Page:Scented isles and coral gardens- Torres Straits, German New Guinea and the Dutch East Indies, by C.D. Mackellar, 1912.pdf/142

108 ludicrous. A willow-pattern plate, covered with carved tortoiseshell, is a conspicuous and ornamental breastplate. The hair has many ornaments—shells, feathers, and red hibiscus flowers—and they often stick a flower in their armlet as well. They are very fond of strong scents, not always appreciated by others. They wear also in the hair combs and head scratchers. In painting and tattooing they now get new designs from coloured calicoes. As to the hair, it is sometimes like a mop in little ringlets, sometimes like a negro's, sometimes combed out in a frizzy mass. It is often stained light brown, or yellow, or red, with lime, and sometimes it even approaches the extraordinary colour of magenta. Their musical instruments are flutes, pandean pipes, and the drum, a hollowed-out wooden arrangement, which they beat to distraction. They are fond also of jews' harps, and the concertina is coming into fashion.

They all carry a small net bag over the shoulder, with their lime-pot and betel-nut. The latter is the fruit of a palm, is, with the lime, hot and nasty, and makes the teeth and gums red or quite black.

Their food is yams, bread-fruit, taro,—a root like a turnip,—sago, cocoanuts, canary nuts, and so on, besides which they have plantains and bananas. There are, I believe, about fifty different sorts of bananas in New Britain. Various things of this kind are placed in a wooden bowl, mashed together, and hot stones dropped in to boil the water. They then cover it with layers of leaves, which retain the heat, and it is soon cooked. Mashed taro, covered with cocoanut scrapings, is a favourite dish. They also eat pig, dog, lizards, etc., and like such food decomposed. Pig, dog, and taro mashed up together in a large bowl