inch or more in diameter. One has but to travel east 100 miles, however, to see Carolinians with ear lobes sagging almost to the shoulder.
Another standard item of apparel is a pocket book. It is a large woven bag, made of plaited coconut fronds, which resembles a stateside purse of the huge species carried by women, and serves the natives—as our wives' purses do—as a carry-all. All valuables and immediate necessities are carried in these bags, and each owner takes meticulous care of this item. The bag is either carried in the hand or attached to a strap slung over the shoulder.
The hatchet—putch-a-gul—is also a standard accessory for Ulithians. It resembles our hoe; the blade is set transversely to the handle. The putch-a-gul comes in all sizes, but each is almost identical in construction. Most of the distinguished older men of the community wear them, and they wear rather than carry them. The blade is hooked over the shoulder and "carried" thus to prevent dulling or cutting. And the same hatchet, which is used to fell the largest tree on the island, is also used to make the dantiest model canoe.
Home to a Ulithian is a coconut-thatched hut. It is not as uncomfortable or rude as one might think. A high gable is the keynote of the architecture, with sharply-sloping and gracefully-curved roofs, Unlike so many of the questionable features of our own architecture, this type of construction serves a purpose: the dwellings are cool during the hottest part of the day. Their flimsy appearence is misleading—they will shed water, and will withstand the roughest of tropical storms, including the annual typhoons.
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