461 



Horned cattle, and dogs, wild and tame, appear to have existed 

 from a remote period in Madagascar ; and ombe or omby is the 

 name for cattle both wild and tame, though they are different from 

 each other, — the tame cattle belonging to the zebu species being 

 distinguished by the lump between the shoulders, and the immense 

 herds of wild cattle which exist in the unfrequented parts of the 

 island having straight backs like the cattle of Europe. Amboa is 

 the name for the domesticated dog, and also for the wild dog of 

 the forest. These, and the other Malagasy names of animals above 

 specified, are evidently of African origin, and favour the opinion 

 that the animals which they designate were derived from the same 

 country. Increased acquaintance with the languages of Afi'ica 

 will probably furnish additional evidence of the relationship 

 between the inhabitants of Madagascar and those of the adjacent 

 continent, and may perhaps assist in tracing the origin of the 

 Negrito races of Polynesia. 



In Madagascar itself different dialects exist. The spoken 

 language of the Hovas, and others inhabiting the interior pro- 

 vinces, differs from that on the coasts where the ng is frequently 

 used. Still, in its verbal form and grammatical structure, one 

 language may be said to pervade the entire country ; and though 

 the introduction of letters has been confined to the language of 

 the Hovas, and dictionaries and grammars exist in that language 

 alone, these may be regarded as exhibiting the peculiar features 

 of the language of the whole island. 



The great peculiarity of the structure of this language consists 

 in the facility, uniformity, and precision with which, by means of 

 prefixes and affixes, the roots or primitive words of the language 

 may, according to fixed rules, be rendered capable of expressing 

 different meanings to an extent that is truly astonishing. The 



