ô 



16 G. A. J. VAN DER SANDE. 



bent and the knees often serve as a support for the arms (see figs. 29, 37, 163, 164, 188, 193; 

 also Meyer [1874, 95]). Therefore, DENIKER [1900, 495J is wrong when mentioning a sitting 

 attitude, with limbs crossed tailor-fashion, as an ethnie character of the Papuans. This posi- 

 tion is only adopted on the clean floors (figs. 102 and 190). The women also squat (figs. 7 

 and 145), but they often drop down on the knees and then sit with the nates on or beside 

 the heels (see figs. 32, 146 and 174; also MEYER and PARKINSON [1900, PI. 19]). 



When standing, the position is up to an advanced âge elastic and straight, however, 

 with striking lordosis of the loins, as already reported by Maclay [1873a, 242] and MEYER 

 [1874, 96]. 



When moving, the arms are swung slightly; the footprints lie in an almost straight line. 



Carrying loads by the men is generally performed on or from one shoulder and 

 then the opposite leg sometimes takes longer strides than the other. The women often carry 

 a child on one hip (see fig. 7; also ANNUAL REPORT [1897 — 98, PI. 1]), however, they 

 prefer to carry on the back (see p. 181 ; also ANNUAL REPORT [1897 — 98, PI. 20], Pratt 

 [1906, 303]); sometimes the bag with the baby is hung in front (THOMSON [1892, 80]), but 

 the carrying sling is generally placed round the head. It appeared to me that the Papuan 

 prefers pulling to pushing, possibly because by pulling the load is also somewhat lifted, 

 e. g. when lowering boats into the water or dragging them up on the shore. 



When necessary they can walk briskly and for a long time over uneven ground 

 without visible signs of fatigue. The female Nagramâdu carriers of the expédition, after 

 a day's march, rubbed their bodies and limbs with the leaves of a shrub, the species 

 of which I do not know, growing in the forest. Pratt [1906, 323] mentions a similar use of 

 the leaves of a small stinging plant, causing "violent irritation, folio wed by a feeling of 

 pleasant numbness". 



The people of Tobâdi swim on the chest and the arms are struck out alternately, 

 the fingers being held slightly apart, the tempo not always corresponding to that of the legs. 



When c 1 i m b i n g trees they try to make use of lianas hanging down, or of small 

 stems standing alongside (see also SCHELLONG [1905, 614]). In the case of a tree standing 

 by itself a man of Tarfia acted as follows : he placed his hands breast-high round the trunk, 

 keeping his body entirely away from it, then raising and bending his knee, he first placed 

 one foot with the sole against the trunk, after this the other and walked upward, alternately 

 shifting his hands; a similar method is described by COMRIE [1877, 104]. PRATT [1906, 94] 

 noted another manner, the ankles tied together by a hoop. By this method, also very common 

 in the Malay Archipelago, the arms are clasped round the stem and each time the body 

 must be pressed against the tree, to draw up the feet. 



With a dynamometer of COLLIN, I noted that in 4 out of 39 cases the strength of 

 both hands was the same, in 9 cases the left hand was stronger by 1 — 7 K. G., on an 

 average 3.5 K. G., than the right, whilst in 26 cases the right hand was stronger than the 

 left by 0.5 — 13 K. G., on an average 4.8 K. G.. This certainly indicates (see also ANNUAL 

 REPORT [1894 — 95, 17]) a larger use of the left arm than with Europeans, as MACLAY 

 [[873a, 243] has already pointed out; but the occurrence of decided lefthandedness is less 

 fréquent than indicated by the above figures. Only once I saw a man, while eating his sago 

 dinner, hold his fork with his left hand. The holding out and shakinç of hands when meeting 



