ANTHROPOLOGY. 319 



MAC Farlane [1888, 103] and GUISE [1899, 219J also point to this; the former, while 

 testifyîng the possession of many noble qualifies, however, considers the Papuans as "the 

 remnant of a worn-out race". 



The people of Humboldt Bay were always praised (Van der Goes [1858, 86], Finsch 

 [1S88, 360]), on account of their sharpness and désire for knovvledge. On several occasions it 

 appeared that ail the actions of the members of the expédition were understood and the 

 object grasped. The comical side of a situation never escaped their notice and not uncom- 

 monly they were able by exaggeration to show up the ridiculous part. The Tobâdi carriers 

 whom we took to Ternate, very soon made themselves at home amongst their new surround- 

 ings and they ail learned several Malay words. 



As to their knowledge of orientation, far from home the direction in which their 

 native village was situated was indicated with fair accuracy by our Papuan carriers. 



The time of the day is calculated from the sun, besides which they count with 

 moons and monsoons, the beginning of the east monsoon being regarded as the beginning 

 of the year. The people of H. B. pointed out to us that during one part of the year the 

 sun rises exactly in the opening of the inner bay, but in other parts of the year more to 

 the north or to the south. During the night, the time at Tumleo (ERDWEG [1902, 392]) 

 is calculated by the position of the stars and moon. Living almost on the equator, the 

 native of the north coast has the advantage of being able to see the whole of the northern 

 as well as the southern sky, and it is therefore not surprising (NACHRICHTEN [1888, 227], 

 HaGEN [1S99, 245]) that he has proper names for planets, stars and constellations (Great 

 Bear, Orion, Southern Cross). 



The moon, however, plays a very peculiar part, the moon's changes in British N. G. 

 causing menstruation (BEARDMORE [1890, 460]). The first crescent which after the new moon 

 is just visible at sunset above the western horizon, is in Geelvink Bay (MEYER [1875, 37], 

 VAN HASSELT [1889, 263]) saluted by women and children with singing, because, as they 

 say, the moon illuminâtes the nightly path of husbands and fathers, who may be travelling. 

 In K. W. Land (HAGEN [1899, 287]) only the children raise a cheer, because the new crescent 

 shows that the moon, which was threatened by a shark, has been saved by small fishes. 

 FlNSCH [1888 — 93, 34] mentions a similar custom in the Bismarck Archipelago. 



In Humboldt Bay and on Lake Sentâni, when the thin crescent is seen, women and 

 children, as well as some of the men, with their faces turned towards the west, utter a loud 

 cry : âââââ, in the pitch of a' = 440 vibrations, lasting about half a minute, whilst with 

 the flat hand, in a tempo of ± 160 per minute, the opening of the mouth is lightly struck, 

 whereby the sound is interrupted : âââââ .... This ceremony, of course, occurs only once 

 a month, but it happened to be witnessed on two occasions. They could not make me 

 ùnderstand what the meaning of this was. 



As they hâve no written language, the past can only be related from memory. 

 Very interesting is the account of the people of Tobâdi of their first acquaintance with fire-arms. 

 A man of about 36 years described to the members of the expédition, how one day, when 

 he was still a little boy, a ship, painted black and with one funnel, had anchored in the 

 bay. When the boats were coming to the shore, some natives, seeing no bows and arrows 

 with their visitors, took them to be without arms and tried to steal iron objects. Some five 



