ZOOLOGICAL NOTES ON COLLECTING IN BORNEO. 371 



the village priest or doctor blessed the food, invoking the help of 

 the gods for general prosperity to the village and to us their 

 guests. The cooked rice was then eaten, each taking a bite off 

 the peeled bamboo, and wishing luck to the giver and to the 

 village generally. Chinese arrack was passed round, tongues 

 loosened, the gongs were turned on again, and then three over- 

 dressed males stepped in before us, shook hands, and proceeded 

 to dance. This was a slow and stately performance, which 

 rather lost its impressiveness from the curious costume of the 

 dancers. This consisted of a cloth wound round the head, a 

 coat ornamented with three belts of silver coins, two worn across 

 the shoulders and one round the waist; below this a skirt which 

 stuck out some four or five inches on a bamboo crinoline ; on 

 their ankles a string of small bells. With feet close together, 

 arms extended, hands and body gently curving this way, now 

 that, slowly these three figures gyrated before us. On conclusion 

 they shook hands again, and disappeared among the audience. 



It was now the turn of the ladies. The four prettiest had 

 paid us a preliminary call in our hut on the river bank. Their 

 dress is soon described : a coil of brass wire on each fore-arm, 

 more on each leg from the knee to the ankle ; several thin rings 

 of red and black rotan round the waist, and a belt of silver coins 

 holding up a short skirt of dark blue cloth, which reached the 

 knee ; hair done up in a knot on the back of the head, and — 

 of all horrors — their faces covered with powder ! This was 

 quite a new fashion, which I thought should be nipped in the 

 bud at once, so my handkerchief was produced to remove the 

 obnoxious powder from the dusky cheek of one fair girl, and 

 the others then wiped it off themselves. The chief, who watched 

 this proceeding with some amusement, agreed that they were 

 now greatly improved. 



Their dance was very similar to that of the men, but made 

 more graceful by continual half curtseys and by the absence of 

 the absurd crinoline. The only addition to their attire needed 

 for the dance was a thin red scarf worn round the neck, and 

 hanging gracefully over their outstretched arms. After the 

 dance they came and sat by us, now talking, now singing some 

 gentle droning song in Dayak. 



We had seen all this at Tabekang, and so were not interested 



