( 43 ) 



allotted place. Here, is exposed^for sale all manner of merchandise, 

 including grain, meat, fish, vegetables, piece-goods, silk, crockery- 

 ware, earthen-ware, brass, copper, and tin utensils, there are also 

 numerous little olla-poclrida stalls, kept by Kullas. There was also a 

 sprinkling of money-lenders and changers here and there, the rate 

 of exchange from Rupees into silver bits being four per cent., and 

 into copper Rs. 3-2. Judging from the large quantity of old silver 

 ornaments that they had exposed for sale (chiefly of Shan manufac- 

 ture), it would appear the original owners had never been able to 

 redeem their property, which is generally the case when once goods 

 are pledged. I purchased a few combs made from murraya paniculata 

 and nauclea cadamba ; but beyond these I saw nothing sufficiently 

 interesting to add to my curios. From nauclea cadamba the clogs 

 of Burma are also made. 



78. My attention was now drawn to the hairy family who were 

 mi .. . ., . _ standing at a stall, but they were so 



The hairy family of Burma. 11 j i j-i ±. -j. rr.cc i . • , 



J J mobbed, that it was dimcult to get a 



good view of them. They are supported by the king I believe, and 

 have a carte-blanche to go to market once a week to obtain what 

 rations they require gratis. To me, the group presented a rather 

 revolting spectacle, more especially the hairy woman, who seemed 

 a most hideous monster; her entire face and head were so densely 

 covered with hair, as to conceal every feature. From Yule's 

 description, however, Maphoon, for that is the poor mother's name, 

 was less repulsive in her younger days.* 



* To-day we had a singular visitor at the Kesidency : it was Maphoon, the daughter of Shwe 

 Maong, Homo hirsuties described and depicted in Crawford's narrative, where a portrait of her 

 as a young child also appears. Not expecting such a visitor, one started and exclaimed 

 involuntarily as they entered, what at first sight seemed an absolute realization in the flesh of 

 the dog-headed amubis. The whole of Maphoon's face was covered with hair. On a part of the 

 cheek and between the nose and mouth, this was confined to short down, but overall the rest of 

 the face was a thick silky hah of a brown colour, paling about the nose and chin, four or five 

 inches long. At the alae of the nose, under the eye, and on the cheek-bone this was very fully 

 developed, but it was in and on the ear that it was most extraordinary, except the extreme 

 upper tip, no part of the ear was visible. All the rest was filled and veiled by a large mass of 

 silky hah, growing apparently out of every part of the external organ and hanging in a dependent 

 lock to a length of eight or ten inches. The hah over her forehead was brushed so as to blend 

 with the hah of the head, the latter being dressed, as usual with their country women, a la chinoise. 

 It was not so thick as altogether to conceal the forehead. The nose — so densely covered with 

 hah, as no animal's is that I know of, and with long fine locks curving out, and is pendent like the 

 wisps of a fine skye-terrier's coat — had a most strange appearance. The beard was pale in colour, 

 and about four inches in length, seemingly very soft and silky. 



Poor Maphoon's manners were good and modest, her voice soft and feminine, and her expres- 

 sion mild and not unpleasing, after the first instinctive repulsion was overcome. Her appear- 

 ance rather suggested the idea of a pleasant-looking woman masquerading than that of any- 

 thing brutal. This discrimination, however, was very difficult to preserve in sketching her like- 

 ness — a task which devolved on me to-day in Mr. Grant's absence. On an after visit, however, 

 Mr. Grant made a portrait of her, which was generally acknowledged to be most successful. 

 Her neck, bosom, and arms appeared to be covered with a fine pale down scarcely visible in some 

 lights. She made a move as if to take off her upper clothing, but reluctantly, and we prevented 

 it. Her husband and two boys accompanied her. The elder boy, about four or five years old, 

 had nothing abnormal about him'. The younger, who was fourteen months old, and still at the 



