136 Field Museum of Natural History — Anth., Vol. XII. 



"Now, while MElu was making the first two men, and when he had 

 the first one finished, all excepting the nose; and the second one finished 

 all excepting the nose and one other part, Tau Tana (Funtana) or Tau 

 Dalom Tana appeared and demanded of MElu that he be allowed to 

 make the nose. Then began a great argument in which Tau Dalom 

 Tana gained his point and did make the noses and placed them on the 

 faces of the first two people upside down. So great had been the 

 argument over this making and placing of noses that MElu forgot to 

 finish that part of the second person and went away to his place above 

 the clouds, and Tau Dalom Tana went away to his place below the 

 earth. Then came a great rain and the two people on the earth were 

 about to perish on account of the water which ran off their heads into 

 their noses. MElu seeing what was happening came to them and 

 changed their noses, and then told them that they should save all the 

 hair which came from their heads, and all the scurf which came from their 

 bodies to the end that when he came again he might make more people. 

 As time passed there came to be a great many people, and they lived 

 in a village having plenty to eat and no labor but the gathering of such 

 fruits as they desired. 



"One day when the rest of the people were about the village and the 

 near country, a man and woman who had been left behind fell to gazing, 

 one upon the person of the other, and after a little while they went 

 away apart from the rest and were gone many days, and when they 

 returned the woman carried a child in her arms, and the people wondered 

 and were afraid. When MElu. came again soon, knowing what had 

 taken place, he was very angry and he went away abandoning them, 

 and a great drought came, when for two seasons no rain fell and every- 

 thing withered up and died. At last the people went away, two by 

 two, one man and one woman together, and MElu never again came 

 to visit his people on earth." 1 



The writer did not hear the foregoing tale, but the following, with 

 more or less variation, was told to him by several Bila-an: 



"In the beginning four beings, MElu and Fiuweigh-males, and Dwata 

 and Sa weigh (or sEwE or sE weigh) -females, lived on a small earth 

 or island as large as a hat and called salnaoil. There were no trees or 

 grass on this island, but they had one bird called Baswit. They sent 

 this bird across the waters to secure some earth, the fruit of the rattan 

 and of trees. When it returned MElu took the earth and beat it the 

 same as a woman beats pots until he had made the land, then he planted 

 the seeds in it and they grew. When he had watched it for a time 



1 Recorded by Mr. H. S. Wilson. 



