DEESS OF THE FEMALES. 203 



other marking's, — that over the face is more com- 

 plicated, and on the fore arm and wrist it is 

 frequently so elaborate as to assume the appearance 

 of beautiful lace-work. 



Unlike the men — whose only article of dress con- 

 sists of a small breech-cloth of pandanus leaf passing- 

 between the legs, and secured before and behind to 

 a string or other girdle round the waist — the females 

 wear petticoats (noge) of the same leaf, divided into 

 long grass-like shreds, reaching to the knee. That 

 worn by the girls consists merely of single lengths 

 made fast to a string which ties round the waist ; 

 but the women wear a larger and thicker kind of 

 petticoat, composed of three layers of different de- 

 grees of fineness and lengths, forming* as many 

 "flounces," the upper one of more finely divided 

 stuff, neatly plaited above, over a girdle of the same 

 tough bark (barrai) used in making their larger 

 kinds of rope. Two or three of these petticoats are 

 usually worn one over the other, and in cold or wet 

 weather the outer one is untied and fastened round 

 the neck, covering the upper part of the body Hke a 

 cape or short cloak. The hair of the women is also 

 usually but not invariably twisted up into " thrums" 

 like those of a mop, a style of dressing it here pecu- 

 liar to the female sex. 



Many pigs were running about the village — small 

 in size, lean and long legged, usually black, with 

 coarse bristles — also two or thi'ee dogs, similar to 

 those seen at Brierly Island. One young 'o'oman 



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