8170.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 159 



should they have a baby to carry. Destitute of clothing themselves, 

 these savages pity foreigners going through their jungles, especially 

 in the rains. 



Painting or adorning the body is done with red or olive-coloured 

 earth, and this is the business of the females. For the former, iron 

 is collected from a mineral spring, burnt red* and mixed with fat, 

 and this is used as an ornament or charm. I had an opportunity 

 of seeing one of these springs, and the aborigines were excessively 

 jealous, lest I should help myself to any of the exuding iron, as 

 they required it all for themselves. They collected it into leaves, 

 binding it up into parcels with fibres. Olive-coloured mud is 

 likewise a decoration, when painted in an ornamental manner, but 

 if the body, head and forehead are daubed over with it, and the 

 head plastered with mud, it is a symbol of mourning. 



All the adults have their bodies tattooed, which operation is com- 

 menced from an early age, and until it is completed, they are not 

 considered eligible for marriage. As soon as they begin to swim, 

 which is at about 8, tattooing begins. Formerly it used to be 

 done twice a year, the instrument employed being a piece of sharp- 

 ened flint bound to a stick ; but now a smaller portion of the body 

 is operated upon once a fortnight, and this goes on until the indi- 

 vidual is adult. The present instrument is a bit of a broken bottle, 

 inserted into the split extremity of a stick, for they dread a knife. 

 A considerable amount of blood is lost in these operations, which 

 are performed by making an incision nearly one-third of an inch 

 long and going to some depth. They do not form figures as is done 

 by the Burmese. 



Having an objection to hair, they shave all off, with the excep- 

 tion of one narrow strip from the crown to the nape, which, how- 

 ever, is kept cut close. They rarely have eyebrows, beard, moustache 

 or whiskers, and usually but few eyelashes. Formerly shaving 



* Dr. "W a 1 d i e having been good enough to analyse their red preparation, 

 reports it to be as follows : — 



Peroxide of iron, ... ... ... ... ... 427 



Quartz in small fragments and very little of any other 



rocky or earthy matter, ... ... ... ... 56*4 



Water expelled by ignition, ... ... ... ... "9 



100-0 



