446 OCCASIONAL NOTES. 



occasion, while sue was looking on as I placed some plants in 

 drying paper, not knowing that caterpillars were objects of 

 supreme abhorence to the natives, I flicked off in a humorous 

 way on to her dress one that happened to be on a leaf ; she 

 was instantly intensely lata, and throwing of! all her clothing, 

 she made off like a chased deer along the mountain road, re- 

 peating the word for caterpillar as she ran, until compelled by 

 exhaustion to stop, when the spasm gradually left her. My 

 own " boy/'' who would unconcernedly seize all sorts of snakes 

 in his hands, became one day lata also, on suddenly touching 

 it large caterpillar. My host's maid once, while alone at some 

 distance from the house, having come unexpectedly on a lame 

 lizard — the Baiawak — was seized by a paroxysm • dropping 

 down on her hands and knees to imitate the reptile, she thus 

 followed it through mud, water and mire to the tree in which 

 it took refuge, where she was arrested and came to herself. 

 Another case which came under my knowledge was more tra- 

 gic in its results. This woman, startled by treading in a field 

 on one of the most venomous snakes in Java, became so lata 

 that she vibrated her finger in imitation of the tongue of the 

 reptile in front of its head till the irritated snake struck her ; 

 and the poor creatine died within an hour. 



During the attack the eyes have a slightly unnatural stare, 

 but -there is never a total loss of consciousness, and through- 

 out the paroxysm the patient is wishful to get away from the 

 object affecting her, yet is without the strength of will 

 to escape, or to cease acting in the way I have described.. 

 Lata persons are constantly teased by their fellows, and are 

 often kept in an excited state for whole days/' — A Naturalist's 

 Wandering* in the Eastern Archipelago. Forbes, 18S5. 



The following paragraph appears in the report of a meet- 

 ing of the Societe de Geographic, Paris, held on the :2.2nd 

 May, 1885 :— 



li Le President annonce la presence a la seance de MM. Maxwell. M» 

 William Maxwell, ancien Assistant-Resident de Perak, anjourd'hui 1'uh 



