RAISED CICATRICES ON THE BODY. 13 



by some old man famous for his skill in performing 

 the operation. The chewed leaf of a certain plant 

 (which^ however, I could not identify) is introduced 

 into the wound to prevent the edges from uniting, 

 and a daub of wet clay is then placed over all, and 

 kept there until the necessary effect has been pro- 

 duced. The principal scarifications among women 

 at Cape York and Muralug are in the form' of long 

 lines across the hips. Among the men, however, 

 there is considerable varietj^ 



The characteristic mode of dressing the hair 

 among the Torres Strait Islanders is to have it 

 twisted up into long pipe-like ring-lets, and wigs in 

 imitation of this are also worn. Sometimes the head 

 is shaved, leaving a transverse crest — a practice 

 seldom seen among the men but not uncommon 

 among women and children, from Darnley Island 

 down to Cape York. At the last place and Mu- 

 ralug the hair is almost always kept short, — still 

 caprice or fashion have their SM'ay, for at Cape York 

 I have at times for a week together seen all the men 

 and lads with the hair twisted into little strands well 

 daubed over with red ochre and turtle fat. 



The Torres Strait Islanders are distinguished by 

 a large complicated oval scar, only slightly raised, 

 and of neat construction. This, which I have been 

 told has some connection with a turtle, occupies the 

 right shoulder, and is occasionally repeated on the 

 left. At Cape York, however, the cicatrices were 

 so varied, that I could not connect any particular 



