VENTURELLO] MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF TAGBANUAS 549 
parents, who receive them with much gratification. The future hus- 
band may or may not be accompanied by his friends. He will remain 
at the house of his sweetheart for a few hours. This now signifies 
that he has claims to the girl. The father will then signify a day 
when the young man may formally ask for her hand, and the 
day having arrived the families will meet in her house and decide 
upon the time of marriage, which usually takes place two or 
three days afterwards. The marriage ceremony of the Batacs 
is the same as that of the Apurahuanos. After the completion of 
the ceremony the families and invited guests enjoy the feast which 
consists of drinking pangasi and eating wild boar, monkey, etc. 
They do not care for the dance. When partly drunk they enjoy 
singing the tud-tud or dagoy, which the Apurahuanos also 
know. There are some mountain Batacs who dance the “ talutad.” 
A man dances this very rapidly and to the sound of the drum. The 
song of the tud-tud is a tale of the ancient deeds and history 
of certain men and women who were much honored. It also may 
be the story of dear ones who have died. 
Polygamy is permitted to both sexes. During the six years that 
I lived in Caruray at a place near the Batacs, divorce and the abduc- 
tion of a woman were rarely known. 
The most common diseases among them are skin eruptions, 
such as itch and tetter, tumors, and malarial fever and catarrh. This 
last is the most dreaded and common disease among them owing to 
the rough weather and to the heat. The tumorous affection is the 
most dangerous and causes much loss; yet they take scarcely any 
care because of it, although it is contagious. The children who 
fortunately have not been attacked by this disease are inoculated 
with it by their parents who according to their mode of reasoning, 
think it better to be thus afflicted while young ; for to be touched by it 
in old age causes the person to suffer more intensely. For this 
reason 60 per cent. or more of the people are afflicted by this dis- 
ease. The Batacs of the mountains have no experience whatever 
and they never take into consideration the terrible effects of this 
sickness which decimates them and makes them useless. For the 
persons so afflicted, not only lose their physical strength, but 
in the majority of cases become utterly helpless. Their joints 
become weak, and after a little while ulcers appear. I have 
known various Batacs afflicted with this evil. Their aspect was thin 
and nauseating. Afterwards in spite of the spreading of the wounds 
which broke forth on all parts of the body, especially in the lips, and 
