66 
MADAGASCAR. 
“ Voalavo,” the rat — “ Totosy,” the mouse — 
“ Omby/’ the ox,—and so on. Of late years, 
however, an improvement has taken place in the 
matter of personal nomenclature, and the names 
of Mary, David, John, Caleb, Henry, &c., with 
the native “ Ra ” as a prefix, testify to the im¬ 
proved taste of the Malagasy in naming their 
children. 
The houses of the Malagasy are by no means 
the miserable, comfortless huts persons might 
imagine them to be. As a rule, they are built 
only of leaves and the branches of the rojia 
palm, and the walls and roof fastened together 
by thongs formed of the twisted tendrils of some 
forest creeper; but they are very cosy and com¬ 
fortable, and in Imerina the wood dwellings are 
even substantial, with two storeys, and a sleeping- 
chamber in the roof. It is only lately that houses 
built of dried clay, brick, or stone have been 
allowed in the capital and the chief towns of 
Imerina. The palaces formerly were constructed 
of a kind of teak of great hardness and durability. 
On the coast the ribs of the rojia palm and its 
leaves afford all the material necessary for the 
erection of a suitable and commodious dwelling. 
No chairs or tables are used, but the inmates 
usually sit and partake of their meals upon the 
floor, which is first cleanly swept, and then 
covered with finely woven rush-mats. No knives 
