286 SHORT NOTES. 



description and figure of a bamboo tuning-fork supposed to 

 be made by the Semangs of the Peninsula. As an identical 

 instrument is described by Dr. A. Schaudenhorst from the 

 Philippine Islands, Mr. W. N. Annandale remarks that 

 " should it prove to be a real Semang instrument and be 

 peculiar to the Malay Peninsula and the Philippines, it would 

 be a most interesting link between the Semangs and the 

 Negritos of these Islands." It may therefore be worth 

 while to record the occurrence of this instrument in Engano, 

 the most southerly Island of the West Sumatran chain. 

 Examples were obtained by Dr. W. L. Abbott in the early 

 part of this year which only differ from the figure in 

 Fasciculi Malayenses in being without ornamentation and 

 more roughly made. They vary in size, my examples 

 being 25 and 30 cms. in length, and are played by being 

 struck upon the thighs. 



The Enganese have no Negrite strain and appear to 

 be Proto-Malayans : there are at present only about 500 

 left and although inter-propagation has now practically 

 ceased they are being slightly hybridised by intercourse 

 with visiting traders principally Chinese. 



The " Fascicugi Malayenses " also figures and describes 

 Peninsula Unongs or zithers. I have variants of the 

 types given from Simalur, the most northern of the 

 West Sumatran Islands. 



The first is a closed interwove of bamboo, 66 cms. long 

 with five strings raised from the skin and bridged in 

 the usual manner. It is peculiar in having on the 

 reverse side from the strings a long vibrating tongue 

 formed by cutting a broad transverse notch opposite one 

 set of bridges and running a split ( from either end to 

 the further extremity of the instrument. 



The second g'noug consists of a closed internode 

 37 cms. long with only a single string, but having 

 tied to the centre of this an elliptical flat wooden tongue 

 exactly above a rectangular hole, cut in the bamboo 

 cylinder. Both instruments are played by means of 

 wooden plectrons. 



Jour. Straits, Branc 



