BY WILLIAM E. ARMIT, F.L.S., F.R.G.S. 97 
producing real curls from the frizzly hair with which their 
heads were originally clothed. The method of combing in 
vogue among Papuans is to stick the comb into the hair and 
bring it out with an upward jerk. They do not comb their 
hair downward as we do. 
The mean of 40 measurements gave:—For men: height, 1.52 
—1.875m.; women: 1°39—1.49m. Circumference at breast, 
men: 0.82m. to 1.2m.; women: ‘75—'85m. Cranium, men: 
173—195m.m.; women: 172--189m.m. 
Corpulence was of very rare occurrence. The fattest woman 
measured, named ‘ Marewa,” was 1.49m. high; circumference 
of breast, 91e.m.; of belly, 90c.m.; of thigh, 43c.m.; of calf, 
32c.m.; of humerus, 22c.m.; breadth of shoulders, 42c.m.; 
head, 176m.m. And this woman was certainly an exception. 
The most noticeable fact in the foregoing observations is the 
wide diversity of opinion between any two sets or between them 
asa whole. Wallace gives the average height of Papuans as 
equal to that of Europeans, while Dr. Finsch states that they 
are below middle height, and this certainly is borne out by my 
own observations. Wallace describes the Papuan as wanting 
in the moral characteristics, and charges him with cruelty 
towards his children, This may occur in the north-west, but 
there has been a co-mingling of races in that portion of New 
Guinea which accounts for this. Wherever I have been the 
most noticeable trait, and one which forced itself on my mind, was 
the uniform kindness and affection of the men for their 
children. It was a common sight to see men nursing babies, 
dandling them, fondling and kissing them, and romping with 
little toddlers of from four to ten years of age. It struck me 
that child-life in New Guinea was exceptionally happy and free 
from care. The women alsoare treated respectfully and kindly 
by the men. To us they appear to be very hard worked, but 
the men do their share of the heavy labor, and then leave their 
