**Very scarce book**
It would be impossible in the small compass of a book of this size to deal exhaustively with the history, customs, beliefs and manners of the various tribes to which belong the natives who are scattered over South West Africa, and indeed if it were attempted to treat in one volume such a wide subject the work would be so great that it would ill serve the purpose intended, which is to lay before the League of Nations a short sketch of each of the principal tribes, in order that without a great amount of study it can be seen by members of that body the state of development of the natives, their mode of living and the ways in which they resemble or differ from one another.
The five main divisions into which the natives of the Territory fall have been treated : The Ovambo, by Mr. Hahn, who is the representative of the Administration in Ovamboland, The Bushman, by Dr. Fourie, the Medical Officer for South West Africa, and The Herero, The Nama, and The Berg Damara, by Dr. H. Vedder. The authors are all authorities on the tribes they have written about, and I should like to record here the Administrations great appreciation of their having consented to place their knowledge at its disposal.
A bibliography has been appended to each section, so that anyone desiring to pursue the study of any of the tribes further may be able readily to acquaint himself with the literature on the subject.
- H. P. SMIT, Secretary for South West Africa.