Economic Life 393 



the whole field (Plate LIII). A clever development of this device 

 was seen by the writer in the Ikmin river valley. Here the stream 

 flows swiftly and plunges headlong into pools every few yards. The 

 rattan cord attached to the clappers is fastened to a small raft which 

 is then set afloat in the pool. After a whirl in the eddy it is caught 

 by the swift current, and is carried a few feet down stream, at the 

 same time bending the clappers nearly to the ground; then as the raft 

 enters calmer water, the tension is released, and it is thrown violently 

 back into the pool from which it has just drifted ; at the same time the 

 clappers fly .back into place with a great noise. 



Another contrivance, used in keeping small birds from the fields, 

 is a bird-like form cut from the bark of a banana or palm tree. Many 

 of these are suspended by lines from bamboo poles, and, as the wind 

 blows them to and fro, they appear like giant birds hovering over the 

 rice. 



A simple protection against deer is made by bending the white 

 inner bark of bamboo into arches and planting these at intervals along 

 possible places of entry, for it is said that these animals will not ap- 

 proach such a contrivance. 



Soon after the water is turned into the fields, shells and fish begin 

 to appear even in the higher terraces. Doubtless a considerable part of 

 these come in through the ditches, but the natives insist that most of the 

 fish bury themselves deep in the mud at the approach of the dry 

 season and hibernate until water again appears in the fields. 1 These 

 intruders are prized as food, and to secure them, short baited lines are 

 placed along the edges of the terraces, while each woman has, attached 

 to her belt, a small basket into which she places shells discovered dur- 

 ing her work. The men likewise secure fish by means of hooks and 

 lines, and also, pierce them with short spears fitted with detachable 

 points, but more commonly they shoot them with a small bow and 

 peculiar arrows, the heads of which resemble flattened spoons cut into 

 four or five teeth. 2 



As the grain begins to ripen, the land is allowed to dry, and when 

 all is ready for the cutting, the people put on their best garments and 

 go to the fields. Each stalk is cut separately by means of a crescent- 

 shaped blade (lakom or lakEm) attached to a small wooden cylinder 

 (Fig. 14, Nos. 3~3a). This handle is held between the thumb, first and 

 fifth fingers, while the stalk is caught by the second and third fingers, 



1 Probably the ophiocephalus. See Dean, American Museum Journal. 

 Vol. XII, 1912, p. 22. 



2 This is the only occasion when men use the bow and arrow. 



