BY J. C. MOULTON. 
175 
this name, accentuating the middle syllable.* 
This last explanation seems to me the most 
acceptable. 
The subject has been discussed again quite recently in the 
correspondence columns of the British North Borneo Herald, 
where Mr. E. 0. Butter suggests that the word is really 
Aki-na-balu, meaning The Solitary Father, “ aki ” being 
the Dusun and Murut word for “ grandfather ” ; “ na,” he 
states, is a prefix “ which constantly occurs in the Dusun 
and Murut languages, sometimes denoting a past participle 
(= Malay ‘ ber 5 ), sometimes interrogatory (‘ nakito ku,’ do 
you see?), and in other cases apparently for the sake of 
euphony.” He then states that “ the word ‘ nabalu J in 
Dusun means widowed, without a partner (‘ balu ’=widow 
or widower).” The solitary grandeur of the mountain is 
supposed to fit this ingenious name. The unfortunate part 
about this suggestion is that the Dusuns on the mountain 
do not refer to it as Kinabalu , but as Nabalu only. Perhaps 
we can find a via media between his translation of the word 
Nabalu (“ without a partner ”) and mine (“ the resting- 
place of the dead ”) ? May it not mean “ the place of sepa¬ 
ration,” “ the place set apart ” ? Perhaps some such trans¬ 
lation would embrace both our suggestions. 
V. Agenda. 
In conclusion, I should like to call the attention of future 
visitors to Kinabalu to the following points, which, as far 
as I know, are all untouched and require investigation:— 
An exploration of the north side of the mountain; in 
particular, the great chasm which lies immediately below 
Low’s Gully. 
An exploration of the long row of peaks running off to 
the north of Low’s Gully. 
An exploration of the path on the mountain leading 
beyond the Marei Parei spur to the head of the Pangataram 
stream and on beyond. One should be able to descend from 
Kiau that way, but I believe no European has done it. 
Is it possible to ascend the spur bordering the right bank 
of the Kadamaian ?—the Kamborangah spur leads up to 
the left bank. 
* St. John states that the mountain is “ called Kini by the Dusuns and 
Ida’an.” (Life in the Forests of the Far East. 1863. [2nd ed.] vol. i. 
p. 365, footnote.) St. John’s excellent book, which is so accurate in most 
statements, nevertheless contains several blunders, and I conclude this must 
be one. Dusuns and Ida’an, by the way, are one and the same people. 
