1891 - 92 .] Dr R. W. Felkin on the Wanyoro Tribe. 139 
times sit on her heels, her knees stretched apart, while one or two 
women support her back and arms, and the midwife sits in front of 
her ready to receive the child. (See Reproduction^ 
Development and Decay . — I have no accurate information as to 
the average or extreme length of life among these people, but I saw 
a good many comparatively old men and women. Puberty is arrived 
at early, and the period of childbearing may be said to be from 14 to 
25 years. Save that the mammary glands were remarkably well 
developed in the women, there was nothing remarkable about them. 
The Wanyoro’s teeth are well preserved ; I never saw any case of 
caries, nor do the teeth appear much worn. As in Uganda, it is 
considered unlucky if the children’s teeth do not appear either at the 
right time or in the proper order. 
Hair . — The Wanyoro have short, coarse, dull woolly hair. It is 
not plaited, and no care is spent on its cultivation. It is only shaved 
as a sign of mourning. Sometimes the women may be seen with 
flowers fastened in the hair, and, rarely, the men have a kind of bead 
head-dress, arranged something like an old-fashioned chignon, but 
they are not nearly so prone to such adornments as are the Longo, 
Shuli, or Shefalu. The musicians and medicine-men often wear 
long beards made from cows’ tails or goats’ beards. Comparatively 
few of the men have natural beards, and even those seen are not 
abundant. The hair from the rest of the body is generally removed 
by shaving or dipilation, but not so invariably as in Uganda. 
Odour . — A distinctive odour is possessed by the Wanyoro, but it 
does not differ from that which obtains in Uganda. 
Motions , — In expressing astonishment one hand is sometimes 
placed over the mouth ; another method noticed by Emin is that of 
rapidly raising the closed fists to the crown of the head, from which 
they are drawn energetically to the forehead. When beckoning a 
person a movement as of grasping is made with the hand. When 
walking without loads the Wanyoro have a graceful carriage, and 
in standing, sitting, and lying their postures are graceful, although 
one does not notice the peculiarly dignified bearing seen in Uganda. 
In carrying loads their motions are somewhat ungainly ; they then 
march with a short, quick step, the knees bent and the body inclined 
somewhat forwards. The arms are permitted to swing in walking. 
I did not observe that the feet were nearly so frequently employed 
