rs and non-dancers of both sexes join,
does not usually take place during the actual dancing, but only during
periodic pauses, in which the drum-beating and dancing cease; whereas
in Mekeo the drum-beating, dancing and singing all go on continuously
and simultaneously. As regards these Mafulu pauses in the dancing, I
should explain that these are quite distinct from the resting pauses
(in which there is neither drum-beating, dancing, nor singing) which
are customary both among the Mafulu and the Mekeo people.

A further difference arises as regards the dancing decorations. Both
Mafulu and Mekeo natives have elaborate high framework head feather
decorations, which are worn by some, but not necessarily all, of the
dancers; and they are much ornamented about their bodies. But the
Mafulu people generally wear their finest and most beautiful feathers
on their backs, whereas among the Mekeo natives the head ornament is
the chief feature of the decoration; and in Mekeo any man who has not
a framework head decoration generally has sticking in his hair a tall,
upright feather, which sways slowly backwards and forwards in response
to the slow nodding movements of his head.

The special dancing ornaments worn by the Mafulu are the aprons worn
by women, the ribbons worn by men and women, the forehead ornaments
worn by men, the long shell nose ornaments worn by both, and the huge
head feather erections. But for dances the people generally wear
all the decorative finery they possess or are able to borrow; and
they usually with special care paint their faces in various colours,
and their bodies red.

The comparison above given between the dancing of the Mafulu people
and that of the people of Mekeo brings me to a suggestion, made to me
by Father Clauser, that the Mafulu mode of dancing had its origin in an
imitation of that of the red bird of paradise, and the Mekeo mode in an
imitation of that of the goura pigeon. In support of this suggestion
he gave me the following information concerning the dancing of these
birds, which may be compared with the description given above of the
dancing of the Mafulu and Mekeo natives respectively:--

The movements of the red birds of paradise, when dancing, are
remarkably lively, the birds hopping and jumping about the tree
branches and from branch to branch, and bobbing their heads backwards
and forwards and from side to side, almost as though they had gone
mad. The progression along the branch