of leather a couple of inches wide covered with little tin discs
and very heavy. From the _litar_ hang the _britva_ and a lot of keys, by
chains, which are sometimes costly. The gown (_vustan_) is of blue
cloth, but in summer of linen, reaching to the middle of the calf. The
apron (_prejaca_, or, in Venetian, _travesa_) is always a _chef-d'oeuvre_
of workmanship, which the Morlacca thinks a deal of. The footwear is
composed of three parts: _bicve_, of blue cloth reaching up to the knee,
tightly laced up with little hooks, and finishing at the ankle in a
ring; over them the true stockings (_nazubei_) of rough wool, with
patterns in vivid colours and _opanci_, or _filare_, like the men's. The
girl does not have the _litar_; on her head is no _jacmak_, but a red
cloth cap, sparkling with antique or modern coins of silver, and
occasionally of gold. In some places the girl has on her bosom the
_gendar_, several rows of coins which hang from the neck, sometimes
below the stomach, tinkling at every step; this is her dowry, and
sometimes worth as much as L50. When she is married she puts off the
_gendar_ and sparkling _kapa_. The men used to have a pigtail, of which
they were very proud. The wife used to comb it twice a month, anoint it
with butter, and tie up the end with ribbons and amulets. It was the
only time when a Morlacco addressed his wife affectionately. In barracks
and in prison the hair is cut, so the pigtail is rarely seen now. To
complete the toilet the _torba_ and _torbak_ must be mentioned: the
first of red wool, with embroidery, worn by both men and women on the
back, laced round the shoulders; the second generally of skin, worn only
by the men, and hanging crosswise by a broad band of leather on the left
hip."

I have given this detailed description of the costume (quoted from
Signor Modrich's "Dalmazia"), thinking it would be of interest; but
descriptions of the costumes as they appear to the ordinary traveller
will be found in the sections dealing with the various places on the
coast.

The Dalmatians are very fond of music and are constantly singing. They
have a proverb: "He who sings thinks not of evil." Tomaseo thought their
folk-songs richer than those of any other nation, ranging as they do
over all manner of subjects. They are generally heroical or amorous in
character, divided into short verses and sung in two parts; the bass
delivers a kind of recitative, and the baritone joins in, the long final
no