ADMIXTURE OF TRIBES. 197 



Mabode, A-Barambo, ISTyapii, &c, of which a large proportion 

 have as little claim to being real Monbuttu as the Momvii, 

 the Logo, and other of their neighbours. And yet to-day all 

 the tribes just mentioned are so firmly cemented together by 

 intermarriage, intermixture, habits, customs, and even language 

 that they not only acknowledge themselves to be subdivisions 

 of one Monbuttu people, but also feel themselves to be so. 

 The fact, moreover, remains — -and there are a number of similar 

 ones in our country— that the Monbuttu language proper has, 

 to a large extent, replaced the original language, and that the 

 people, who neither are Monbuttu, and who do not appear to 

 be related to them, have acquired their habits ; this must be 

 borne in mind when examining the ethnology of the country. . 



I would like to add another remark bearing on this subject. 

 In the collection of what are called typical skulls, very great 

 care is necessary. It is well known that skulls are of no value 

 if collected within reach of Arab settlements, or in the border- 

 land of two tribes, but one has also to be most careful even 

 in the centre of a district belonging to any one tribe. The 

 intermingling of separate tribes and peoples in Central Africa 

 consequent upon war, plundering raids, dividing of the spoil in 

 women, slavery and exchange of slaves, and in a much less 

 degree on intermarriage, has brought to pass such a state of 

 confusion, that it is almost impossible to obtain skulls of really 

 pure race. Dr. Schweinfurth gives an instance of a Zande who 

 was introduced to him as a Bongo chief. In the centre of 

 Unyoro I found a large number of Waganda women. During 

 my stay in Uganda hundreds of women were brought into the 

 country from Usoga and distributed through the land, and as 

 expeditions are sent there annually, and the Wasoga do not 

 appear to be of Bantu origin, the constant crossing must in the 

 end have a decided influence. Whether the great variation in 

 the colour of the skin observable among all Negro tribes is to 

 be attributed to these mixed relationships I do not venture 

 yet to decide. 



Since the scientific discovery of Monbuttu, the habits and 

 customs of the people have hardly changed at all, in spite of 

 the Arab invasion. One man here and there may have learnt 

 to clothe himself in rags of stuff, and to hang a rosary round 



