APPEARANCE OF THE SAKALAVA. 113 



above description. The men have not much beard, but they 

 ■wear moustachios, often growing rather thick, and clipped 

 close. 



Except that most of the other races of the central and 

 eastern side of the island are darker in colour than the Hovas, 

 much of the above description would apply to the finer ex- 

 amples of some of the other tribes as well. The children of 

 the Tanala people in the heart of the dense forest, of the 

 B^tsUeo, the Betsimisaraka, and the Sihanaka, are equally quick, 

 bright, and intelligent with those of the Hovas, and, judging 

 from the appearance of the few Sakalava I have met with, I 

 should judge that they are not below the other tribes in mental 

 qualities. I was always struck with the bold, free, martial 

 appearance of parties of this tribe, who are occasionally seen 

 at the capital. As is remarked in The History of Madagascar 

 (vol. i. p. 129) : "There is something in the very appearance 

 of the Sakalava in his favour. His manly air and gait, his 

 full countenance and penetrating look, declare him destined 

 to something higher and nobler than he has yet attained." 

 If I am not mistaken in my recollection of many of them, 

 they have often an almost Eoman shape of nose, thin at the 

 upper part, although rather broad at the base. Captain J. 

 C. Wilson, E.ISr., in some "Notes on the West Coast of 

 Madagascar," * says the Sakalava are the finest race of savages 

 he ever saw ; strong, tall, and independent, somewhat like 

 Africans, but better looking. He describes them as being 

 good shots, of pastoral habits, and having clean and comfort- 

 able houses. 



Mr. G. A. Shaw, who has resided amongst the Betsileo for 

 seven years, says of them : " As compared with the Hovas^ 

 the Betsileo have a greater proportion of big men, and the 

 average size both of men and of women is greater than in the 

 north. The average height is not less than six feet for the 

 men, and a few inches less for the women. They are large- 

 boned and muscular, and their colour is several degrees 

 darker than that of the Hovas, approaching in many cases 

 very close to a black. The forehead is low and broad, the 

 nose flatter and the lips thicker than those of their con- 



• * Jour. Roy. Gcog. Soc, vol. x.xxvi., 1S66. 



H 



