142 PYGMIES AND PAPUANS 



(see illustration p. yS). The effect of these plumes wav- 

 ing backwards and forwards as the man moves his head 

 to mark the phrases of the song is exceedingly striking, 

 and it must be admitted that if there is anybody, who 

 can becomingly wear those gorgeous plumes, it is the 

 naked black man. 



The most usual kind of song begins with a slow tap- 

 ping of the drums, then these are beaten quicker and 

 the singer (one of the drummers) begins a sort of recita- 

 tive song, to which the chorus contributes a low hum- 

 ming accompaniment. Then the drums are beaten very 

 loudly and rapidly, all the men in chorus sing, or rather 

 growl, a deep guttural note, fohowed by a prolonged 

 musical note at about the middle of the register of a 

 normal man's voice, and the song ends with one or more 

 short sharp barks, '' Wah ! vvah ! wah ! " with a loud 

 drum accompaniment. The song, or probabl}^ different 

 verses of it, is repeated very many times. The final 

 shouts of the song, which for want of a better word I 

 have called " barks," are uttered by all the men in 

 unison and recall, as was pointed out by Mr. Goodfellow, 

 the harsh croaking call of the Greater Bird of Paradise, 

 which is heard almost daily in the jungle. It is possible 

 that the song is in some way connected with the bird 

 and that there is an intentional imitation of its note. 



The scheme of all these songs is the same, viz., a reci- 

 tative with drums and a humming accompaniment, but 

 some of them have really rollicking choruses, and we 

 used to listen to them at night with extreme pleasure as 

 they came, somewhat softened by distance, over the 

 water to our camp at Wakatimi. The voices of the men 



