84 G- A. J. VAN DER SANDE. 



manner, but not one of them carried the said breast ornament or any other spécial orna- 

 ment of the breast. When on the other hand on the 7111 of May 1903 our rowing boats 

 entered the bay of Oinâke, I was unpleasantly surprised at the sight of some men pro- 

 vided with the breast war-shield, who came running towards the beach. But before the 

 boats had yet arrived within an arrow's shot, the men had placed their bows 

 and arrows against the trees on the margin of the forest and endeavoured to point out 

 to us the proper passage between the reefs, close to the fresh water creek hère entering 

 the bay. Therefore hère the breast shield and yet no hostility. Tortoise shell as a layer, 

 as for instance characteristic of breast shields of the south east part, between Redscar Bay 

 and Hood Bay, does'not occur on the présent breast shields; the construction, described 

 under the numbers referred to, which can be recognised on PI. XIII, fig. 6 a in front and 

 6 b on the back, is the one commonly used. With the spécimens in the collection, the 

 ground-off halfs, which are placed to the right and left, do not belong together to one 

 and the same tusk, as is indicated by BlRO [1899, 22]. Most pièces, if not ail, consist 

 of the medial tooth surfaces. The glue with which the Abrus beans are fastened on the frame 

 FlNSCH calls [1888a, 37, PI. XXII, fig. 2] „black putty", elsewhere [1888 — 93, 236] 

 „Kitt oder Wachs", by de CLERCQ and SCHMELTZ [1893, 39, N°. 187, PI. VI, fig. 11 ; 

 N°. 196, PI. VIII, fig. 10; N°. 197, PI. IX, fig. 8; 236] „rosin", by BlRO [1899, 22, 23] 

 „pitch", according to this author [1. c. 23], consisting of a mixture of rosin of Canarium 

 trees and Cocoa-nut soot. In fact it is not as brittle as pure rosin and when heated it be- 

 comes kneadable. 



The shape of the rattan plaited work is, according to PREUSS [1899, 170], derived from 

 the flying fox, according to BlRO [1899, 21] it represents a human face. The question can 

 only be decided in K. W. Land, the home of the object, (PARKINSON [1900, 26]) whose 

 wide distribution towards the west is due to barter. This might also explain how the 

 imitations met hère deviate from the original. 



Van DER GOES [1858, PL ZZ, fig. 8] found such an object in Humboldt Bay with 

 small crocodiles' teeth instead of boar's tusks, whilst instead of the neck string there were two 

 un-ground boar's tusks; FlNSCH [1SS8 — 93, 245] found in Sëkâ two deviating forms, one with 

 crocodiles' teeth, the other with a number of small boar's tusks, along the margins and the 

 middle space simply made from bark, and it could therefore hâve only little value as a 

 breast protector. 



On the breast shields of the collection, some small articles, tied on to the rope fringe, 

 are also to be found, as e. g : the leg of a bird, a small pièce of engraved wood, a hook-shaped 

 pièce of shell, etc. which according to FlNSCH probably form mementoes [1888 — 93, 245]. I hâve 

 been unable to find on Netherl. territory, as pendants, parts of the human skeleton, met 

 with by FlNSCH in Sëkâ, or small, wooden figures as amulets or talismans. The breast 

 shields with small cross sticks, held by the teeth, to challenge the enemy and to 

 appear more formidable to him, (FlNSCH [1888a, 18]) were also wanting hère. N°. 392 

 (PL XIV, fig. 1 and ia) from Tobâdi, a rough imitation of a bird of paradise, and having a 

 striking resemblance to the object described and illustrated by FlNSCH [1888 — 93, 242, 

 PL 8, fig. 3], can no longer be of any importance as a practical breast protection. It was 

 said that it served for festivities; it might offer some support to the opinion of PREUSS, who 



