Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1920-01-24


Papua scientist to collect rare in
sects and birds. Another marvellous
insect, of the cricket class, is what is
popularity called the six O'Clock" bee
tie. This little creature exists album
dainty, and is really wonderful in its
habits. 1t gets its name from the fact
that every night at precisely six O'CLOCK
1t gives forth a resonant, far-reaching
chirp, exactly like loud electric bell
At six o'clock one will begin, and in a
few minutes the mountains will re-
sound with the deafening noise of these
punctual timekeepers. But long after
the insects have ceased to chirp, the
amazing echoes of the hills will throw
back the sounds, lasting for several
minutes. Travellers in doubt as to
the correct time set their watches to
this insects evening chirp.
A companionable little mite also
known only to the mountains of Papua
is the "Bell-frog," which produces the
notes of a bell, sweet, soft, and clear,
and all day long can be heard the mu-
steal and friendly tinkle. A tiny gray
frog from under a stone is responsible,
and gives out it's cheerful sound as
warning that its home is not to be dis
turbed by a careless foot.
In the mountains Of Papua roam a
pigmy-sized people, the pure Papuans.
They are race quite distinct from the
coastal peoples, and with customs that
are very primitive and strange Though
small, they are perfect in stature, and
the young people are quite cookbook
ing. They are now fast coming with
in the pale of civilization, owing to the
splendid work of the travelling magis-
trates of the Papuan administration
very fine body of civil servants. A
few years back, before these magis-
trateS got in touch with these people,
they were constantly at war, one tribe
fighting another, sometimes destroying
or wiping out whole villages, or, more
often, killing the men and carrying off
the women. Men and women dress
very meagerly-in fact, their main COW
ering is necklaces of dogs teeth or
shells, with long white bone pencil
stuck through the lower portion of the
nose, and called "nOse-sticks." The
men paint their bodies with red and
yellow pigments, and carry big bows
and arrows, much bigger than them
selves. The women, always very sub
ject to the men, are silent and shy,
and do not decorate themselves much.
In time of widOwhOod or family mourn
ing they blacken their faces and hair
already very black, with charcoal, CIV
ing them most grotesque appearance.
While the natives of the coast lands of
Papua demand tobacco as a present
the hill peoples delight in common
coarse salt, and, given a handful, they
will treasure it up to make 1t last as
long as possible.
Huts Built Up on Poles.
The native villages have the huts
built up on poles, and, while the family
live on the upper story, pigs wallow in
awful filth below, and, in consequence,
1t is possible to smell village miles
away. These people are very fond of
dogs and pigs as pets. Pigs are nat
ural to the island. but dogs are not,
and this is how the natives came to get
them: Many years ago, when Papua
(then called New Guinea) was only oc-
casionalIy visited by some plucky Brit
ish traders, a dog belonging to one Of
them proved an immense attraction to
the natives; and the trader, seeing a
good opportunity to make money--or
rather, a cheap way to get large sup
plies of copra (dried cocOanut for OiD
of which the natives had plenty to bar
ter away-went to Australia and in one
Of the Queensland towns bought up all
the mongrel dogs that could be had.
He got quite a ship full, and returned
to Papua. doing a roaring trade, every
dog selling for at least over twenty
pOunds-or that value In copra. In
turn, the coastal natives bartered their
dogs to the mountain natives, but the
breeds from mongrels have deteri-
grated until the wretched things now
seen are hairless. ugly creatures. petted
while alive. but much priced after
death for their teeth, which make the
principal native iewelry.
Papua will presently loom large in
commerce, for it is a land of marvel
Gus resources. and its soil is of rich
fertility. Every tropical plant product
thrlves wonderfully. and British enter
prise has shown that, with wise and
progressive administration. this island
should be one Of the brightest jewel
Of the British empire.