Men, women, and children have clean shaven heads, and it is quite an exception for a man to show any sign of beard or moustache. Although washing the body and clothing is unpopular, the Masai have great pride in their teeth, of which most perfect care is taken, and whiteness and polish are obtained by frequent use of a small stick. Knocking out the upper central teeth is a strange custom, said by the people to have been invented at a time when there were many cases of lock-jaw, and the patients had to be fed through the hole made by extracting these teeth. In some instances small pieces of iron are worn, not as ornaments, but as a protection against, or cure for disease. All over the Sudan this wearing of charms is common, and amongst the Mohammedan people the amulet is made by wrapping a verse from the Koran in a roll of leather, generally worn round the neck or on the arm. The ornaments worn by Masai women are most noticeable, and the traveller is surprised that the wearers can move arms and legs sufficiently well to perform their work. Iron wire is wound round the arms from wrist to elbow and from elbow to shoulder; the legs also are encased in iron wire from ankle to knee-joint. Metal collars, which look most uncomfortable, are still made and worn by women and boys, who seem willing to tolerate any amount of discomfort rather than go without these ornaments. Amongst the Masai there is a belief that ill luck will follow if a man is called by his own name, and to avoid this he must always be addressed by his father’s name. When asked for his name, a man will always give that of his father; his own name must be inquired from some third person. As among ourselves, names are handed down from father to son, and among the Masai the father’s name is almost invariably given to his favourite son. Superstitions with regard to names are carried still further. Suppose several people in the tribe have the same name, this must be changed immediately on the death of one of them, for it would be considered very unlucky to retain the name of some one who had just died. [Illustration: LUMBWA WOMAN AND GIRL, SHOWING DRESS AND ORNAMENTS OF WIRE, ETC.]