MATRIMONIAL CUSTOMS. 87 



thirty. Herein they differ widely from their 

 neighbours of Georgia and Armenia, whose 

 maidens are often given in marriage before 

 they are fourteen, and sometimes as young as 

 twelve. But if the Svans do not marry 

 young they do not lose much time in be- 

 trothing themselves. 



As soon as it is known that a girl has 

 been born to any one in the village, any 

 young man who as yet has no affianced wife 

 may go in person or send his father for him 

 to the hut of the girl's parents. As there is 

 rarely more than one room in a S van's 

 hut, and possibly no other piece of furniture 

 besides the heavy wooden cradle, there is no 

 difficulty in finding the baby. Entering the 

 room and approaching the child, without stay- 

 ing to parley with the parents, the suitor or 

 his proxy takes from his breast one of the 

 little figured bullets used by these people for 

 their rifles, and either fastens it with a string 



