434 ^'^^ ISLJN2}!»\ [cnAr. xxi. 



Papuan race, were much niore reserved and taciturn than 

 those of Ke. This is probably because I ouly saw them 

 aa yet amoug strangers and in small parties. One must 

 see the savage at home to know what he really is. Even 

 here, however, the Papuan character sometimes breaks out. 

 Little boys sing cheerfully as they walk along, or talk 

 aloud to themselves (quite a negro characteristic) ; and, try 

 all they can, the men cannot conceal their emotions in the 

 true Malay fashion. A number of them were one day in 

 my house, and having a fancy to try what sort of eating 

 tripang would be, I bought a couple, paying for them with 

 such an extravagant quantity of tobacco that the seller 

 saw I was a gi-een customer. He could not, however, 

 conceal his delight, but as he smelt the fragi*ant weed, and 

 exhibited the large handful to his companions, he grinned 

 and twisted and gave silent chuckles in a most expi-essive 

 pantomime. I had often before made the same mistake in 

 paying a Malay for some trifle. In no case, however, was 

 his pleasure visible on his countenance — a didl and stupid 

 hesitation only showing his surpiise, wliich would be 

 exhibited exactly in the same way whether he was over 

 or under paid. These little nioi-al traits are of the greatest 

 interest when taken in connexion with physical features. 

 They do not admit of the same rcixdy explauatiou by 

 external causes which is so frequently applied to the 

 latter. AVrilers on the races of mankind have too often 

 to trust to the information of travellers who pass rapidly 

 Irora country to country, and thus have few opportunities 

 of becoming acquainted with peculiarities of national cha- 

 racter, or even of ascertaining what is really the average 

 physical conformation of the people. Such are exceed- 

 ingly apt to be deceived in places where two races have 

 long intermingled, by looking on intermediate forms and 

 mbted liahits as evide nces of a natural transition from one 

 race to the other, instead of an artificial mixture of two 

 distinct peoples ; and they will be the more readily led 

 into t\m error if, as in the present case, writers on the 

 subject sliould have been in the habit of classing these 

 races as mere varieties of one stock, as closely related in 

 physical conformation as from their geographical proximity 

 one might suppose they ought to be. So far as i have ycc 



