t its possession is
a source of gratification to the owner, and aids in establishing him
as a man of affairs in his town.

The floor is made of poles tied to the side-beams, and on these strips
of bamboo are laid so as to leave small cracks between them. This
assists in the house-cleaning, as all dirt and refuse is swept through
the openings on to the ground. When the floor is made of wood, it is
customary to leave one corner to be finished off in the bamboo slits,
and it is here that the mother gives birth to her children. This
is not compulsory, but it is custom, and indicates clearly that the
planked floor is a recent introduction.

Entrance to the dwelling is by means of a bamboo ladder which is
raised at night, or when the family is away. Windows are merely square
holes over which a bamboo mat is fitted at night, but the door is a
bamboo-covered framework which turns in wooden sockets.

Such a house offers no barriers to mosquitoes, flies, flying roaches,
or white ants, while rats, scorpions, and centipedes find friendly
shelter in the thatch roof. Quite commonly large but harmless snakes
are encouraged to take up their residence in the cook room, as their
presence induces the rats to move elsewhere. Little house lizards
are always present, and not infrequently a large lizard makes its
home on the ridge pole, and from time to time gives its weird cry.

The ground beneath the house is often enclosed with bamboo slats, and
is used for storage purposes, or a portion may be used as a chicken
coop. It is also customary to bury the dead beneath the dwelling,
and above the grave are the boxes in which are placed supplies for
the spirits of the deceased.

With some modification this description of the Tinguian house and
village would apply to those of the western Kalinga and the Apayao,
[170] and likewise the Christian natives of the coast, but a very
different type of dwelling and grouping is found among the neighboring
Igorot. [171] It is also to be noted that we do not find to-day any
trace of tree dwellings, such as were described by _La Gironiere_ [172]
at the time of his visit scarcely a century ago. Elevated watch-houses
are placed near to the mountain fields, and it is possible that in
times of great danger people might have had similar places of refuge
in or near to their villages, but the old men emphatically deny that
they were ever tree-dwellers, and there is nothing in the folk-tales
to justify such a be