THE ORIGIN OF THE MASAI AND THE WILD TRIBES OF BORNEO.—In the Journal of the East Africa and Uganda Natural History Society, No. 26, August 1925, Mr. C. Cardale Luck puts forward a theory that the Masai and related tribes of East Africa are the ancient Israelites, while the wild tribes of Borneo, the Kenyah, Kayan, Punam, etc., are the ancient Edomites. Merker's theory of the Semitic origin of the Masai, it is pointed out, might have been extended to identify them with the ancient Israelites, had it not been conditioned by the view that if their route of migration was through the Nile valley, it must have taken place in the prehistoric period before the Egyptian settlement. The historical evidence, however, points to the possibility of a movement of Asiatic peoples in the required direction in Egyptian historic times in the influx of Semitic peoples after the Hyksos period, the transference of captives after the Egyptian conquests, the flight of such of the Israelites as were not carried off into Assyria before the victorious armies of that power, and the desertion into Ethiopia of mercenaries, presumed to be Asiatic, under Psamtek and Tanutamen of the Nubian dynasty. Looking at the evidence afforded by the Masai and kindred tribes, distribution of language clearly suggests a north to south movement. The religion of the Masai, a trinity of Engai, a feminine supreme deity, and two inferior deities, a black or good god and a red or evil god, points to an original mother goddess worship, ultimately of Asiatic origin. The Canaanites in passing through Egypt confused her with Hathor, the minor gods of the Masai being Osiris and Set. Tribal names of the Masai also point to Canaan, Ma-a-sae, L'Aiser and Gidon being equated with Ma-na-say, Je-ezer, and Gideon. Similar equivalences are found in the Bornean religion, belief, and nomenclature and pointing to a Canaanitish origin.