(109) water here has vexed the Father of Waters in some way and is performing penance; it must suffer this stigmata in ad- dition to its natural desire to seek its level in the sea. The grebes are the only birds whose nesting habits mystify the natives into fear. According to the tul-tul they hatch out young every three months. At such times - every three moons, the water in the pond is made to rise by the Tamburan about two or three feet. The female builds its nest on a little structure that rises about six inches above the water. Here the young hatch out and are fed until they become large enough to swim when their weight is enough to break the frail nest and down they go into their natural habitat. At such times the Tamburan is down under the water and causes the nests to rise up. Each nest has one pickinining. Now when the water is high there are snakes about its edge, put there by the Tamburan to protect the birds. These can kill man. The last native found dead in a low tree was from a village higher up the mountain from Tawarita. His name was Kaa. The pond is used as a theater for holy ordinance such as cutting cicatrices on the children, which is quite common in this district. The breast, shoulder, and belly seem to be the parts of the anatomy favored. Some showed the results on their faces - circles with surroundin' straight lines resembling the sun and its circumbent rays. Those on the body were cut across latitudinally in no pattern or number. At such a time all people, including the meris gather near the water. Pig and taro are kai-kaid; the monkeys are cut, usually with bamboo, now sometimes with snake glass, and the sing-sing (piu) follows accompanied by the Buka pipes and the big wooden horns (mambao); these were called 'kalulu in the Kieta district. The children after their incising are dowzed in the water. None of the natives ever catch, kill kai-kai, or in any way disturb the birds. Needless to say they were shocked at our performance but explai- ed by their faultless logic "fashion belony white man." The ceremony of endowing the young boys with the hats is done in a secret place in the deep bush far from the eye of any women. Formerly if any meri saw a man without a hat or a hat without a man, both the meri and the owner of the initials on the hat were killed without ado. This cus