102 THE PAPUANS: COMPARATIVE NOTES, ETC., 
bours. The fact that their offspring is as often dark as light 
coloured proves this conclusively. White children having dark, 
often black parents, and vice versa, do not fulfil the conditions 
we should expect from a distinct race. To be pure they ought 
naturally to breed children resembling themselves, on the old 
maxim that “like begets like.” We may therefore dismiss this 
portion of the subject as being fully cleared up, as far as the 
question of racial differences is concerned. But it remains a 
subject of the greatest interest to naturalists to trace the cause 
of this abnormal deviation from recognised natural laws to its 
source. This will be difficult until we know more of these 
interesting people, especially of the inland tribes. 
When at Seramina, I heard of tribes inhabiting the northern 
and eastern slopes of Mounts O’Bree, Brown and Clarence, who 
wore a species of very finely netted kilt, and who possessed very 
beautiful weapons. These tribes were feared by the people I 
was living with, and they requested me to lead my men into 
their territory, and shoot as many as I possibly could. For 
obvious reasons, I was forced to decline this expedition, 
although I longed to meet these mountaineers in all friendliness 
—a meeting which, I flattered myself, would have been mutually 
beneficial to those concerned. 
I have come to the conclusion that the coast tribes of New 
Guinea are morally far beneath their inland neighbours. Wher- 
ever I have been, they invariably proved themselves adepts in the 
art of thieving. This circumstance necessitated a careful watch 
over one’s belongings, which was most annoying. Inland, how- 
ever, this objectionable trait disappeared. The people were as 
honest as the day; only on two occasions did I miss anything. 
Once, at Dédouri, on Mt. Belford, I lost a belt-strap, and again 
at Moroceca, in returning fever-stricken to Sogore, when the 
escort stole several hatchets and other steel implements. I was 
too ill to even notice the occurrence, but two days after our 
arrival at Sogore, the Favéri men arrived with the stolen goods, 
