248 S. E. Peal — Communal Barracks of Primitive Races. [No. 3, 



Thus " jhuming " which so strongly differentiates all these, from 

 Aryan races, is not found among the nomadic Australians. Canniba- 

 lism again, which at one time was probably universal, has died out 

 in most cases, or survives in the passion for " head-hunting" in 

 several. 



The building of houses on piles is another singular habit which 

 persists among many widely scattered groups, and that it is a sur- 

 vival and not locally spontaneous, is beautifully demonstrated by the 

 "araiba" or extension of the platform floor, beyond the end of the roof, 

 which is characteristic of Indo-Mongols, Borneans, Papuans, the dwel- 

 lers in the Phillipines, and other widely-scattered peojDle. 



The platform burial, common around Assam, is also seen in 

 New Guinea, Borneo, Formosa, Sumatra, &c. 



The vertical double cylinder bellows, seen all over our north- 

 eastern frontier as far as the Lutze, (Anong) turns up again in Nias 

 off Sumatra, in the Ke Islands, North Australia, and in Madagascar in 

 identically the same forms. 



Our Nagas and other tribes climb trees by cutting notches 

 for the toes, precisely as do the Australians, and use the bamboo 

 pegged to a tree stem as a ladder, the same as the Dyaks. 



The extraordinary hide cuirasses worn by the savages in the 

 island of Nias, to keep out arrows and spears, are absolutely identical 

 with those till lately used by our Nagas, and which are now rendered 

 useless by fire-arms. 



The large canoe war drums of Polynesia, the " Lali " of Fiji, and 

 "Tavaka" of the New Hebi'ides are seen all through our Naga hills, 

 and stranger still, have the "crocodile heads" carved at the extremi- 

 ties, though the animal is unknown locally. 



The bamboo Jew's harp of the Phillipines and New Britain, 

 sounds in all our Naga villages. The singular perineal bandage of 

 New Guinea is here also quite common. 



These are a few of the very singular instances of survivals, which 

 unexpectedly meet us over a wide area, among races now considered 

 more or less distinct, and which demonstrate a common origin in the 

 far past, among races too, wherein the communal barracks for the 

 unmarried is a persistent feature. 



As before stated, many of these subsidiary social customs have 

 varied, or died out entirely, here and there, due no doubt to differences 

 in the physical surroundings, and in the barracks themselves we see 

 often variations to suit local, or recent, requirements, which indeed 

 is one good proof of extreme antiquity: 



But certain features in relation to them have so persistently 



