28o SIHANAKA SUPERSTITION. 



considered as favourable for planting, commencing house- 

 building, going on a journey, or a war expedition, &c. 



Each tribe, however, has customs peculiar to itself. Thus, 

 among the southern Tan^la we found that eight days in each 

 month were considered unlucky, viz., those called Tsarati, 

 tliree days, Alakaosy, two days, and Alijkdy, three days ; and 

 that children born on those days were put to death in the 

 manner above described, so that a fourth of all who are born 

 are destroyed. 



Then we also learned that with them every day throughout 

 each month has its fady or food which must not be eaten 

 when travelling on that day. Thus, on the first day silk- 

 worms must not be eaten ; on the Eecond Indian corn is 

 prohibited, and so on successively, with sugar-cane, bananas, 

 sweet potatoes, rice, yams, honey, earth-nuts, beans, katsaha, 

 and voamaho. 



Among the Sih^naka tribe the people of a village called 

 Anorohoro are said to be almost like wild men, and are 

 extremely superstitious, being addicted to astrology and the 

 observance of days. Among them the twelve months have 

 each their qualities of good or bad, and the mouth is also 

 divided into the same number of parts ; each day, even, they 

 divide into a number of parts from morning to evening. And 

 if a stranger comes to them on a day which they consider 

 unlucky, or on one of the divisions of the day or of the 

 month which is of bad omen, they will not allow him to 

 e&ter the village, but make him remain outside, and there 

 they bring him food. Should he, however, persist in coming 

 in they say he will certainly come to harm, either dying in 

 the town, or being so ill as to lose his senses, or will be lost 

 and not find how to advance or retreat, becoming hopelessly 

 adrift among the rushes on the water. For as this village is 

 situated in the midst of a dense thicket of papyrus, there is 

 no road to it except by canoe.'"' 



Among the Bara, if a child is bora, on a day which is 



unlucky to either its father only or its mother only it is not 



put to death, but if born on a day of evil omen to both 



parents it is buried ahve in an ant-hill. The unfortunate 



* Antananarivo Annual, No. iii. p. 6i. » 



