IN TIMOR-LAUT. 309 



they bind it within various coloured bands —narrow above broad 

 — laid one on another, before a mirror formed of water collected 

 in the bottom of a prau, or on the calm sea-face itself, is most 

 amusing to see. The men are very fond of having their hair 

 cut quite short, as it no doubt relieves them for a time by 

 reducing the population in that region of their bodies. 



One day some of them seeing in our house a pair of scissors, 

 eagerly begged its use for this purpose, whereupon one of 

 them at once started as haircutter, and as soon as it was known 

 that such operations were going on a crowd collected, and, 

 sitting down in a row, waited for their turn. We tried to 

 get some specimens of their locks, but when they sa\v that we 

 desired to keep the portions we picked up, they became quite 

 afraid, and excitedly demanded them back, for fear, as they 

 said, they would die if they remained in our keeping. They 

 gathered up every scrap, and had 

 not a kind wind assisted us, and 

 blown a few pieces to a little dis- 

 tance out of their sight, which 



A- and I marked down noting 



the subject from which each had 

 come, we could not have obtained 

 a single specimen. In Sumatra 

 I once saw a man most carefully i''^™"''^^-^ ^11^""''" ™^ 

 bury the scraps after paring his 



finger-nails. It seems as if there existed in these countries 

 a superstitious dread of any part of their person being in pos- 

 session of another. One day, when I purchased from a man 

 his father's skull, something of the same dread appeared; 

 for as soon as the bargain was completed, the seller took from 

 his luvu (or siri-holder) a piece of areca-nut, and, setting the 

 skull before him, he placed the nut between its teeth, and before 

 handing it over to me he repeated a long and devout invoca- 

 tion. On another occasion, also, when I purchased from an old 

 man a large fish, which he had just taken with great difficulty, 

 he would not hand it over to me till he had cut off one of the 

 pectoral fins, to return it, with an invocation to the nitu, or 

 soul of the fish, lest he should come by harm. 



The character of the hair is the same in both sexes. Among 

 the women hair is abundant on the head Avithout being 



