418 REPOET— 1901. 



An ingenious method was investigated of catching male elephants 

 (instead of corralling them) by means of a snare set under a tree to which 

 a decoy (female) elephant was tethered. This method of elephant-catching 

 requires, of course, a cord of immense thickness and strength. 



Fire-makinc] and Coohinrj Imjilements. 



Some interesting specimens of the cocoanut scraper, two representing 

 animals, and one a man prostrating himself in prayer, were obtained at 

 Singora. But perhaps the most interesting objects collected under the 

 above heading from an ethnological point of view were a set of the fire 

 syringes (generally manufactured from bone or horn) which are still used 

 in some up-country villages for the production of fire. 



The collection of Malay cake -moulds has already been referred to. 

 Notes were also taken in detail of the methods of making many 

 kinds of Malay ' fancy ' cakes and sweetmeats, as well as a number 

 of other dishes. The working out of my collection of notes upon 

 Malay cooking processes has been very kindly undertaken by Miss 

 Duckworth. 



Coins,. Weights and Measures. 



The collection of coins (native ' cash '), weights and measures is 

 representative of all the important local States in which Siamese or Straits 

 money has not yet usurped the place of the native currency, as well as of 

 several in which the native currency has now long become completely 

 obsolete. The collection of coins includes two interesting gold dinars 

 from Jambu, in Patani, which are stamped with the figure of a bull, and 

 are probably of local coinage. They have some resemblance to a small 

 gold coin, formerly current in Achin (Sumatra), but ai'e apparently 

 unrepresented in any British collection. This, indeed, appeal's also to be 

 the case with a large number of the specimens of tin cash. They ai-e cast 

 in the form of trees, which are called cash ti'ees, the three specimens of 

 which, obtained by the expedition, are, I believe, unique in this country. 

 The general type is that of the round cash, with a circular hole in the 

 centre, though one kind, the half-cash of Trengganu, is a solid round coin 

 (without the hole). In some of the designs Javanese afiinities may be 

 traced. Mr. H. Grueber and Mr. W. J. Rapson, of the British Museum^ 

 have both seen these coins, and Mr. Rapson has most kindly measured 

 and weighed them. They have now, together with the weights and 

 measures, been handed to Professor Ridgeway, who has already done a 

 good deal towards working them out. 



Sets of weights and measures were also obtained whenever possible in 

 each of the East Coast States. Some of these are stamped with the 

 stamp of the Raja, a charge for affixing which is made in several of the 

 States. The Malay ' gantang ' roughly corresponds to our own gallon 

 measure. The ' chupak ' represents the half cocoanut shell (of which it 

 usually consists), and this again is further subdivided. 



Another valuable set from an ethnological point of view is that of the 

 primitive weighing machines in the shape of ungraduated steel-yards 

 which are used for weighing out fixed quantities of certain recognised 

 substances, e.g., salt, ' blachan ' (Che v/ell-known strong-smelling Malay 

 ' prawn paste '), cotton, and tobacco. For weighing rice a much larger 

 variety is used, which may be made adjustable under certain circum- 

 stances. 



