ETHNOLOGICAL NOTES. 
191 
tribes of Borneo, and inhabited respectively districts on the 
Tutau and Tinjar rivers, tributaries of the Baram. They 
are practically extinct now. 
The same curious custom occurs amongst the Alfours or 
Alfuros in the Molucca Islands, bowls or plates being 
slightly chipped in honour of the spirits of the departed 
ones, and also as their share of the property.* 
C. D. Adams. 
Measurements of some Dusuns. 
On my expedition to Mt. Kinabalu, British North Borneo, 
I stayed several days in the Dusun village of Kiau, which 
is built on one of the spurs of the mountain, some 8000 ft. 
above sea-level. This village became my base, from which 
the ascent was made, as well as other excursions to different 
parts of the mountain. The natives of the village acted as 
carriers on these occasions, and I saw a good deal of them 
in one way and another; for instance, seeing that natural 
history specimens were the object of my visit, they used to 
swarm into my quarters at all hours of the day, to bring 
me plants, insects, and odds and ends, for which I doled 
out innumerable cents, wads of gambier, reels of cotton, 
needles, matches, &c.; then they used to take me to their 
houses to have a quiet talk sometimes, or perhaps to spend 
a cheery evening, enlivened with dances, beating of gongs, 
and a rather pleasant intoxicant made from fermented 
coconut water. 
They were a friendly, hospitable lot, and I took the 
opportunity of measuring seventy-five of them, with the idea 
of comparing the measurements of their height with that 
of their span. I also got them to stretch their hands on a 
ruler and then noted in millimeters the measurement of 
their stretch from thumb to little finger. They made no 
objection to this performance, but treated the whole thing 
as a joke, the “ patient ” for the moment usually becoming 
the object of good-humoured gibes from his or her friends 
standing by. 
The following three tables show the measurements of 
(1) forty-five adult men, (2) twenty boys, and (8) ten 
adult women. 
* Vide Java, Sumatra, and other islands of the Dutch East Indies, by 
A. Cabaton, 
