130 
will become their slaves in the next world ; and Sir Hugh 
Low states that among the Kayans, before a person can 
be buried, a head must be obtained. Several travellers 
are of opinion that the passion for head-hunting, which 
now characterises these people, was not formerly so 
deeply rooted in their characters as it is at present, 
although to a limited extent it is probably an ancient | 
custom. The second reason is a fairly satisfactory 
explanation of the origin of the custom, and the first for 
its extension, as the fact of a young man being sufficiently 
brave and energetic to go head-hunting would promise 
well for his ability to keep a wife. 
The religious observances of the Land Dyaks consist 
of setting aside of a portion of fowl and pig-meat for the | 
deity ; the propitiation by small offerings of rice, &c., of | 
Antus, or spirits (of these there are two kinds, demons 
and ghosts of departed men); the famalz, or taboo; 
obedience to the medicine women, and belief in their | 
pretensions ; dancing ; the use of omens from the notes 
of various birds. 
On reading this book, one is constantly reminded how | 
much more information must be collected before a com- 
plete record of the people can be gained; as Mr. Lang 
rn Fa v7 rms ro ELBA OLA TAI TET oie 
ALRALSAASAASACAOS 
Bi ee om oe oa on a eee 
points out in his preface, “the writers quoted by Mr. 
Ling Roth were not, or not usually, anthropologists who 
knew what to look for” ; on the other hand, as Mr. Lang 
says, “inquirers who know what to look for, are only too 
likely to find it, whether it is there or not. This is the 
dilemma of anthropological evidence.” It is to be hoped 
that the publication of this work will result in renewed 
and definitely directed observations on the spot. 
One important line of inquiry, the significance of the 
decorative art, is totally unrepresented in the materials 
at Mr. Ling Roth’s disposal. That this is a promising 
field for research is evidenced by a recent paper by Dr. 
W. Hein, “Zur Entwicklungsgeschichte des Ornaments 
bei den Dajaks” (Ann. &. k. Naturhist. Hofmuseums, 
Wien, Band x. Heft 2). This study deals only with 
anthropomorphic designs, but it is probable that the 
motives are much more varied. The characteristic and 
very effective designs on Bornean shields are also mostly | 
derived from the human form. | 
To those who are conversant with the evolution of | 
savage decorative art, it is evident that such patterns as 
those on Kanowit baskets have a significance which is 
at present unsuspected. Asan example of the difficulty 
NO. 1415, VOL. 55 | 
IVA THe 
[ DECEMBER 10, 1896 
a student at home finds in endeavouring to interpret the 
significance of a native pattern, we have only to look at 
the design to the left in the illustration on p. 38 of Mr. 
Ling Roth’s book, which, without a clue, could never 
have been imagined to indicate a cloudy sunset. 
Sufficient has been said to show that this book is a 
valuable storehouse of information, and it also reflects 
great credit on the publishers for the artistic manner in 
which it has been produced. An idea of the character of 
the illustrations may be gained from the three which 
accompany this notice. ALFRED C. HADDON. 
THE ALLOYS VOR GOPPER: ANDEZING 
@©F account of their great industrial importance, the 
alloys of copper and zinc have at various times 
been studied by many observers. Mallet, Matthiessen, 
Riche, Thurston, and a host of others have made con- 
tributions of varying importance to the literature of the 
subject ; but so difficult is it to eliminate the accidental 
differences in the physical conditions that Prof. Thurston 
announced, as late as the year 1893, that the curves 
representing the variations in the properties of brasses 
7+ 3-—Patterns on Kanowit Bas‘ets in the Brooke-Low Collection. 
were so irregular that the effects of composition only 
(irrespective of other conditions) must remain unknown 
until further researches should be made. To the task thus 
indicated M. G. Charpy has addressed himself, and has 
succeeded in notably advancing the knowledge on the 
subject. He did not confine himself to the mechanical 
properties, but has also made a careful investigation. of 
the micrographic properties of a number of alloys, a 
branch of the subject which had already been attacked 
by Guillemin and by Behrens in 1894. 
Among the results of the mechanical tests, none are 
more interesting than the determination of the effects of 
variation of the temperature used in annealing pieces of 
brass which had previously been hardened by repeated 
rolling. M. Charpy finds that, if the maximum tem- 
perature of annealing is maintained for some time, the 
mechanical and micrographical properties of test pieces 
of similar composition depend only on that temperature. 
The tensile strength of metallic copper, in kilogrammes 
per square millimetre, when annealed at different tem- 
peratures, is shown in Fig. 1, the shape of the curve 
1 “ Recherches sur les Alliages de Cuivre et de Zinc,” by M. G. Charpy 
(Bull. de Soc. a’ Encouragement, 3th series, vol. i. p. 180, February 1896). 
