1866. | Physical Character of the Karens. 7 
the Burmese; while the mountaineers are usually of little muscle and 
small limbs. It is a popular idea that mountaineers are stronger, and 
hardier than lowlanders, but, however, it may be in other lands, it is 
certain that in Burmah the mountain tribes are weaker people than 
those who live on the plains. The cause, however, may possibly be 
other than the locality. 
In stature, all the Karens, excepting perhaps the northern tribes, are 
shorter on an average than Huropeans. In a promiscuous assembly of 
one hundred men, embracing several tribes, two were five feet seven 
inches high, eight were five feet siz and a half inches, and all the rest 
were shorter. An intelligent man that measured five feet jive inches 
and a half, was confident that he was taller than the average of 
Karens. I should fix the average at from jive feet four and a half 
to five feet five. 'The shortest man I have measured, is a Bghai chief, 
who was only four feet ecght inches high ; and the tallest Karen I have 
seen, was not quite six feet. 
A company of one hundred Karen women had only two that were 
five feet one inch high, eight were about four feet ten ; and the rest 
shorter. The average cannot be more than four feet nine. The short- 
est woman I have noted, was four feet five. 
In different villages, the average would vary considerably from the 
above. A village of Mopghas, on the hills, that can be seen with a glass 
from the city of Toungoo, is remarkable for its short men, especially 
the younger ones. I doubt there being one over five feet high. On 
the contrary, the northern Bghais and Gaikhos are comparatively tall, 
perhaps as tall, usually, as Huropeans ; but they are a small minority ; 
and I attribute their superiority, in part, to the higher and cooler 
“region that they inhabit. 
Though small in stature, the Karens appear to be tolerably well 
proportioned. No prevailing disproportion between different parts of 
the body has been noted. 
In those parts of the body which are not exposed, the northern 
Karens, at least, are as fair as the Chinese. The young people, both 
male and female, among the Gai-khos and northern Bghais, often 
show red and white in strong contrast on their countenances; alto- 
gether unlike the uniform clay colour of their more southern relatives. 
I have met with individuals, who, if seen alone, would be pronounced 
