94 



THE HOURS 



Peeping-in of the day 



(Mitsidika andro, 



' Latsaka iray diany andro, Day less one step (=hour ? 



\Solafak' andro, 



(Tafalatsaka ny andro, 

 \Mihilana ny andro, 

 A m-pitotoam-bary , 



Slipping of the day 



Decline of the day="l 

 afternoon / 



At the rice-pounding place, 



Mby amin' ny andry ny 



andro, At the house post, 



Am-pamattfran-janak' At the place of tying the 



calf, 



sheep or poultry 



omby, 



Mby am-pisoko ny andro, At the 



pen, 



Mody omby tera-bao, 

 Tafapaka ny andro, 



Mody omby, 

 Mena masoandro, 

 Maty masoandro, 

 Miditra akoho, 

 Somambisamby, 

 Maizim-bava-vilany , 



Manokom-bary olona, 

 Homan-bary olona, 

 Tapi-mihinana, 

 Mandry olona, 

 Tapi-mandry olona, 

 Mipoa-tafondro, 

 Mamaton' alina, 



The cow newly calved conies 



home, 

 Sun touching (i.e. the 



eastern wall), 

 Cattle come home, 

 Sunset flush, 

 Sunset (lit. " Sun dead "), 

 Fowls come in, 

 Dusk, twilight, 

 Edge of rice-cooking pan 



obscure, 



People begin to cook rice, 

 People eat rice, 

 Finished eating, 

 People go to sleep, 

 Everyone in bed, 

 Gun-fire, 

 Midnight, 



About 1.0 P.M. 



)> i-3 >> 

 to 



2.0 ,, 







J> 



3- 



4-0 



4-30 



5-30 



5-45 



6.0 



6.15 



6.30 



6.45 



7.0 



8.0 



8.30 



9-0 



9-30 



IO.O 

 I2.O 



This list is, I think, a very interesting one, and shows the 

 primitive pastoral and agricultural habits of the Hova Malagasy 

 before they were influenced by European civilisation. Previous 

 to their knowledge of clocks and watches (which are still un- 

 known to the majority of people away from the capital), the 

 native houses thus served as a rude kind of dial. As, until 

 recent times, these were always built with their length running 

 north and south, and with the single door and window facing 

 the west, the sunlight coming in after midday at the open 

 door gave, by its gradual progress along the floor, a fairly 

 accurate measure of time to people amongst whom time was not 

 of very much account. In the forenoon, the position of the sun, 

 nearly square with the eastern purlin of the roof, marked about 

 nine o'clock ; and as noon approached, its vertical position, 



