ETHNOLOGICAL NOTES. 143 
restrictions on this score, and they can eat deer’s flesh 
with impunity. 
One of the common explanations that have been 
offered to us is that the Dayaks are descended from 
deer and so will not eat them out of respect for their 
ancestors. 
In support of this, a gentleman of Melikin related 
how one of his ancestors came across a deer sporting 
silver ear-rings as large as Mexican dollars; and this 
confirmed his belief that he is descended from this 
creature. 
The Kujang Dayaks have a story that a man and 
woman of their village, both of whom had vowed never 
to marry, each dreamed they were to be turned into 
deer ; so they exhorted their -people henceforth to desist 
from eating deer's flesh, and warned them that whoever 
partook of this food would be turned into deer. The 
dream was fulfilled and to the present day these Dayaks 
maintain this warning holds good and that such will 
be the fate of those rash enough to disregard it. 
Other Land Dayaks believe that those who consume 
deer’s flesh become ill. The sickness taking the form 
of pains and swelling in the abdomen ; finally the 
sufferer becomes childish and turns into a deer. 
The Segoum Dayaks say there is a large white deer 
in their neighbourhood which it is impossible to shoot. 
When a gun is aimed at the beast the cap will not go 
off. Our readers must form their own conclusions as 
to why this should occur. 
The Dayaks of Biinan tell of herds of white deer in 
their country. Both of these tribes abstain from deer’s 
flesh. We have already mentioned that not only do 
certain tribes eat deer, but sometimes certain members 
of abstaining tribes will eat it, even though their 
relations and friends observe the restriction. And in 
such villages the non-abstainers may eat it in panchas 
that have no guna. * 
The tribes on the Samarahan river seem to observe 
this restriction closely. Sir Spenser St. John confirms 
this and he further mentions this subject in respect to 
* Every Land-Dayak village (except the Melikin Dayaks) has a pancha 
containing a guna, and many villages possess more than one pancha, some 
times two, three, or more, but not necessarily all containing gunaa. 
