E VIDENCE FROM HA IR. Ill 



than is seen in the peoples of southern Europe, down througli 

 all gradations of brown to a tint which, although not black, 

 is certainly very dark. In the quality of the hair, too, there 

 is a good deal of difference ; the lighter-coloured people having 

 visually long, black, and straight hair, while the darker tribes 

 have, as a rule, shorter and more frizzly hair, although it is 

 rarely, if ever, of the true negro woolly or tufted kind of 

 head-covering. This correspondence of colour of skin with a 

 certain kind of hair is, however, by no means invariable, 

 curling and frizzly hair being sometimes found with light- 

 coloured skin, and straight hair with dark skin. And even 

 where the hair is frizzly it is often long enough to be braided 

 in various fashions, so that the Sakal^va and others of the 

 darkest-hued people have their hair arranged in a number 

 of long tails consisting of minute plaits, a kind of hair- 

 dressing hardly possible where the hair is rather a kind of 

 wool.* 



In the contour of face and head also there is considerable 

 variety, many individuals approaching in this particular to a 

 European type ; others having the high-cheek-bone Malayan 

 form of face ; others again have some approximation to what 

 are considered as typical African features — broad nostrils, 

 somewhat prognathous in profile, and thicker lips, although 

 I do not remember to have seen any true Malagasy with 

 decidedly negro features. 



Speaking broadly, the Malagasy may be divided into three 

 main groups : the Eastern, the Central, and the Western 

 tribes. Of these the Hovas (north central), and perhaps the 

 Betsimis^raka (east coast) and some neighbouring tribes, are 

 the lightest in colour (although there are some Hovas as dark 

 as any of the more swarthy races) ; then come the Betsil^o 

 (south central), Tanala (forest tribes of the east side), other 

 eastern tribes, and perhaps the Bara (southernmost central, 

 although our information as to these is not very exact) ; 

 while the Sakalava, all along the west side of the island, and 



* Since writing the above, I am reminded b)' my wife (for ladies arc closer 

 observers in such matters than men) that the Malagasy are accustomed to add 

 other hair than their own to these long braids. Still, I think the darker- 

 coloured races have long hair, as a rule, although it may be a little frizzly. 



