CANARY ISLANDS. 107 



as he pleases, and go away whenever he may choose, after 

 enjoying conversation, music, dancing, or gaming, as his 

 fancy may dictate. The game that is usually played, is 

 monte or lansquenet, the chances of which are among 

 the greatest excitements that the natives seem capable of 

 receiving. 



The lower classes are also addicted to gambling, but 

 their chief amusements are playing the guitar, singing 

 and dancing. Their principal dances, are las seguidiUas, 

 las malagucnas, and what they call las folias. They 

 are all accompanied by words adapted to the air, and 

 these are very frequently composed, extemporaneously, 

 each one of the party giving a verse alternately, which 

 often contains neither rhyme, measure, music, nor mean- 

 ing. Some of them, however, are noted for their quick- 

 ness and repartee on these occasions, and introduce every 

 passing occurrence into song with admirable success. 



The carnival masquerading, properly begins at noon 

 on El Domingo gordo, (fat Sunday) and is continued 

 on the Monday and Tuesday following ; but, a party will 

 occasionally dress and go by night, and play a few antics 

 at their friends' houses for nearly a month previous. The 

 amusement of the carnival days is almost confined to the 

 populace, who perambulate the streets, and disguise them- 

 selves in fantastic and showy dresses, their contrivances 

 displaying in general, but very little humor. Their gym- 

 nastic sports consist principally of pitching the crow-bar, 

 wrestling, and hand-ball. The two latter are mostly 

 practised by the men of Fuerteventura, who particularly 

 excel in wrestling, though their manner of taking the 

 " gripe " and other laws of the game, would not agree with 

 a scientific wrestler's notions of " fair play." 



Costumes. It is remarkable that so great a variety of cos- 

 tumes should exist among so small and so scattering popula- 

 tion as these islands afford, but an innate predilection, and 

 jealous adherance to the pursuits, the habits, and the tastes 

 of their forefathers, lead the natives generally, to retain such 

 modes of dress, as not only distinguish the inhabitants of 

 one island from tho^e of another, but those of almost every 

 town or village of the same, and even the occupations that 

 they follow, which long association has rendered almost 



