ABSTRACT
Paul Schebesta has made a very interesting suggestion with regard to the decrease in number of the Negritos, which is that it is due in part to lack of women among them—“a great dearth of women is making itself felt in their ranks”. He has also made an interesting attempt, among the groups that he visited, to gain an insight into the Negrito population problem by ascertaining the number of living children of males and females respectively. Though the general health of Malaya has much improved, the advent of serious epidemics in the future is not outside the bounds of possibility. Each Negrito group, though shifts of camp are frequent, has its own recognized beat or territory and does not, though individuals, or even a number of individuals, may pay visits to other tribes. The individual groups wander within the tribe’s boundaries, but always return to their family territory, especially at the time of the durian crop.
