HORN EXPEDITION—ANTHROPOLOGY. 
37 
women it was nearly always to be observed that, when seen in camp without 
clothing, they, especially the younger ones, exhibited by their attitudes a keen 
sense of modesty if indeed a consciousness of their nakedness can be thus 
considered. 
When, at Tempe Downs, we desired to take photographs of a group of young 
women, they were very coy at the proposal to remove their scanty garments and 
retired behind a wall to do so, but once in a state of nudity they made no 
objection to exposure to the camera in that condition. Unfortunately nearly the 
whole of the photographs taken by Professor Spencer at this, one of our most 
westerly points, were broken in the course of transit—a kind of accident which 
must be regarded as one of the risks of camel portage. 
That the females are not devoid of personal vanity in spite of their more 
scanty adornment, is shown by the time spent by some of the younger girls who 
had been under the influence of European manners in combing their hair with the 
aid of a plentiful supply of grease. It is under such circumstances that the glossy 
black and straight, or at most openly undulating, character of the hair can be 
recognised, the matted coils of the untended cheveliire being apt to give a false idea 
of frizziness which does not exist. 
Mental Attributes. 
An analysis of the strictly mental characters of uncivilised man is too 
large a subject to be attempted here nor, as I have said, were our opportunities 
sufficiently advantageous to enable me to attempt the task satisfactorily, even as 
far as concerns the tribes that came under our immediate observation. In the 
course of our frequent questionings we realised, as others have done, the extreme 
difficulty with which they bring their minds to bear on abstract ideas. Accurately 
recognising, and distinguishing by a distinct name, every kind of animal and plant 
that comes under their notice, their language contains no expression for the general 
idea expressed by the words animal and plant. Still less could one expect to find 
expressions for abstract terms of less obvious significance to them. Many instances, 
however, could be given of their acuteness of observation which at once enabled 
them to distinguish animals or plants which very closely resembled one another. 
As Mr. Schulze* informs us they have separate names for twenty-two kinds of 
snakes, the distinction between some of which is a matter of difficulty even for a 
trained zoologist. 
* hoc. cit. 
