Note 19 — THE TECHNICAL CULTURE OF THE ANDAMAN ISLANDERS

In the Philippines some of the Negritos practice a little rude agriculture19. It is practically certain that they have only adopted this mode of subsistence through contact with agricultural peoples of other races. They originally depended entirely upon collecting, fishing and hunting, and even those who now grow a few scanty crops devote a large part of their energies to hunting and collecting the natural products of the jungles20. The chief weapon of the Negritos of the Philippines, as of the Andamanese and the Semang, is the bow and arrow. They use the bow and arrow for shooting fish, having special fish-arrows21. It seems doubtful if they use spears, unless they have adopted them from their neighbours. In hunting deer the Negritos of Zambales use large nets like fish nets. They are acquainted with the use of traps for game but they seem to prefer to depend on the bow and arrow22. In the larger streams of Zambales they make fishing weirs of bamboo, after the manner of the Christianised natives of the same part23.