MARITAL JEALOUSY 183 



of this kind, he gives up the hospitable wife to her 

 gallant, and contents himself with another from the 

 family of the latter. This sort of truck is called 

 Danira, and it is not uncommon. Divorce for other 

 reasons is very easy. If two married persons cannot 

 live together in peace they separate. 1 The northern 

 Tunguz, however, are said to consider the marriage-tie 

 indissoluble. But as they allow a plurality of wives 

 they make no difficulty about resigning one of them 

 for the time to any Russian adventurer who may visit 

 the tundras in the summer and from whom they expect 

 a share of the proceeds of his hunting excursion in 

 return. 2 



The Kamtchadal women make parade of their lovers 

 and give themselves freely to strangers. "A widow 

 cannot find another husband unless her sins have been 

 previously taken away by the highest degree of 

 familiarity granted to any one who wishes to render 

 her this service ; and as the natives imagine that this 

 expiation might cause the expiator to die like the 

 former husband the poor women would remain widows 

 without the assistance of the Russian soldiers, who 

 are not afraid of exposing themselves to a danger so 

 equivocal." Apparently the first man who has inter- 

 course with a widow runs the risk of vengeance by the 

 deceased husband. This posthumous jealousy is 

 perhaps a continuation of that entertained in life. 

 Yet if so, it must be because the intercourse is with- 

 out leave of the deceased, and without the possibility 

 of a quid pro quo to him such as is obtained by an 

 exchange of wives between men still living. " There 

 is no excess of libertinage," we are told with emphasis, 

 1 Georgi, 47. 2 Erman, ii. 138, 



