A MALAGASY BELLE. 215 



doubtless, resulted from the way in which young children are 

 usually exposed to the cold with little or no clothing. 



While speaking of native dress, two or three particulars 

 may be here noted as to the clothing of the forest tribes and 

 those on the south-east coast. The former, both men and 

 women, wear but little clothing above the hips, but the 

 women of the upper classes, at least, are rather highly orna- 

 mented on their heads, necks, and arms. A fillet of small 

 white beads, an inch or so wide, is fastened round the head, 

 and secured by a circular plate of tin on the forehead. From 

 their neck hangs several necklaces of long oval white beads 

 and smaller red ones. On the wrist are silver rings, and a 

 broad bracelet of small black, white, and red beads ; and on 

 every finger and thumb are rings of brass wire. The poorer 

 women wear hardly anything but a mat sewn together at the 

 ends so as to form a sack, which is fastened by a cord round 

 the waist. Those who are nursing children have also a small 

 figured mat about eighteen inches square on their backs, 

 and suspended by a cord from the neck ; this is called Undo, 

 and is used to protect the child from the sun or rain, as it 

 lies in a fold of the mat above the girdle. In the valley of 

 the Matitanana, we noticed a comely girl who was so highly 

 ornamented as to be conspicuous among her companions 

 even at some distance. Eound her head she had the fillet of 

 white beads, and from it depended a row of small beads like 

 drops. On each side of her temples hung a long ornament 

 of hair and beads reaching below her chin ; several beads 

 bung from her ears, and a number of white and oblong beads 

 were worked into her hair at the back. Eound her neck she 

 had no less than six strings of large beads, and another 

 passing over one shoulder and under the arm. On each 

 wrist were three or four silver rings, while on every finger 

 and thumb were several coils of brass wire. Her clothing 

 was a piece of bark cloth fastened above the hips, over an 

 apron of mat ; and on one toe was a -rbrass ring. Thus she 

 was got up " from top to toe," and made a most striking 

 appearance. 



Weapons. — The ancient weapons of the Malagasy were the 

 spear and shield, and these are still the chief means of attack 



