MISCELLANEOUS NOTICES, &C. XXvii 
embarrassment for the folly of it, but courage was summoned, and 
all, seizing the wing and entrails of a fowl, tore away, each his piece, 
and cast it away-—fiercely and rapidly, the while exorcising all 
evil spirits from pursuit and molestation, A plate, at least, is left 
(and a jar, in addition, is proper) at the head of the grave: in the 
case of an infant, the enveloping white cloth is sometimes carried 
home again, or the rice that was brought is given to an accompany¬ 
ing dog, neither of which acts is probably in accordance with public 
sentiment. Some sort of entertainment is bestowed by the relative 
of the deceased upon the party who performed the funeral-rites, va* 
rying with the means of the family; he who can afford it kills a hog 
and presents a portion of pork, &e., to each of those who have as¬ 
sisted : the dishes in which the food is distributed are of different 
sizes to the bearers of the several duties, and are intended as pre¬ 
sents ; immediately about us this is rarely done in full, owing to 
general poverty, but it is manifest that a time history of this people 
as they here lived when America was a wilderness, or even as they 
were an hundred years ago, would develope very much of interest¬ 
ing superiority to what can now be seen or vaguely heard of. 
Of climate I shall say merely that 68° and 88° to 90° of Fah’t are 
perhaps the extremes—at least, such is the experience of a few years, 
with a trifle above 77 ° the mean annual temperature. Properly 
speaking, a d:y season is scarcely known, the nearest approach to It 
occupying the months of summer in Europe. The tremendous force 
of a ram-fall is often such as to baffle ordinary comment, and, among 
many descriptive phrases which are furnished from the vocabulary 
of Dayak conceits, “ ujatn arai, ’sa 55 (literally “ a he rain, this !”) iu 
the latest I have heard. Diseases, other than many of cutaneous 
character, are not numerous—fever and ague and rheumatism be¬ 
ing chief; the great destroyers are atrophy, neglect and idleness. 
Of various superstitions, ceremonies in time of sickness or general 
mirth or triumph, jugglery, charms and prevalent habits, something 
may be said at a future day: this record I have made in moments 
caught for the purpose on several different days, and, if it appear 
disjointed, you have in that fact the reason. In the hope that some 
ii 3 
