8 o 
MADAGASCAR 
glasses and often an accordion complete the furniture. 
The house of the Betsimisaraka of the east is similar, 
but is on the whole on a much poorer scale. The door 
is opened and shut with cords. In the forest region, 
where the ravenala grows too high to be easily reached, 
the roofing consists of the stems and leaves of the 
langozy plant (amomum). Some long bamboo rods, used 
as water-vessels, generally stand to the left of the door; 
shorter pieces of bamboo serve as drinking-cups; opposite 
the door is the hearth with the iron cooking-pot. A 
few napkins of plaited rice-straw or reeds, a heap of 
fresh ravenala leaves on which the rice is eaten, and 
some rolls of mats, form the ordinary outfit of the 
house. On the wall there frequently hangs an elegant 
wicker tray made of raphia leaves, which can be placed 
on the knees. On this the ravenala leaves or the plaited 
napkins are spread to receive the repast, which consists 
of rice, meat or dried fish. The sleeping-room is separ¬ 
ate; there is not always a bedstead, but it is replaced 
among the poor people by a wide sack, which is spread 
out on the ground and into which the family creep one 
by one. In the interior of the Betsimisaraka country 
there are a striking number of uninhabited houses, which 
serve for storing rice; these frequently stand on very 
high wooden stakes, or on a single wooden stem and 
are only entered by a ladder. This mode of construc¬ 
tion is for the purpose of preventing the rats, which are 
found in East Madagascar in great numbers, from getting 
at the stores. 
Let us turn to the family and social life of the 
Malagasy. The institution of marriage is attended with 
few formalities, in accordance with the slight inclination 
on the part of the people for a demonstrative display 
of feeling. Marriages with relations, that is to say with 
first cousins, frequently take place without noticeable evil 
consequences. Among the Hova the celebration takes 
