4 G. A. J. VAN DER SANDE. 



DER GOES [1858, 120] are boiled, on the south west coast, between three sticks above the 

 fire, are not despised either on the north coast of Netherlands New Guinea. The Papuan 

 guides and carriers of the expédition showed more than once great cunning in the finding 

 of the eggs, where thèse were buried in the sandy beach of the lagoons and could not be 

 prevailed upon to move on further, before the booty was secured. Great garlands of dried 

 shells are hanging on the outside of many temples. 



I will not examine in détail the list of animal dishes, which the Papuan eats when an opportunity 

 présents itself; it includes practically everything that is harmless, for the Papuan has no aversion to any- 

 thing on account of outward appearance. The necklaces of skeleton parts of chitine in use elsewhere, are 

 hère unknown and it may therefore be presumed that beetles are not eaten. Of the use of hornet's nests 

 (V es p id a), as a delicacy, mentioned by Bmo [1899, 96], our expédition was unable to find a trace. 



Of the vegetable articles of food used in Netherlands North New Guinea the 

 sa go is, generally speaking, the first, as it grows wild in marshy parts and in extensive 

 forests round the lakes. 



Full particulars are given by De Clercq and SCHMELTZ [1893, 56 — 58]. 



Freshly prepared sago was generally kept in stock in Tobâdi in baskets, containing 

 15 Kilo (N°. 1, PL I, fig. 21). Immediately after the washing and whilst still moist it is poured 

 out into the baskets, the water drips out slowly and the sago will then keep for a long time. 

 Occasionally I noticed amongst the maie visitors from Tobâdi 011e holding a pièce of a 

 greyish white material in his hand, of which a bite was now and then taken ; this appeared 

 to me to be raw sago. At ail events I consider it improbable that this material consisted 

 of the pith of the sago tree dried in the sun and eaten in its crude state, as Strachan 

 [1888, 103] mentions of the south coast. At least I hâve never seen the people, spitting out 

 the woody fibres contained in the pith. In Humboldt Bay and its surroundings sago is pre- 

 pared in two ways, which are also mentioned by Parkinson [1900, 39] of the Berlin 

 Harbour section: i° as pancake-shaped slices and 2° as sago-porridge. In other parts it is 

 also baked into small cakes or according to De Clercq and ScHMELTZ [1893, 56] roasted 

 in a leaf of Barr ïngtonia sp e cio sa. 



The young men from. the temple of Tobâdi, who rowed the expédition, during the 

 night between the io 111 and the ii'h of May 1903, in about 5 hours from Humboldt Bay to the 

 village of Nâcheibe, had taken with them from their homes fiât, tough, but soft cakes wrapped 

 up in fresh leaves. With a small pièce of smoked fish, this was consumed in the morning 

 shortly after sunrise. But at home the sago-porridge, a somewhat translucent material, like 

 fresh starch, is the usual form in which the principal food is consumed. It is prepared hère 

 by the women inside their houses with fresh water, therefore not as stated by Van DER GOES 

 [1858, 149] of Doré, with sait water, and is sometimes whiter, sometimes darker, which 

 amongst other causes may dépend on the water used for washing. 



A couple of times I hâve sat in the circle of the eaters, around a full pot, but the 

 company of older men, accustomed to the extensive chewing of siri, was not of a nature 

 to make me accept the invitation to help myself, however cordially a fork was placed into 

 my hand. 



Besides, BlNK [1897, 193] has already informed us that this porridge is fairly palat- 

 able. The use of the hère customary culinary utensils is however not so easily acquired. The 



