NATURE 
a 

Nov. 3, 1870] 

from the northern regions of the Continent to their pre- 
sent abode, and who, as is well known, are a dark- 
skinned but highly intelligent race. While possessing 
some of the characters of the negro, as the crisp, woolly 
hair, large wide lips, and dilated nostrils, they differ 
radically from him in the possession of a lofty and 
intellectual forehead, a more prominent nose, high cheek 
bones, and a nameless but decided cast of countenance. 
As a people,they are devoid of care, requiring no clothes, 
building huts of the slightest construction, and obtaining 
food with the greatest facility. Their reasoning powers 
are highly developed, and they delight in controversy. 
Mr. Wood then proceeds to describe the life of a Kaffir 
fiom infancy to old age, including an account of his dress, 
ornaments, and ceremonial observances. 
To the account of the Kaffir there succeeds an equally 
interesting and trustworthy description of the Hottentot and 

of the Bosjesman or Bushman. Then follow accounts of 
the Korannas, the Namaquas, Bechuanas, Ovambos, and 
the numerous tribes of Southern and Central Africa. 
The facts recorded appear to have been drawn fro n many 
different sources, as Baines, Chapman, Moffat, Lichten- 
stein, Anderson, Burchell, Petherick, and, of course, largely 
from the narratives of Livingstone, Speke and Grant, Sir 
Samuel Baker, Du Chaillu, and Burton. The incidents 
selected to illustrate the character and habits of each 
race are, in general, very pertinent and striking, and 
render the whole work as amusing as it is instructive. Thus 
the love of finery innate in the African is well i'lus- 
trated in the following story :—‘ An English vessel arr ved 
at an African port, a large part of her cargo consistin x of 
stout iron wire ; nearly the whole of this was bought by 
the natives, and straightway vanished, no one knowing 
what had become of it. The mystery was soon solved. 
















































































































THE LAKE-DWELLINGS OF THE ORINOCO 
Suddenly the Kaffir belles appeared in new and fashion- 
able costume. Some of them had been to towns inhabited 
by Europeans, ‘and had seen certain ‘cages’ hung outside 
the drapers’ shops. They inquired the use of these sin- 
gular objects, and were told they were the fashionable 
attire of European ladies. They straightway burned to 
possess similar costumes, and when the vessel arrived 
with its cargo of wire, they bought it up, and took it home 
for the purpose of imitating the white ladies. Of course 
they had not the least idea that any other article of 
apparel was necessary, and so they wore none, but walked 
about the streets quite proud of their fashionable appear- 
ance.” 
The extraordinarily despotic power possessed by the 
chiefs of many of these tribes over the property and 
lives of their subjects constitutes a very remarkable chap- 
ter of their history, and is illustrated by Captain Speke’s 
account of M’tesa, the king of the Waganda, to whom a 

rifle having been presented, he loaded it, and handed it to 
one of his pages, telling him at the same time to go and 
shoot somebody in the outer court. The page, a mere 
boy, took the rifle, went into the court, and in a moment, 
to Captain Speke’s horror, the report of the rifle showed 
that the king’s order had been obeyed. This barbarian 
was in the habit not only of flogging his wives fearfully 
with whips made of hippopotamus hide, but of killing them 
without the slightest remorse. Speke states that scarcely 
a day passed without some woman being led forth to 
execution. 
In the account of the Andaman Islandcrs, their con- 
summate skill in the use of the bow is described ; their 
harpoon arrows, with which the Mincopies catch the larger 
fish, and which are very similar to those of Vancouver's 
Island, their beautiful canoes and extraordinary rowing, 
or rather paddiing powers, beating our best crews with 
facility ; and their family affection. To this succeeds an 
