69 



the tops of the lieads with two dots in order to disting-uisli them 

 from the others. One of the men informed tlic writer that Ipoh 

 juice was the only ingredient used in the poison, and warned him 

 against handling spatula? covered with fresh poison, saying that 

 they would set up irritation of the skin. In oi'der to try the effect 

 of the poison on a hen — a bird which according to the Ulu Langat 

 aborigines is ininiuno to its ofFocts — one was brought and tethered 

 to a peg on an open piece of ground. A Semang then retiivd to a 

 distance and placing a dart and wad of vegetable fluff in his blow- 

 pipe squatted down on his haunches and grasped the blowjiipe with 

 both hands close above the mouthpiece. When lie discharged the 

 dart the mouthpiece was lialf taken into the mouth, so that the lips, 

 especially the top one, ])rojected over it. The wad left tlie pipe with 

 considerable force and fell some yards away on the sliooter's right : 

 the dart struck the hen in the muscles at the back of the neck on the 

 right side. At first, except for a slight flapping of the wings, the 

 bird, when struck, seemed scarcely to take any notice of the wound, 

 but after a few minutes it began to look decidely " roopy " and 

 squatted down with feathers puff'ed out. It remained in this condi- 

 tion for about a quarter of an liour and then seemed to recover, for it 

 began to peck about in the sand in search of food. The Semang up 

 till this time had kept on saying that it was dying, but on its 

 recovery they seemed astonished and remarked that a monkey when 

 wounded with one of their darts died almost instantaneously. As the 

 fowl showed no signs of djdng, after a wait of about half an hour it 

 was handed over to the Negritos for their supper. The bow, 

 according to the Negritos account, though well known among them, 

 was no longer used. They offered, however, to make one to demon- 

 strate their knowledge of it. 



MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS. 



The only mtisical iusti-umeiits observed, otlier than the Jew's- 

 harps mentioned above, were bamboo flutes and a large pair of 

 stampers of the same matei'ial. The latter were ver^' large and gave 

 out quite a musical sound when struck on tlio ground. The 

 Jews'-harp was played by means of a cord, with a small transverse 

 wooden handle, attached to one end of the instrument just above 

 the base of its tongue. By holding the " harp " between the lips 

 with the teeth kept slightly apart, and by jerking the string some 

 not unpleasant vibrating notes can be produced. The Negritos seem 

 to have a strongly developed taste for music, and when walking in 

 single file through the jungle the writer has heard them keeping up 

 a continuous rising and falling chant of considerable sweetness. 



OTHJ]R MANUFACTURES. 

 Loosely woven carr^-ing baskets of rattan were common in both 

 the encampments visited. A small conical fish trap of the kind 

 known to the Malays as Te)iglcalal: onaJc was found lying in the camp 



