ANIMAL LIFE OP THE SHORES 301 



the extent of the coral was not very great ; still, it was 

 coral, and therefore worthy of examination. The islands 

 were much resorted to by turtles, which at night came 

 up on the sandy foreshore and deposited their eggs 

 in large numbers in pits which they dug in the sand 

 and then covered over. As turtles' eggs are held in 

 high esteem as a delicacy in the Far East, the owner- 

 ship of these turtle islands was a valuable possession, 

 and to prevent jealousies the Sarawak Government 

 permitted the principal Malay chiefs to hold the islands 

 in annual rotation. The commencement of the egg- 

 laying season is attended with all sorts of ceremonies, 

 known as " nyama " and " tabus." The spirits of the 

 turtles have to be propitiated with sacrifices, and no one 

 is allowed to land on the islands for three days after 

 the ceremonies have begun. Most unfortunately, it 

 was on one of these days that a friend and I elected 

 to visit one of the islands, Satang by name, for the 

 purpose of collecting reef-dwelling organisms. As our 

 launch approached the island we saw some Malays 

 gesticulating and haranguing three Chinamen in a 

 dug-out canoe belonging to a large junk anchored 

 about twice a stone's throw from the shore. It soon 

 became evident that the Malays were preventing the 

 Chinamen from landing for the purpose of getting 

 the wood and water which they required. On our 

 arrival we were saluted by a Malay, who courteously 

 informed us that it was "pemali" or "tabu" for 

 strangers to land on the island during that or the 

 next two days. Fortunately, my friend had an unrivalled 

 knowledge of Malays and the Malay character, and 

 instead of precipitating a quarrel by brutally forcing 

 his way ashore, he set to work to argue the matter in 



