ver saw one man or woman
with extraordinary powers of vision such as are most common among savage
tribes of Asia and Africa. The diseased condition of their blood was also
perhaps to a certain extent responsible for this.

Their hearing was good, but not much more acute than with the average
European--and infinitely inferior to that of the natives of Asia and
Africa. They suffered considerably from the most terrible of blood
complaints, general among them, also from leprosy and various skin
troubles.

The Bororos made considerable use of the _urucu_ plant (_Bixa orellana_
L.) which they called _nonoku_, from the fruit of which they obtained a
brilliant red colouring matter for tinting their bows and arrows. The
shell of the fruit contained a number of shiny seeds, which, when
squashed, exuded a vivid red juice. It adhered easily to the skin of the
forehead and cheeks, for which purpose the Indians also extensively used
it.

The black paint which the Indians used for smearing themselves across the
forehead, cheeks, and upon the shoulders, from side to side, was made to
stick to the skin and shine by mixing it with a resin.

The Bororos of the Rio Barreiros district carried five arrows each with
them, but each family of Bororos used a special colour and also a
different number of arrows, so that no particular rule could be laid
down for the entire tribe. The red-tinted arm-band which most men wore
was called the _aguasso_.

Before starting on a hunting expedition of importance the Bororos usually
indulged in a feast.

I took a great number of thumb-marks among them, some of which were
remarkable for the precision of the spiral lines from the central point,
all over the thumb point. Others in the longer thumbs showed a peculiar
deviation in the curve at the end, near the point of the thumb. Where the
lines began to deviate, the triangle formed was filled in by other lines
joining those of the spiral at sharp angles.

The experiments with the dynamometer in order to measure their strength,
the anthropometric measurements with a calliper, and the printing of the
thumb-marks, caused the Bororos first of all great anxiety, then
boisterous amusement. They looked upon it all as utter nonsense--in a way
I did not blame them--and repeatedly asked why I did it. I told them that
I did it to find out where they came from.

"We are not monkeys," said they; "we do not walk on our hands. If that is
your object you should look