972 JOVBNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVIll. 
themselves took an active part in these piraeies, though they were pro- 
bably organised and directed by Malays, but even the oldest inhabitants 
now profess complete ignorance of such deeds when questioned regarding their 
imsavoury past. 
During the early j^ears of European administration the sight of natives com- 
pletely nude or clad only in the most meagre of loin cloths appears to have 
shocked the susceptibilities of those in authority, so the fiat went forth and the 
unfortunate headmen were and still are compelled to make their appearance 
looking like nothing more than a gang of coolies from the purheus of one of the 
big Lidian cities. An old tom khaki shirt and shorts and a battered 'pig* 
sticker ’ topee, probably worn back to front, constitute the basis of his make up, 
while the scarcity of water and his own natural laziness and disinclination to 
perform the work of a dhobi provide the finishing touches ! To one interested in 
anthropology the first sight of the Nicobar natives proves a great disappomt- 
ment. It is only when one has got to know them better and has met them in 
the jimgle or in their own villages, unrestrained by jietty regulations, 
that one begins to realise that they are a fine race of men of splendid 
physique though their features are, from our western point of view, marred by 
the almost universal habit of betel-chewing that renders the teeth black and 
covers them with a coat of betel-stained tartar. Among the Nicobarese 
themselves, however, this is regarded as a thing of beauty ! 
The inhabitants of these islands, as they exist to-day, are the result of an ad- 
mixture of many races. Most observers agree that the origuial stock probably 
came from Malay and many of their customs still show a distinct resemblance to 
those pertaining among the Dyaks of Borneo, but the simplicity of their marriage 
laws has resulted in an infusion of Indo-Chinese, Indian and Dravidian blood 
so that one finds individuals of vudely different physical types. In many adults, 
though not in all, we find a certain degree of prognathism. This character is gene 
rally attributed to prolonged lactation during infancy and to the habit of suckuig 
cocoanuts. How this latter cause ever came to be suggested I cannot conceive. 
The Nicobarese do not suck cocoanuts. In order to obtain the cocoanut-milk the 
native by a single blow of his sharp dao cuts off the top of the green cocoanut 
leaving a round hole about the size of a rupee, and the coconut-milk is then 
drunk. No suction whatever is required and one’s chief difficulty diu-ing the pro- 
cess is to avoid having an involmitary bath simultaneously. It would be much 
more rational to attribute the broad flat nose to this method of drinking than to 
cite it as a cause of prognathism. The children are for the most part sturdy little 
youngsters and do not usually exhibit the same degree of prognathism that one 
notices in the adults, a fact which incidentally seems to be against prolonged 
lactation as one of the causes of this featiire. Their chief characterstics are 
a protuberant stomach and a curiously flat occipital region of the head. This 
flattening is artificially produced by pressure of the mothers hand during early 
infancy. 
A visit to one of the native villages is always heralded by a chorus of barks 
from several dogs for the most part of the typical ‘ pi ’ varietj% These dogs 
are kept for hunting purposes and are used in chasing the wild pig with which 
these islands aboimd. The dogs are by no means too well fed and it is not 
unusual to see them dashing down on to the beach and even into the water 
to snap up small fish that have been chased ashore by some predatory enemy. 
They are as a rule well treated, though occasionally in some of the islands 
one is sacrificed and is then cooked and eaten, a proceeding that is of consi- 
derable interest since the dog is undoubtedly the totem of the tribe If. In 
their legends regarding the origin of the race the Nicobarese are stated to be 
Tf. For information on this point I am indebted to Mr. E. Hart, Assistant Commis- 
sioner, Car, Nicobar. 
