S THE PIGMIES. 



coed in finding out whether there is anything solid in the singular 

 affinities pointed to by Mr. Hyde Clarke, between the various 

 Mincopie languages and certain African and American idioms. ( x ) 

 Lastly it would be of some interest to investigate whether the 

 language of the Puttouas of the Amarkantak mountains, which is 

 perfectly different from any Dravidian dialect of the neighbour- 

 hood, ( 2 ) would seem to be at all connected with those spoken in 

 the Andaman Islands or Malay Peninsula. 



Social Slate. — The Mincopies depend exclusively for their exist- 

 ence on hunting and fishing and have no permanent homes. Living 

 on the shores of a sea in which fish is remarkably abundant, within 

 immediate reach of dense forests where pigs are very numerous, 

 and honey and fruits plentiful, they have not felt the want of 

 claiming from the soil a supplement of food, and this very state 

 of comfort has, in itself, kept them down on the lowest rung of the 

 social ladder. ( 3 ) 



Most travellers, who have visited the Philippine Islands, have 

 spoken of the Aetas as having never got past this step, though 

 placed in much less favourable conditions. La Gtironniere, (*) 

 and Meter are very positive on this point, ( 5 ) and M. Giglioli 

 has unreservedly accepted what they say on the subject. ( G ) 

 Hienzi himself, to whom we are indebted for information as to the 

 more happy past of these people, represents them as living now- 

 a-days exclusively on wild fruits and the proceeds of fishing and 

 hunting. ( 7 ) 



( i ) Note on the Languages of the Andamans (Journal of the Anthropological 

 Institute, Vol. IV, p. 467 J 



(2) Rousselet, Tableau des Maces de Vlnde Centrale (Revue £ Anthropologic, 

 Vol. II, p. 282J 



( 3 ) Mr. Francis Day iuf orms us that a very small Mincopie tribe, station- 

 ed close to the British Settlements and receiving daily rations, bagged, in one 

 year, 500 wild-boars, 150 turtles, 20 wild cats, 50 iguanas and 6 dugongs 

 (Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1870, p. 153. J 



(1) Vingt Annees aux Philippines, p. 303. 



(5) Die Philippinen and Hire Bewohner, M. 



(e) Studi sulla Raza Ncgrita (Arcliivio per V Antropologia, Vol. V, p. 293, 

 and Viar/gio delta Pirocorvetta Magenta, p. 24 5.) 



(7) Oceanic, Vol. I, p. 301. 



