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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



heavy silks and brocades, sometimes with 

 exquisite lace scarfs or veils folded back 

 on the head. The jewelry is most elab- 

 orate, too — large gold buttons worn at 

 the throat; large ear-rings and pendants. 

 The costumes and jewelry are almost al- 

 ways heirlooms in the families. 



The men's costumes usually consist of 

 woolen leggings, white, full trousers, 

 long or short, a full ruffle of black cloth 

 worn around the waist ; and this, too. 

 differs in length. Some of the jackets 

 are short and some long, but all have sil- 

 ver buttons down the front. The shep- 

 herd wears a sheepskin, on which the 

 wool has been left, over his shoulders 

 throughout the year, even in midsummer, 

 and claims that it keeps away the ma- 

 laria. In some districts the men wear a 

 pointed cap resembling a Phrygian bon- 

 net, long and narrow like a stocking, 

 reaching almost to the waist ; the point is 

 either worn down over the shoulders or 

 folded on the top of the head and may be 

 used as a pillow at night. It is apt to 

 contain anything from bread to snuff, 

 which is indispensable to the older Sard. 

 A queer custom of some of the younger 

 men is to let the hair on the top of their 

 heads grow often to 15 inches in length, 

 and then roll it up into a puff, which 

 looks like a pompadour, across the fore- 

 head. 



Among the distinctive products of Sar- 

 dinia is cheese made of goat's milk and 

 used very generally by Italians. The 

 wines are noted for their strength. An 

 interesting export is cork, which is taken 

 from the trees every five years, leaving 

 the bare, red trunks noticeable all over the 

 island. Many sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, 

 and horses are raised and sold on the 

 continent. 



IMPORTANT MINING OPERATIONS 



The mining industry is probably the 

 most important, the principal metals pro- 

 duced being lead and zinc. Iglesias, in 

 the southwestern corner, is the center 

 of mining activity. The mines employ 

 about 15,000 workmen, and the output is 



approximately 60,000 tons of lead con- 

 centrates and 120,000 tons of zinc con- 

 centrates annually. Some silver, iron, 

 antimony, copper, and coal are also pro- 

 duced. 



The tunny fisheries off the island of 

 San Pietro are noteworthy. In the spring 

 schools of these fish pass through the 

 Mediterranean, and enormous numbers 

 are caught in nets and brought to the 

 large canneries at Carloforte. 



There is very good hunting on the 

 island. The moufflon, a cross between a 

 wild sheep and a deer, is found in the 

 mountains and is native only to Sardinia ; 

 there are also some fallow deer and red 

 deer. By far the most numerous of the 

 big game is the wild boar. Hare, par- 

 tridges, woodcock, snipe, quail, and wild 

 duck are all found in large quantities. 



AX ISLAXD OF WILD FLOWERS 



The wild flowers are most beautiful, 

 and there is practically no month in which 

 a great variety is not found. Among 

 these are orchids, narcissus, lilies, gladi- 

 olas, irises, cyclamen, fox-gloves, pop- 

 pies, and sweet peas. In the summer 

 months, usually from May until Septem- 

 ber, there is no rainfall. During the win- 

 ter the rains are heavy and often accom- 

 panied by strong winds. In the northern 

 part of the island a good deal of snow 

 falls, and often the ground remains cov- 

 ered for a month at a time ; but in the 

 southern part of the island there is al- 

 most never any snow and seldom any 

 frost. In the gardens there roses, helio- 

 trope, calla lilies, nasturtiums, ivy, gera- 

 niums, marguerites, and many other flow- 

 ers bloom all winter. It is during the 

 summer that these cease blossoming. 



May, June, and October are the months 

 most pleasant for travel in Sardinia. The 

 country is at its best then ; the cultivated 

 fields green, the wild flowers most pro- 

 fuse, the climate least variable, and the 

 roads, which are covered with "ghiaia," 

 or broken rock, from December to Feb- 

 ruary, are then in perfect condition. - 



