1866.] Physical Character of the Karens. 7 



the Burmese ; while the mountaineers are usually of little muscle and 

 small limbs. It is a popular idea that mountaineers are stronger, and 

 hardier than lowlanders, but, however, it may be in other lands, it is 

 certain that in Burmah the mountain tribes are weaker people than 

 those who live on the plains. The cause, however, may possibly be 

 other than the locality. 



In stature, all the Karens, excepting perhaps the northern tribes, are 

 shorter on an average than Europeans. In a promiscuous assembly of 

 one hundred men, embracing several tribes, two were five feet seven 

 inches high, eight were five feet six and a half inches, and all the rest 

 were shorter. An intelligent man that measured five feet fi ve inches 

 and a half was confident that he was taller than the average of 

 Karens. I should fix the average at from jive feet four and a half 

 to five feet five. The shortest man I have measured, is a Bgbai chief, 

 who was only four feet eight inches high ; and the tallest Karen I have 

 seen, was not quite six feet. 



A company of one hundred Karen women had only two that were 

 five feet one inch high, eight were about four feet ten ; and the rest 

 shorter. The average cannot be more than four feet nine. The short- 

 est woman I have noted, was four feet five. 



In different villages, the average would vary considerably from the 

 above. A village of Mopghas, on the hills, that can be seen with a glass 

 from the city of Toungoo, is remarkable for its short men. especially 

 the younger ones. I doubt there being one over five feet high. On 

 the contrary, the northern Bghais and Graikhos are comparatively tall, 

 perhaps as tall, usually, as Europeans ; but they are a small minority ; 

 and I attribute their superiority, in part, to the higher and cooler 

 region that they inhabit. 



Though small in stature, the Karens appear to be tolerably well 

 proportioned. No prevailing disproportion between different parts of 

 the body has been noted. 



In those parts of the body which are not exposed, the northern 

 Karens, at least, are as fair as the Chinese. The young people, both 

 male and female, among the Grai-khos and northern Bghais, often 

 show red and white in strong contrast on their countenances ; alto- 

 gether unlike the uniform clay colour of their more southern relatives. 

 I have met with individuals, who, if seen alone, would be pronounced 



