The Papuan at Home—His Good Points—Physical Characteristics— Ceremonial Dress—Coast and Hill Tribes—Differences—Local Distribution of the Rami or Petticoat—Its Decrease in Length in the Mountains—Its Disappearance at Epa—Dandyism—The Priceless Chimani—The Shell Armlet—Household Constitution—Rudimentary Government—Courtship and Marriage—The Price of a Wife—Position of Women—Six Ways of Carrying an Infant—Meal Times—Weapons— Clubs—Their Manufacture the Monopoly of One Tribe—Weird Tribal Dances 289 CHAPTER XVI BURIAL, WITCHCRAFT, AND OTHER THEMES A Short-lived Race—An Aged Man a Curiosity—Burial Customs—The Chief Mourner painted Black—Period of Mourning brief except for the Chief Mourner—No Belief in Natural Death—Poison always Suspected—Religion all but absent—Vague Belief in Magic—Fi-fi, a Form of Divination—How practised—Its Utter Childishness—No Idea of Number—Forest Warnings—“Wada,” another Form of Sorcery— Mavai’s Hideous Magical Compounds—A People seemingly without History or Legends—Pictures understood—Fear of the Stereoscope— The “Bau-bau” or Social Pipe—How Made and Smoked—Incidents of Travel—The Stinging Trees—Ideas of Medicine—Sovereign Remedies— Bleeding—How practised—Hunting—The Corral—A Strange Delicacy— Story of Native Trust in Me—A Loan of Beads—Children and their Sports—Thirty Ways of Cat’s-Cradle 309 CHAPTER XVII A NOTE ON BRITISH TRADE PROSPECTS IN NEW GUINEA Sandalwood—The Sea-Slug—Copra and Cocoa-Nut—Coffee—Cocoa—Chillies— Rubber—Stock-Raising—Gold—Tobacco—Imports—German Enterprise—Our Lost Coaling Station 333 CHAPTER XVIII NOTES ON SOME BIRDS OF NEW GUINEA The Birds of Paradise—Remarkable Species observed—Native Names— Play-Places—Curious Habits—The Bower-Bird: Artist, Architect, and Gardener 345 APPENDICES 351 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS TWO NEW GUINEA DANDIES _Frontispiece_ PAGE LAKATOIS PREPARING TO SAIL 21 THE BOWER-BIRD 27 GUARDING THE WORKERS 33 TUGERI NATIVES 41 THE NATIVE METHOD OF TREE CLIMBING 47 A LAKATOI AND A HOUSE ON PILES 55 SAM AND HIS WIFE 63 HANUABADA GIRLS DANCING 69