THUMB-MARKS 
themselves across the forehead, cheeks, and upon the 
shoulders, from side to side, was made to stick to the skin 
and shine by mixing it with a resin. 
The Bororos of the Rio Barreiros district carried five 
arrows each with them, but each family of Bororos used 
a special colour and also a different number of arrows, so 
that no particular rule could be laid down for the entire 
tribe. The red tinted arm-band which most men wore 
was called the aguasso. 
Before starting on a hunting expedition of importance, 
the Bororos usual]y indulged in a feast. 
I took a great number of thumb-marks among them, 
some of which were remarkable for the precision of the 
spiral lines from the central point, all over the thumb 
point. Others, in the longer thumbs, showed a peculiar 
deviation in the curve at the end, near the point of the 
thumb. Where the lines began to deviate, the triangle 
formed was filled in by other lines joining those of the 
spiral at sharp angles. 
The experiments with the dynamometer in order to 
measure their strength, the anthropometric measurements 
with a calliper, and the printing of the thumb-marks, 
caused the Bororos first of all great anxiety, then boister¬ 
ous amusement. They looked upon it all as utter nonsense 
— in a way I did not blame them — and repeatedly asked 
why I did it. I told them that I did it to find out where 
they came from. 
“We are not monkeys,” said they; “ we do not walk 
on our hands. If that is your object, you should look 
at our foot-marks on the ground, not at the marks of our 
hands!” 
With these words, from a tracker’s point of view, the 
local wit set the entire company in shrieks of laughter at 
his quick repartee. 
“ Oh, yes! ” said I; “ but with the thumb-mark I may 
perhaps trace, not only where you come from but also 
vol. I. —13 193 
