310 



A NATURALIST'S WANDEJilNQS 



profuse ; but they take little or no care of it, simply twisting 

 it into a knot beliindj where it is transfixerl with a neatly 

 ornamented comK They never dye it» that apparently being 

 the prerogative of the male sex alone. 



The men vary very greatly in statm'e : some are short and 

 thick-set, and reach little over 5 feet, if they even attain that 

 height. The greater proportion are tall, well formed men of 

 about 5 feet 11 inches, but some stand well over (3 ftiet — 

 a[>loudiil looking fellows with perfect frames and magnificent 

 muscles. In their walk they stride forward in a jerky, 

 bouncing style, whieh gives to the head and their hair 

 when coml>ed out behind, a quick nodding motion. Their 

 whole motion is full of grace, but m pro]>ortioned are they that 

 it really seems scarcely possible for them to move ungrace- 

 fully. As youths they are splendid examples of the human 

 form ; as children not a few of both sexes are really pretty 

 in face and figure, but unfortunately they are frctruently dis- 

 figured by au enormously distended stomach and abdomen, 

 which induces a sad and sickly expression of countenance. 

 The women vary greatly also j some being short and thick-set, 

 scarcely reaching 5 feet, while others are as tall as the taller 

 of the men. Many of the girls are handsome, and a few are 

 even beauties, with pensive eyes, delicate features, and fault- 

 less in contour of IxkIv and limb ; but as they pass into the 

 married state their features l>ecome coarser, yet on tiie whole 

 neither sex can be called ugly. 



The colouT of their smooth soft skin is a rich chocolate brow n ; 

 but here and there among them occurs a quite black-skinned 

 individual, who is at once remarkable as being au exception to 

 the prevailing colour. In feature the forehead retreats slightly 

 from the prominent superciliary ridges, tus seen in prtjfile. En 

 face it is somewhat flat In the malar region, in some the 

 check-bones are very prominent ; while in others, again, this 

 teatiire is tis little observable. The brows are low, but nut con- 

 spicuously hairy. The eyes are small and narrow, and in some 

 of them a slight (ildiquity is observable, while, on the other hand, 

 there are those with the eyeball very prominent. There are two 

 distinct forms of nose among them : one in which that feature is 

 very low between the eyes, advancing with a straight dorsum to 

 the refrousse tip, whi(*li diselitses bnfli it«*strif> ('onspifiiMii>;| v. 



