424 Proceedings of the Royal Society 
represented in our musical notation, are indicated in the annexed 
staves — 
Clap, clap, clap, 
This chant is accompanied by the rhythmical clapping of hands 
and beating of a resonant piece of wood, of which I have indicated 
the time in the separate notes above. This rhythmical clapping is 
kept up all through the performance, even when the singing stops. 
The dancers form in Indian file, the body slightly bent and the 
arms overhead, with the hands joined like in the position for diving. 
They then dance forward, one at a time, with a peculiar tripping 
step, giving the ground at every second pace a peculiar kind of back 
kick. The words of the chant are first given out solo by the leading 
dancer, and then taken up by the women’s chorus, and repeated 
over and over again. They extemporise the words on any passing 
subject. Thus at one dance, at which I was present, I was the subject 
of their lay. The words they sang, broadly translated, having the 
following effect : — 
“ Behold the Doctor protector [Mumjola] (repeated). 
He gives medicine to our sick . . (repeated). 
Their wounds soon close .... (repeated). 
They return to hunt in the jungle ” . (repeated). 
Occasionally they repeat only the first line of the extemporised 
song. 
When one of their number dies the body is taken into the jungle 
and placed in a small hut in a tree. There it is allowed to remain 
until the bones have become cleaned by the insects and weather. 
The bones are then used for ornaments as mentioned. 
Explanation of Plate. 
Fig. 1. Group of Andamanese men. 
„ 2. Shows the mode of using the bow. 
„ 3. Two Andamanese men — one wearing a skull on his back. 
, , 4. Andamanese women with a bone necklace. 
The figures are reproduced from photographs. 
