ii8 PYGMIES AND PAPUANS 



children's game called " Nuts in May," is perhaps worth 

 describing. Eight little boys, each one carrying a long 

 flowering grass, stood in two parties of four facing each 

 other a few yards apart. At first they waved their 

 grasses and then danced towards each other, crossed 

 and took the places that had been opposite to them ; 

 this they repeated twice. Then they ran round and 

 round in a circle about five yards wide waving their 

 grasses and shouting until they stopped suddenly and 

 sat down in a bunch together. After a rest of about 

 half a minute, they jumped up and ran round again 

 in the same circle, now shouting and grabbing as they 

 ran handsful of sand, which they threw over their 

 heads into the air or between their legs into the face 

 of the one behind ; then a sudden stop and again they 

 all sat down in a bunch. After this they jumped up, 

 ran all together for a few yards shouting loudly, 

 hurled all their grasses as high into the air as they 

 could, and the game was ended. 



Like the children of more civilised races, the young 

 Papuans are fond of imitating their elders. The boys 

 like to be seen walking about with men, to copy their 

 swaggering walk, and to sit about smoking idly and 

 watch the women at work. The little girls sometimes 

 contrive to make grass garments like those worn by 

 the women ; they make small dolls' houses in which 

 they themselves, or infants still smaller than they, 

 are the dolls, and thc}^ like to be seen baling out the 

 canoes or carrying sand for the houses. But in their 

 case pretence is soon changed to reality, and when they 

 are quite 3'oung they are made to accompany their 



