432 ' Gunnar Landtman. 



this method of catching birds. As soon as there were a sufficient number of them in the tree he 

 entered the house, bending forward so that the tree went in first. He had to sleep in the centre 

 of the house, for there was no room for the tree near the eaves. 



Once a friend of the man's came to him and asked him, „Nanilra (friend), where you 

 been find that tree?" and he told him how the tree had come to grovv on his head (abbrev.). 

 „Namlra, I think you gammon," said his friend, „I think vvoman belong you been plant him 

 that thing." The other man went and stood under an (hva tree, but no dung of any bird feil on 

 his head. . Then he pulled out a small (hva tree, provided himself with a sharp stick and said to 

 his wife, „You come, make hole on top my head." „Oh, me no can make hole, by-and-b^' you 

 dead," she protested. But the man was determined to have the thing done and said, „Oh, I no 

 can die, you make him." And the woman shaved a spot on his head clean and bored the stick 

 in so that blood flowed. Then she planted the tree in the hole and went away. 



The man called his friend to come, and they went and stood in a place where there 

 were many birds. „You me fellow been find him good thing, catch him plenty pigeon (birds)," 

 said the man with the planted tree. The first man said, „Nantira, I think you go die to-night." 

 Many birds alighted in the trees, and. the two friends carefuliy entered the houses in which they 

 lived, and the birds were killed. 



In the evening the two men went to sleep. When the man whose tree had been planted 

 put down his head the tree broke off, and the root was pulled out, but no one saw what took 

 place. The man's wife cooked the birds with sago, and when the meal was ready she went to 

 wake up her husband, and found that he was dead. She began to wail, and her friends all joined 

 in, lamenting, „Nantira belong you no been make hole along head, that tree he grovv self." The dead 

 man was buried, and his friend took his widow. A great mourning feast was held. (Ganäme, Ipisia). 



A. A tree grew on the head of a certain Manâvete man as in the first version, and the roots 

 penetrated right into his body as far as the stomach. He used to catch birds by bringing them into 

 his house after they had perched in his tree. The man could not lie down to sleep, but had to reniain 

 in a sitting position. One day he was atlacked by a pig in the hush and killed. He was found by 

 his friends and buried, after the tree had been eut off. His widow was taken by another man, but the 

 brother of the dead man was furious and said, „No good you fellow marry; suppose you ask me tirst, 

 he ail right." The woman had not asked his permission, and therc was a fight, hut afterwards ihe 

 people niade friends again. (Epére, Ipisia). 



371. Long ago a certain man in Dàru used to catch birds in the foUowing way. He 

 stood a little while on the beach motionless, and the birds who took him to be a tree alighted 

 on him in great numbers. Then he walked \'ery cautiously into his house, the door was closed, 

 and the birds were killed. 



One day he stood on the beach waiting for the birds, but nunc eame. Ai length two 

 „bush-fowl" flew towards him, but did not alight, and their dung dropped on to his head. .A tree 

 grew up in the dung. and after a time the man was tightly entangled in the roots. He could 

 not move because of the network of fibres and there he perished. His wife, children, and brothers 

 said, „Father he dead now." They went into their house, closed the door, set fire to the house, 

 and buint themselves to death. (Nàmai, Mawâta). 



ToMi. .\IA H. 



