of Edinburgh, Session 1883 - 84 . 
325 
In this district women do at times bring forth their children on 
the march, and then continue marching ; hut this is by no means a 
frequent occurrence, and is guarded against as much as possible. I 
have known it happen on two or three occasions, but the result in 
one case was fatal to the mother. 
When a hard labour occurs, and a woman remains a long time 
undelivered, so that her strength begins to give way, a man is sent 
for to deliver the child. He, however, uses no instruments \ and 
should he fail, which, I am told, hardly ever happens, mother and 
child as a rule perish, for abdominal section is not practised here. 
Barren women are uncommon. Very few births occur out of 
wedlock, but I was not able to obtain much information on that 
point. 
The women suckle their children about two years, but the period 
of their separation from their husband is only six or eight months. 
If several mothers are suckling at the same time, it is not uncom- 
mon for them to suckle each other’s children; and I have once or 
twice seen a small child, who did not find sufficient milk in his own 
mother’s breasts, toddle off to another sitting by and commence to 
suck away without rebuff. During lactation the breasts are of an 
unusually large size. After several children have been born they 
become very flabby, and hang down like long flaps of skin. A cord 
is then tied round the chest to prevent them flapping about and 
causing inconvenience. 
When born, the babies are of a reddish tinge, and they get dark 
gradually. The women carry their infants in skins which have been 
dried in the sun and scraped clean and smooth with stone, and 
softened with butter. The skins of goats, gazelles, sheep, and calves 
are used, the legs being tied together and strung over the mother’s 
shoulders. The baby is placed in the skin under the woman’s arm, 
with its head behind. Sometimes a gourd is placed over the head 
to protect it from the sun. When older the child is carried on the 
arm. Infanticide is unknown. 
Education of Children , — A good deal of attention is paid to the 
instruction of children in matters of conduct. They are taught to 
behave well at meals, not to put their hands into the dish till after 
their elders have helped themselves, to rise as soon as finished, and 
having washed their hands, to remove to a little distance. They 
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