. The earth and its inhabitants ... Geography. NOETH MELANESIA. 325 Maklay to the surprise of raost ethnologists, who regarded the dolichocephalic or long shape of the head as specially characteristic of this Oceanic group. A large number of Melanesians, especially in the Admiralty Islands, have long teeth projecting beyond the mouth, a feature which imparts to the phy- siognomy a somewhat ferocious and even bestial expression. But this feature is less conspicuous amongst the men, whose teeth are covered with a dark varnish from the habit of betel-chewing, than amongst the women and children,
. The earth and its inhabitants ... Geography. NOETH MELANESIA. 325 Maklay to the surprise of raost ethnologists, who regarded the dolichocephalic or long shape of the head as specially characteristic of this Oceanic group. A large number of Melanesians, especially in the Admiralty Islands, have long teeth projecting beyond the mouth, a feature which imparts to the phy- siognomy a somewhat ferocious and even bestial expression. But this feature is less conspicuous amongst the men, whose teeth are covered with a dark varnish from the habit of betel-chewing, than amongst the women and children, whose teeth are white. Some natives, especially of New Britain, are also met, the toes of whose feet are all connected together by a common membrane.* Ulcers under the soles are very general, and in the Solomon Archipelago at least two-fifths of Fig. 139.—San Ceistobai. Scale 1 : 1,700, 161° 20- Easb oF Greenwich 162° 20 Depths. 0 to 250 Fathoms. 250 Fathoms and upwards the inhabitants are afflicted with large sores caused by a parasite {tinea circinata tropica) ; in some islands nearly the whole population has to entertain these troublesome guests. Skin diseases, also, are not less prevalent than amongst the Caroline islanders, while the baneful habit of eating argillaceous clay is common in the Admiralty group. Most of the old people are carried off by pulmonary affections, and when the mortality becomes excessive in a village, the inhabitants migrate to some other place declared by the magicians to be more propitious. As a rule the Melanesians are less affected than the Polynesians bj'- the morbid influences caused by contact with the whites ; but on the other hand certain islands are being gradually depopulated by the universal practice of infanticide. In Ugi, off the east coast of * Romilly, The Western Pacific and New Guinea,. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration an
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectgeography, bookyear18
