INDIAN HOME LIFE. 93 
lency, both men and women preserve the shapeliest 
of limbs. The arms of the men are extremely mus- 
cular, and their breasts huge knots of muscle. The 
head is well shaped and gracefully poised. This, as 
well as the straightness of the back, and backward 
throw of the broad shoulders, may be owing to the 
universal practice of carrying every kind of load upon 
the head. The custom of flattening the forehead by 
compression, which was universal until the commence- 
ment of the present century, is not now practiced. 
Let me subjoin a description of a boy and girl, 
made as they stood before me, in the primitive garb 
of innocence and virtue, two years ago. The boy, 
aged eleven or twelve, had a face round, with chin 
of good shape, and small; nose rather flat; mouth 
small; ears small; eyes almond-shaped, with black 
silken fringe; the forehead broad and prominent; hair 
purple-black, abundant, cut short above the eyes and 
flowing behind; the shoulders straight— a plumb- 
line dropped from the junction of cervical and dorsal 
vertebrze would touch the heels; back hollowed; ab- 
domen full; legs straight; hips not large but power- 
ful; breasts well rounded. The girl was an exact 
picture of the boy in the features above described ; 
the mouth was daintily cut, with thin lips; and grace 
and lithesome freedom were in every turn and mo- 
tion. 
It almost gave pain to think that these sprightly 
little beauties would develop into coarse, full-bodied 
men and women, like those about them. But it un- 
doubtedly would be so; and this little boy, though 
retaining longer the shapely limbs which would de- 
velop into muscular and brawny members, would 
