[Note: this transcription was produced by an automatic OCR engine]

NOTE
By JOHN LAYARD
Owing to the fact that I have been largely quoted and
misquoted in this volume, Messrs. Routledge and Sons have kindly
suggested the writing of a short note calling attention to some
of the mis-statements contained therein in regard to my own
work and to certain relevant omissions.
Shortly before his departure for Malekula Deacon approached
me on the question of the best area to study, and in the course of
a number of conversations I gave him a brief outline of the great
variety of cultures present in this island, as well as of conditions
regarding climate and population. In particular I called attention
to the South Western district, my own investigations in this part
of Malekula having convinced me of the importance of the culture
found there and of the urgent need to collect what information
remained in view of the imminent extinction of the last remnants
of its population. Other possible ï¬Åelds for investigation were
discussed, but Deacon was so impressed with the importance of
this material that, in spite of my Warnings regarding the
prevalence of blackwater fever and in view of the encouraging
account from Mr. King (see p. 20), he determined to make this
his base.
I on my part was so favourably impressed by Deacon that
I took the possibly unusual course of handing over to him all the-
ï¬Åeld-notes which I had taken in this district as a basis for his
work. This fact, knovm to the editor, is nowhere acknowledged
in this book, though were it notfor this information, the collection
of which was made possible only through the background of my
own intensive work in other parts of Malekula, it is quite certain
that Deacon would never have chosen this as the main ï¬Åeld for
his investigations, and it is improbable that without this pre-
knowledge he could have done so much in the time at his disposal.
These notes, excluding those on kinship and linguistics which
I -also gave to him, have since been published in my article on