HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
285 
Foreign perfumes are highly prized, and tseroka, (castor 
oil,) with various other unguents, one of which is made 
from the feet of cattle, are used for anointing their bodies. 
For their hair, the tseroka (mixed with a powdered leaf 
of the Ravintsara, in scent like the nutmeg) is in high 
repute amongst the more privileged classes; whilst the 
poor seem to find equal satisfaction in the liberal use of the 
unperfumed fat of the ox or the cow. 
Instances are very rare, in which any kind of colouring 
is used for the face, or other part of the person: a custom, 
however, prevails among the Hovas, of preparing from the 
akondro (banana plant) a kind of white plaster, with which 
they smear their faces. After this has remained for two 
or three days upon the skin, it is washed off, when the face 
is considered fairer and more beautiful than before. On 
some occasions also, when decorating themselves for a public 
dance, or similar festivity, young persons are accustomed 
to prepare a sort of pink paint, with which they mark 
their faces, by imprinting on different parts small pink 
spots, which are supposed greatly to heighten their 
charms. 
Tatooing can scarcely be said to exist among the Mala¬ 
gasy ; yet many of the people are in the habit of making 
deep incisions, of various forms, in different parts of the 
body, chiefly on the arms and chest, regarding the cica¬ 
trices formed by the healing of the wound as highly orna¬ 
mental. Little uniformity prevails as to the form or num¬ 
ber of these incisions. The natives of the Mozambique 
shore, on the adjacent continent, are recognized by the 
numerous and deep scars upon their faces; and hence 
probably the practice has been derived by the natives of 
Madagascar, though the latter do not cut the face, nor 
infuse any colouring matter into the incisions. 
