356 REV. GEORGE A. SHAW, F.Z.S.,-ON 
At the entrance to the kibory a halt is made, and the 
women and children return home, with the exception of the 
old women already referred to as performing the last sad 
rites. These carry fat trom the kidney of an ox and fire, 
and as they enter the gateway a chant* is repeated seven 
times by a few of the attendants and followers, after which 
they all advance into the burial-house and deposit the corpse 
in its appointed place. 
A general mourning is observed in the village for a week, 
during which time no bathing or cleansing of oarments 
takes “place : but on the eighth day all bathe, and ay time 
and appearance of mourning is past, except for the widow, 
whose time of mourning (and what usually amounts to the 
same thing—widowhood) is regulated by the relatives of the 
Head husband, who can, at will, make the time extremely 
short, or indefinitely prolong the time during which she is 
unable to become the wife of another. 
When a wife dies, the widower remains secluded for a 
week or perhaps even a fortnight, by which time the 
relatives of the late wife bring to him his deceased wife’s 
sister or other near female relative of hers as his future wife. 
This is evidently done as a matter of worldly prudence on 
the part of the relatives to prevent both the property and 
the children from passing into the keeping of others than 
those over whom they have some influence. 
Discussion. 
The Cuarrman.—I think I should only be anticipating your 
wishes by expressing our very hearty and sincere thanks to the 
Rey. George Shaw for the interesting paper which he has given 
us. It deals with a subject that I think hardly any of us had 
much knowledge of before. It is a subject upon which the 
lecturer is well qualified to speak by his residence in Madagascar 
and upon which hardly any one could gain knowledge except by 
living in the place and doing missionary work, I venture to say,. 
among the people. 
* This chant sounds like: <’baralad, kibarala, kilia, ldlaholala,, 
hiburala, kibarala, kibarala, voiclalaméndo. 
