 

 As it gradually dawned upon her that 



