June I, 1876] 



NA TURE 



107 



of the small flying lizard. Mr. G. A. Carter's "Group of 

 Red-deer" (1405) is not a great success, but it will pro- 

 bably look better when executed in silver. There is much 

 merit in Mr. W. Prehn's "Polar Bears" (1455), in which 

 the artist has coloured the snouts and slightly washed the 

 limbs of the animals with yellow to relieve the deadness 

 of such a mass of white ; an excusable innovation in the 

 present instance. And last in order we come to two 

 admirable models of "A Wild Boar" (1501), and "A 

 Bear" (1507), by Mr. Joseph Wolf, whose reputation as a 

 delineator ofanimal life with the brush is unrivalled, but 

 who has never till now turned his attention to modelling 

 The attitude of the boar is excellent : his face is devoid 

 of any expression, although he has evidently partaken of 

 some vegetables whose remains lie at his feet, but withal 

 there is no sign of enjoyment or satisfaction. It is other- 

 wise with the bear, who has been devouring honey-comb, 

 and who is now licking his chops with an expression 

 worthy of a gourmand, showing that the good things of 

 this life are by no means wasted upon a gentleman of his 

 appreciation. And with this we close our notice of 

 animal life at the Academy, congratulating artists in 

 general upon the increasing tendency to paint their sub- 

 jects from nature instead of evolving them out of their 

 own inner consciousness. Two Naturalists 



THE ETHNOLOGY OF THE PAPUANS OF 

 MACLAY COAST, NEIV GUINEA 



IN December 1873, when at Batavia, I received from 

 the Russian traveller. Von Miklucho-Maclay, reprints 

 of two articles upon the East Coast of New Guinea and 

 its inhabitants, of which I made a short abstract for 

 Nature (Feb. 26, 1874), during my voyage from Jara to 

 Atchin. The following is the substance of one of two sup- 

 plementary papers on the same subject,^ which have been 

 lately sent to me, by Dr. Maclay, from Johore, on the 

 Malay peninsula ; which, it would be imagined, should be 

 all the more interesting, as much which is, to say the 

 least, doubtful, has lately been published about New 

 Guinea and its natural productions. 



The former papers dealt with the individual characters 

 of the Papuans, while in the present article the food, 

 weapons, dress, dwellings, and daily lite of this people 

 will be treated of. 



The Food of the Papuan. — That of the inhabitants of 

 Maclay Coast is principally of a non-animal nature, con- 

 sisting of fruits and vegetables, of which a list is sub- 

 joined in the order of their domestic importance. 



The Cocoa-nut {inunki). This plays a most important 

 part m the economy, as it is obtainable all the year round. 

 The trees are seldom to be met with in the mountain 

 villages, but are numerous on the shores of the neighbour- 

 ing islands, though here they are confined to plantations 

 around the houses. A favourite dish which never fails 

 at feasts is munki-la, a kind of porridge made of the 

 grated kernel of the nut steeped in the so-called "milk." 

 Curiously enough, the preparation of cocoa-nut oil is 

 unknown. 



The Dioscorea {ajati) is much cultivated in the planta- 

 tions, and is in condition for food from August till 

 January. It is boiled m water, or when this is difficult of 

 carriage, roasted in ashes. It forms the principal article 

 of diet during the above-named months. 



The Collocasa [bati) is the main article of food from 

 March to August. Like the ajaii, it is either boiled or 

 baked. Pounded up with grated roasted cocoa-nut, it is 

 made into a kind of cake, which is in great request at 

 leasts. The leaves of the plant are also eaten. 



The fruit of the Convolvulus {degargol), of which there 

 are two varieties, one red, the other white, is principally 



' " Ethnologische Bemerkungen iiber die Papuas der Maclay-kuste in 

 Neu Guinea." Reprinted from the Natuurkundi^ Tijcuchri/t of Batavia. 



in season in September and October, and is either stewed 

 or baked. 



Although no less than eight or nine varieties of Banana 

 {mog;a) were met with by Miklucho-Maclay, owing to its 

 limited cultivation, the fruit is a comparative rarity. The 

 lower part of the stem and the roots of the young plants 

 are also eaten. 



On account of the rare occurrence of the Palm afford- 

 ing it, sago {buaui) is rather a dainty, seen only at feasts, 

 than an article of daily diet. 



The Sugar-cane {den), which attains a magnificent 

 growth in New Guinea — the edible portion being not in- 

 frequently fourteen feet high — is chewed with the greatest 

 zest by men, women, and children, from October to 

 February. 



The Bread-fruit {boli), though not particularly sought 

 after, is collected and eaten stewed or roasted. 



The Orlan is the fruit of a tree which Dr. Maclay had no 

 opportunity of seeing. This fruit is hung in great baskets 

 upon the trees in the forests. From the pulp and the 

 kernel of the crushed seed there is derived by fermen- 

 tation an acid unpleasantly smelling sauce, which is con- 

 sidered a great delicacy. 



The Canarium commune {ken^ar) is collected in May, 

 June, and July, dried, and its seed stored. 



The fruit of the Pandanus (Screw Pine) and Mangifera 

 (mango) also occurs, but very sparingly, on Maclay Coast. 



Animal food is of but rare occurrence. The following 

 • animals are, however, the most usual sources of food : — 



The Pig. — This, a descendant from the wild New 

 Guinea species, is bred in the villages. When young it 

 is striped, but with age it becomes black. The ears are 

 erect, the snout sharp, and the legs long. Pigs are only 

 killed on festal occasions, and then one^ suffices lor two 

 or three villages. 



Dogs are kept by the Papuans principally for the sake 

 of their flesh, which, though of fairly good flavour, is, 

 nevertheless, somewhat dry. 



The flesh of the Cuscus ^ {inav) is considered a great 

 dainty, although it has a strong smell. 



Fowls, although they occur in the villages, are but sel- 

 dom eaten ; and, as they exist in a semi-wild state, their 

 eggs are not often to be obtained. During a stay of fif- 

 teen months Dr. Maclay only saw two eggs in the various 

 villages which he visited. 



From the large lizards (Monitors) a white and tender 

 meat is obtainable. 



All insects without exception, especially large beetles, 

 are eaten, either raw or cooked, by the Papuans. 



As regards fishes, the larger are caught in nets, while 

 the smaller are killed by harpoon at night-time. 



Various molluscs and other shell fish are collected ori 

 the coral reefs at low water by the women and children 

 of the villages. 



As the existence of salt is unknown here, the Papuans 

 cook their food with a little sea-water — generally one- 

 third to two-thirds fresh water — and the inhabitants of the 

 hills never omit to take away with them a bamboo filled 

 with sea-water when they visit the coast. The Papuans 

 have, nevertheless, a substitute for salt, for they collect 

 the tree-trunks which, after soaking for a while in the sea, 

 are cast up at high tides, dry and burn them, and thus 

 procure therefrom a saltish tasting ash. 



The manufacture of intoxicating drinks is, moreover, 

 not unknown among the Papuans. They take the stem, 

 leaves, and especially the root, of a certain shrub called 

 *• keu " {Piper vielhisticum f) : this they chew, and the 

 resulting mass, when sufficiently masticated, is spat out 

 with as much spittle as possible into a cocoa-nut shell. 

 A little water is added to this, and, after the dirty green- 

 looking brew has been filtered through some grass, the 

 filtrate, which is very bitter and aromatic, is drunk off. 

 This liquor does not taste particularly good, as is proved by 



' A small marsupial confined to New Guinea. 



