148 A NATURALIST IN CANNIBAL LAND 



days before he gets there. The communications by 

 crier are only made early in the morning, whilst the 

 air in the valley is still. When the sun gets up and 

 disturbs the air currents in the valleys, it does not 

 seem to be possible for the native criers to make their 

 voices heard across from one hill to another. I 

 believe that operators in wireless telegraphy find this 

 same difference certain hours being far more favour- 

 able for carrying the sound-waves than others. 



The climate in these hill districts is very cold at 

 night but warm and genial by day. It is usual for 

 a shower of rain to fall almost every day. My 

 custom was to wear two suits of clothes on getting 

 up in the morning and discard one at 10 a.m., when 

 the sun had become fairly hot. 



The food of the natives at this altitude consists in the 

 main of sweet potatoes, bananas, cucumbers and other 

 vegetable products, with an occasional meal of pork. 

 The natives cook their meat by roasting. Only on the 

 coast, or very near the coast, do the New Guinea 

 natives make pottery. It is the custom for the men 

 to sleep in hammocks underneath which small fires 

 are kept burning. Whether the idea of this is to 

 keep off insects or to keep away the damp mists I do 

 not quite know. Perhaps both considerations enter 

 into the custom. It is usual for all the men of a 

 village to sleep in a large house at one end of the 

 village, but each man would have his own house in 

 addition, where his wife and family would live. 



These hill natives are very hospitable, and welcome 



