6 PROCEEDINGS OP THE ANATOMICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL 



the hair is always kept short. The Angoni man, on the other hand, 

 ties his hair into little tufts which are bound round with thread, and 

 gradually lengthened till the head, at a distance, looks as if it were 

 covered with matches stuck on endwise. The Anguru not only never 

 cuts his hair, but tries to make it appear longer than it really is by 

 adding long threads to its length. The Yao files little notches on his 

 front teeth (Plate II., Figs. 5 and 6). The Anguru files his to a point 

 (Plate II., Fig. 7). The Mang'anja and Angoni leave theirs alone. 

 The operation is done in youth, and is performed either by means of 

 a file or by chipping with a small axe. 



By way of arms the Yao carries a bow and arrows and a long 

 light spear for stabbing. The Anguru and Mang'anja are similarly 

 armed, only the Anguru spear is barbed and inflicts a nasty wound. 

 The Angoni on the other hand has learned from his Zulu conquerors 

 the use of the assegai and shield, and thus has made himself the terror 

 and scourge of all his neighbours. He also uses the knobkerry which 

 he can throw with great accuracy at a fleeing foe, and thus stun or 

 maim him. With the advent of the Arab trader the use of guns and 

 ammunition became common, and almost every man you met carried 

 an old Tower flintlock. But the possession of a gun did not always 

 mean the possession of a charge of powder, and so the Angoni wisely 

 preferred his assegai and shield, the very sight of which was enough 

 to drive the surrounding tribes in terror to the hills for refuge. 



The Yao house is of the usual native African type circular and 

 thatched with grass (Plate I., Fig. 3). The circle is drawn by 

 means of a string from a fixed central pin. The circle is the only 

 regular geometrical figure the African is acquainted with to teach 

 him the value of a straight line is to make a vast step in his education. 

 The walls of the hut are made of poles stuck into this circle at the 

 distance of two feet apart. To these are fastened strips of split 

 bamboo running round the house, and to these again are tied bunches 

 of grass by means of other strips of bamboo. The string used in 

 tying the bamboos and poles is got from the bark of the mjombo tree 

 which is torn into long strips and used as ropes or string. The roof 



