32 
JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY 
One of my Punan friends who accompanied me was a sturdy young 
chap named Lekio who owned a very fine ‘‘mandau/’ a short sword 
with a blade which is fiat or hollow, ground on one side and rounded on 
the other side. His sword, which he had gotten from a Kenyah in 
exchange for two dogs, he prized very highly and would not sell for 
anything that I had to give him. However, when I shot the clouded 
leopard, he and all the other Punans were greatly surprised for these 
animals are rare. Lekio immediately began to beg for the canines of 
my prize, but I explained to him that I could not take out the canines 
without spoiling the skull for my purpose. Nevertheless he continued 
to beg for the teeth until he got so excited that his whole sturdy muscular 
body was covered with perspiration and he went away telling me and 
his companions that I was absolutely without pity, for he believed that 
the teeth which he wanted would protect him from the head-hunters 
of other tribes. To find out how much he valued the teeth I asked 
him if he would give me his ‘^mandau” in exchange for them. He 
immediately brought his weapon to me but I told him I valued the 
perfect skull more than his ‘^mandau’’ and could not exchange with 
him. 
I was surprised to find that the reflection of the eyes of nearly all 
nocturnal animals could easily be seen with the light and that the 
different species showed considerable variation. The eyes of most in- 
sects, such as moths and butterflies, reflect a pink or reddish light, as 
do spiders, crawfishes, and fishes. The deer, muntjac and Tragulus 
reflect an even yellow light like the flame of an oil lamp. The wild 
pigs reflect a pinkish light that is rather weak and always looks small. 
The banteng {Bos sondaicus) gives a bright reflection, very pale yel- 
lowish or greenish in color, sometimes almost white. 
The size of an animal may be judged by the distance between its 
eyes. If by chance, as sometimes happened, several deer were be- 
fore the light at one time it was possible to pick out the buck because 
of the greater width of the head and consequently the greater distance 
between the eyes. The color of the reflection from the eyes, the size, 
the distance apart, and the height above the ground frequently fur- 
nished evidence enough so that it was possible to tell what kind of 
animal was being approached. Of course at first, night hawks sitting 
on low branches or logs would be mistaken for deer or sometimes for 
a civet, but it was soon learned that mammals invariably move about 
and do not keep the head in one position for more than a few seconds, 
as do the birds and reptiles. 
166 W. 79th SL, Neiv York City. 
