PHYSICAL CONFORMATION OF ESKDK IS. 239 



ance of considerable space between the eyes. The eyes are brown, 

 of different sbades, usually dark, seldom if ever altogether black, 

 and generally have a soft expression ; some have a peculiar glitter, 

 which we call gipsy-like. They slope slightly upwards from the 

 nose, and have a fold of skin stretching across the inner angle to 

 the upper eyelid, most perceptible in childhood, which gives to 

 some individuals a cast of countenance almost perfectly Chinese. 

 The eyelids seem tumid, opening to only a moderate extent, and 

 the slightly arched eyebrows scarcely project beyond them. The 

 ears are by no means large, but frequently stand out sideways. 

 The mouth is prominent and large, and the lips, especially the 

 lower one, rather thick and protruding. The jaw-bones are strong, 

 supporting remarkably firm and commonly regular teeth. In 

 the youthful these are in general white, but towards middle age 

 they have lost their enamel and become black, or are worn down 

 to the gums. The incisors of the lower jaw do not pass behind 

 those of the upper, but meet edge to edge, so that by the time an 

 individual arrives at maturity, the opposing surfaces of the eye and 

 front teeth are perfectly flat, independently of the wear they aro 

 subjected to in every possible way to assist the hands. The expres- 

 sion of the countenance is one of habitual good -humour in the great 

 majority of both sexes, but is a good deal marred in the men by 

 wearing heavy lip ornaments. 



The lower lip in early youth is perforated at each side opposite 

 the eye-tooth ; and a slender piece of ivory, smaller than a crow- 

 quill, having one end broad and flat like the head of a nail or tack 

 to rest against the gum, is inserted from within, to prevent the 

 wound healing up. This is followed by others successively larger 

 during a period of six months or longer, until the openings are 

 sufficiently dilated to admit the lip ornaments or labrets. As the 

 dilatation takes place in the direction of the fibres of the muscle 

 surrounding the mouth, the incisions appears so very uniform as to 

 lead one to suppose each tribe had a skilful operator for the pur- 

 pose ; this, however, is not the case, neither is there any ceremony 

 attending the operation. 



The labrets worn by the men are made of many different kinds 

 of stone and even of coal, but the largest, most expensive, and most 

 coveted, are each made of a flat circular piece of white stone, an 

 inch and a half in diameter, the front surface of which is flat, and 

 has cemented to it half of a large blue bead. The back surfece is 

 also flat, except at the centre, where a projection is left to fit the 

 hole in the lip, with a broad expanded end to prevent it falling out, 

 and so shaped as to lie in contact with the gum. It is surprising 



