Indian Archipelago and Pacific Islands. Ill 



from branch to branch with their weapons on their backs, 

 like monkeys, making similar gestures, and screaming and 

 laughing as in the morning. And no offers of presents could 

 induce them to descend from the trees to renew the inter- 

 course."* 



The most singular physical character of the negro of New 

 Guinea, consists in the texture of the hair of the head. It is 

 neither that of the negro of Africa, nor seemingly that of the 

 oriental negro, north of the equator. Mr Earl, who has seen 

 most of the negro tribes of New Guinea, and who best de- 

 scribes them, gives the following account of it : — '*' The most 

 striking peculiarity of the oriental negro," says he, " consists 

 in their frizzled or woolly hair. This, however, does not 

 spread over the surface of the head, as is usual with the 

 negroes of western Africa, but grows in small tufts, the 

 hairs which form each tuft keeping separate from the rest, 

 and twisting round each other, until, if allowed to grow, they 

 form a spiral ringlet. Many of the tribes, especially those 

 which occupy the interior parts of the islands, whose coasts 

 are occupied by more civilised races, from whom cutting in- 

 struments can be obtained, keep the hair closely cropped. 

 The tufts then assume the form of little knobs, about the size 

 of a large pea, giving the head a very singular appearance, 

 which has not been inaptly compared to the head of an old 

 worn-out shoe-brush. Others, again, more especially the 

 natives of the south coast of New Guinea, and the islands of 

 Torres Straits, troubled with such an obstinate description 

 of hair, yet admiring the ringlets as a head-dress, cut them 

 off, and twist them into matted skull caps, thus forming very 

 compact wigs. But it is among the natives of the north coast 

 of New Guinea, and of some of the adjacent islands of the 

 Pacific, that the hair receives the greatest attention. These 

 open out the ringlets by means of a bamboo comb, shaped 

 like an eel-spear, with numerous prongs spreading out later- 

 ally, which operation produces an enormous bushy head of 



* Mr Windsor Earl on the Papuan Indians. — (Journal of the Indian Arcki 

 pelago, vol. iv., p. 1.) 



VOL. LIV. NO. CVII — JANUARY 1853. M 



