138 BEHOSY. 



are black, and in appearance are much like the Sakal^va. 

 They make network of cords, hence the name Bdhdsy. They 

 jump from tree to tree like monkeys, and cannot easily be 

 followed, as the country is rocky. They are extremely timid, 

 and if captured, die of fright." 



From another paper in the same Annual (p. 76) it appears 

 that these people live in the hills called B^mariiha, on the 

 farther side of the great depression which bounds the high 

 region of the central part of the island to the west, and about 

 the nineteenth parallel of south latitude. These Behosy seem 

 to resemble in some of their habits the " monkey-men " of 

 Dourga Strait, New Guinea (see Wood's Natural History of 

 Man, voL ii. p. 224). It is much to be wished that some 

 fuller information could be obtained about these singular 

 people, for they appear to be lower in the scale of humanity 

 than any other of the Malagasy tribes ; and if what we hear 

 is correct, are probably of a different stock to the rest of the 

 inhabitants of Madagascar. 



It may be remarked, in conclusion, that it unfortunately 

 happens that those portions of the island where these abnormal 

 races — Vazhxibn^ JKimris,^ and Eehp sy — are said to be found, 

 are those which are at present least known to Europeans. 

 But we may hope that as we are becoming better acquainted 

 with the country every year, no very long period wiU. now 

 elapse before these parts of it are explored, and that so fur- 

 ther light will be thrown upon its ethnology. 



A few remarks may be here made upon the subject of the 

 amount and distribution of the Population of Madagascar. 



It may be said at the outset that no very accurate in- 

 formation can be obtained on this point. The population is 

 scattered over a great extent of country, large regions of 

 which have never been even crossed by foreigners, much 

 less carefully and minutely examined; and as the authority 

 of the central Hova Government is but slight over a large 

 part of the island, no reliable information as to the popula- 

 tion of the island generally can be procured from this source. 

 Besides this, no census of the kind employed in European 

 countries has been taken, even in the central province where 

 the Hova influence is most powerful; and the Government 



