st of Santo: very
dark-skinned, tall and different in physiognomy. It may be called
typically Melanesian, while many other races show Polynesian
admixture. The race here is very strong, coarse-featured and lives
in the simplest way, without any industries, and is the primitive
population in the New Hebrides.

A few details as to personal appearance may be of interest. Among the
ornaments used are very large combs, decorated with pigs' tails. Pigs'
tails also are stuck into the hair and ears. The hair is worn very
long, rolled into little curls and plentifully oiled. A most peculiar
deformation is applied to the nose and results in extreme ugliness:
the septum is perforated, and instead of merely inserting a stick,
a springy spiral is used, which presses the nose upward and forward,
so that in time it develops into an immense, shapeless lump, as if
numberless wasps had stung it. It takes a long time to get used to
this sight, especially as the nose is made still more conspicuous
by being painted with a bright red stripe on its point, and two
black ones on each side. A more attractive ornament are flowers,
which the men stick into their hair, where they are very effective
on the dark background. In the lobes of the ears they wear spirals
of tortoise-shell or thin ornaments of bone; the men often paint
their faces with a mixture of soot and grease, generally the upper
half of the forehead, the lower part of the cheeks and the back of
the nose. The women and children prefer the red juice of a fruit,
with which they paint their faces in all sorts of mysterious designs.

The dress of the men consists of a large belt, purposely worn very low
so as to show the beautiful curve of the loins. About six small mats
hang down in front. Formerly, and even at the present day on festival
occasions, they wore on the back an ovoid of wood; the purpose is
quite unknown, but may originally have been a portable seat, as the
Melanesian does not like to sit on the bare ground. Provided with
this article of dress the wearer did not need to look about for a seat.

If the appearance of the men, while not beautiful, is at least
impressive, the women are so very much disfigured that it takes
quite some time to grow accustomed to their style of beauty. They
are not allowed to wear many ornaments, have to shave their heads,
and generally rub them with lime, so that they look rather like
white-headed vultures, all the more so as the deformed nose p