162 
SOUTHERN APRICA. 
two inches ; and, for females, about four feet. 
Many, however, are considerably below this 
standard, amongst both sexes. The outline of 
the physiognomy is triangular and concave ; 
the cheekbones very high; the chin sharp and 
prominent; the nose flat; the lips thick; and 
the eyes, which are very small, narrow, sunken, 
and keen, are set obliquely in the head, the in- 
terior corners being the lowest. They are si- 
tuated far apart in the face, and are always in 
motion. The colour of their skin has been well 
described as that of a withered leaf of tobacco ; 
but they are so completely clothed in coats of 
grease, filth, and ochre, (with which they smear 
their bodies) that, except where or when this 
peels off, it is never visible. Their legs, thighs, 
and arms, are lean, withered and divested of 
all appearance of muscle. The joints are large ; 
the bones long ; and the body protuberant and 
mis-shapen. 
Such, in appearance, is that miserable, needy, 
hollow-eyed, sharp-looking creature, called a 
Bosjesman, or Bushman of Southern Africa. It 
is impossible adequately to describe these crea- 
tures, so as to give an idea, to European minds, 
of the mildness of their looks, as they appear in 
their desert haunts. They wear no clothing, 
except part of a raw skin, generally that of a 
sheep, goat, or antelope, hung loosely over the 
