FEATURES* 
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pride. The hair of tlie beard and whiskers, with which 
the Papuans aiie usually well supplied, also grows in little 
tufts similar to those of the head ; and the same pecu- 
liarity is found in the hair with which the breasts and 
shoulders of the men are sometimes covered, but here 
the tufts are much farther apart than on the head or 
chin. This description of woolly or twisted hair is 
peculiar to the full-blooded Papuans. A comparatively 
slight mixture with the brown rnce removes the pecu- 
liaiity, at least has done so iu aU cases tliat have come 
under the writer^s observation. The hair of people of 
the mixed race, although thick and curly, covers the 
surface of the head like that of Europeans, The Malayan 
term for crisped or woolly hair is "rambut pua-pua/^ 
Hence tbe term '^pua-pua," or "papua" (crisped), has 
come to be applied to the entire race ; and certainly it 
deserves to be retained, as expressing their most striking 
peculiarity. 
The features of the Papuans have a decided negro 
character : broad noses, thick and prominent lips, 
receding foreheads and chins, and that turbid colour of 
what should be the wMie of the eye, which is apt to give 
the countenance a sinister expression. Their natural 
complexion is almost iioiversally a chocolate colour, 
sometimes closely approaching to black, but certainly 
Bomc shades lighter than the deep black which is often 
met with among the negro tribes of Africa. 
With regard to stature, a great difference is found to 
exist between distinct tribes, even in New Guinea, which 
has led to some confusion in the descriptions given by 
different travellers, who may each have seen only a single 
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