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Garnell University Library
Sthara, Nem York

CHARLES WILLIAM WASON

COLLECTION
CHINA AND THE CHINESE

THE GIFT OF
CHARLES WILLIAM WASON
CLASS OF 1876
1918

Cornell University Library
QH 179.C71

Ce

Cornell University

Library

The original of this book is in
the Cornell University Library.

There are no known copyright restrictions in
the United States on the use of the text.

http://www. archive.org/details/cu31924024005807

RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST

ON

THE SHORES AND WATERS OF THE —
CHINA SEA:

BEING

OBSERVATIONS IN NATURAL HISTORY DURING A VOYAGE
TO CHINA, FORMOSA, BORNEO, SINGAPORE, Ertc.,
MADE IN HER MAJESTY’S VESSELS
IN 1866 AND 1867.

BY

CUTHBERT COLLINGWOOD, M.A., M.B., Oxon.,
F.LS., EPC.

LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.
1868.
(The Right of Translation is reserved.

Dedication.

—~—

TO

JOSEPH DALTON HOOKER, D.C.L, M.D. ERS, &.

DIRECTOR OF THE ROYAL GARDENS, KEW.

Dear Dr. Hooxer :

I know that it is to you that I am mainly indebted for
the opportunity of making the observations contained in the
following pages, as well as for the pleasure I have derived from
the increased scope of my Natural History studies which my
voyage has afforded me. And although the tenor of those
observations and studies has been in the main zoological rather
than botanical, I will not permit that circumstance to deprive
me of the gratification of dedicating the results to one who so

kindly and readily aided me with his influence and advice.

I am, dear Dr. Hooker,
Sincerely yours,

CUTHBERT COLLINGWOOD.

GREENWICH,
March, 1868.

PREFACE.

———

THe circumstances under which the voyage here re-
corded was undertaken need not be fully entered into.
Suffice it to say, that, actuated solely by a desire of in-
creasing my own information, and the hope of, in some
measure, advancing science, I was induced to seize an
opportunity which seemed to present itself of fulfilling
what had always been an object of my ambition. The
pleasure I have myself derived from it has entirely ob-
scured the vexations and drawbacks to which I have been
subjected in its fulfilment. That I have met with dis-
appointment and discouragement from those to whom I
had most right to look for support and co-operation, is a
circumstance which, although it greatly limited and cur-
tailed my operations, is entirely forgotten in the delight
of having visited Nature in her deepest recesses, and
viewed her in her grandest aspects.

Whatever slight value the following pages may possess,
will be due to the circumstance that the facts they re-
cord are derived from observation, and not from books ;
and that I have not endeavoured to adjust my own ob-
servations to the experience of others, but have rather
corrected my previous knowledge by the aid of personal
research.

I feel bound in this place to tender my thanks to
certain gentlemen who have kindly aided me in my plans
and movements:—To Captain Richards, Hydrographer of

the Navy, to whose recommendation I am indebted for
b

iv PREFACE.

the primary opportunity of making the voyage; to Com-
mander Bullock, of H.M.S. ‘“ Serpent,’ and Captain
Courtenay, late of H.M.S. “ Scylla,” from both of whom
I received uniform courtesy and kindness; to Lieutenant
Richards, and Mr. Sutton (Chief Engineer) of the “ Ser-
pent,” and Lieutenant D. Stewart, of the ‘“‘Scylla,” to
each of whom I am indebted for steady and valuable
assistance; to Mr. José d’Almeida, of Singapore, Messrs.
Hugh Low, C. C. De Crespigny, J. Tyndall Woods, and
Howard, of Labuan; to Mr. Alfred Houghton, Mr. Mar-
tin, and the Tuan Muda of Sarawak; to Dr. Maxwell, of
Ta-kau, and Mr. Gregory, Vice-Consul of Tam-suy, For-
mosa; to the Venerable Archdeacon Gray, Consular Chap-
lain, and Dr. J. G. Kerr, of Canton; and last, though not
least, to Mr. F. D. Lalcaca, and (the late) Captain Jameson,
of Hong Kong ;—all of whom showed me various acts of
kindness, which will not soon be forgotten.

My thanks are also due to Drs. Baird and Giinther ; to
Messrs. G. R. Gray, F. Walker, Frederick Smith, A. G.
Butler, and Waterhouse, Junior, of the British Museum; as
well as to Messrs. Albany Hancock, C. Spence Bate, and
Professor Oliver ;—all of whom have kindly assisted me in
the identification of species.

It should be mentioned, that the account of the Pratas
Island, and the chapter on the Luminosity of the. Sea,
were published in the “‘ Quarterly Journal of Science” for
1867, and are reprinted with the permission of the Editors,
having had the advantage of subsequent revision and en-
largement. Other papers have been incorporated from the
Proceedings of the Linnean, Geological, Ethnological, and
Royal Geographical Societies, as well as from the Annals of
Natural History, &c., in order to give unity to the narrative,
and completeness to the Natural History observations.

GREENWICH,
March, 1868,

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

THE VOYAGE TO CHINA OVERLAND—IMPRESSIONS OF HONG

KONG.

Dissolving Views—Marseilles—The Bear Rock—Flocks of Cranes—
Alexandria— The Delta—Grand Cairo—The Desert—Red Sea—
Aden— First Shore Hunt— Point de Galle—Tropical Calm—Light-
ning—Tropic Birds—Singapore—Traveller’s Tree —Caricature Plant
—Approach to Hong sai tein from the Sea—Boats and
their occupants : 5 é

CHAPTER II.

HONG KONG TO PRATAS ISLAND.

Anglified appearance of Hong Kong—Physical Character—The Chinese
Quarter—Leave Hong Kong—Arrive at Pratas Reef—Description of
the Island—We Visit the Island—Its Vegetation—Insect Fauna—
Marine Animals —Sea-Weeds—Fishermen’s Temple —Lagoon—
Birds of the Island—The Gannets’ Settlement—The Seine—Towing
Net—Rollers —We quit the Reef— Birds observed upon the enue
between Pratas and Formosa . :

CHAPTER III.

FORMOSA.
TA-KAU-CON, AND THE PESCADORES ISLAND.

Character of Native Race—Dutch Occupation—Treaty Ports—East
Coast—Arrive at Ta-kau—Lagoon—Apes’ Hill — Land-Crabs—
Leaping Fishes—Walk in the Country— Water Buffaloes— Padi
Birds— Village of Pi-hi-kun—Chinese Ladies—The Pescadores—

PAGE

20

viii CONTENTS.

PAGE
Ponghou—Makung—Cheap Provisions—Cuttle Fish—Absence of

Trees and Birds—The Rocks—Visit the Mandarin ack aces
Wreckers. 7 5 a 5 : ‘ : . 85

CHAPTER IV.

. FORMOSA (continued) —TAM-SUY,

Towing Net in Formosa Channel—Pterosoma—-Firola—Sagitta—Atlanta
—Glaucus—Alima—Phyllosoma, or glass-crab—Cerapus— Hyalea
—West Coast of Formosa—Fort Zeelandia—Notonecte—Arrive at
Tam-suy—The Harbour —Boulder Clay—Chinese Graves—Rice-
paper Plant—Bamboo—The Town—People—Rice Embargo—Visit
to Mbang-ka—Camphor Monopoly—Visit the Chief Mandarin—
Return Visit—Queen’s Birthday . . F : 7 . 54

CHAPTER V.

FORMOSA (continued)—FROM TAM-SUY TO KE-LUNG.

The Sulphur Springs near Tam-suy—approach to them—their present
condition—effects on Animal Life—Preparations for River Voyage
—Village of Pah-chie-nah—Arrive at Sik-kow—Bivouac at Chuy-

teng-cha—Birds on the Route—Rapids— Population — Domestic
Animals—Arrive at Liang-kha—Descent to Ke-lung—Character of
the People . < r 3 3 ‘ 3 é . : - 70

CHAPTER VI.

FORMOSA (continwed)—KE-LUNG.

Prevalence of Sandstone—Formation of the Harbour—Caverns—Village
Population— Modes of Fishing—Sandstone Peaks and Images—
Rising of the Coast—The Coal Mines—Mode of Working—Value of
the Coal—Geological position of the Beds—Burning Properties—
Petroleum —~ Marine Animals of the Shore— Peronia—Aplysia—
Nudibranchs—Creseis—Singular shoal of Stephanomias . F - 85

CHAPTER VII.

FORMOSA (continued)—-SAU-O BAY.

East Coast—Steep Island—Reefs at Sau-o—Chinese Village of Sau-o—
Village of Tame Aborigines—Their Huts—Physical Characters—
Dress—Native Cloth—Search after the Wild Aborigines—Charac-

CONTENTS.

teristics of the Villagers—Their Occupations—An Alarm—They
visit the Ship—Native Politeness— Language—Religious Ideas—
Diseases—Distinctions from Chinese Race F

CHAPTER VIII.

THE ISLANDS NORTH-EAST OF FORMOSA.

Visit of a Chinese Admiral—Ke-lung Island—The Harbour from the
Sea—Pinnacle Island —Craig Island—The Wideawakes—Their
Breeding Place—Geological Structure of Craig Island— Hunt on
the Rocks—Grapsi—Agincourt Island—Pinnacle Rocks—Hoa-pin-
san and Tia-usu—The Raleigh Rock—The Dredge—Chromodoris—
Gigantic Foraminifera—Further Search—Return to Ke-lung .

CHAPTER IX.
HAITAN STRAITS AND COAST OF CHINA.

Red Discoloration of the Sea—Haitan Island and Straits —Middle
Island — New Anemone— Black Islet-—Its Fauna and Flora—
Chinese Pirates—Rumbling Fish—Slut Island—New Nudibranchs
—Iridescent Seaweed—Trigger-Shrimp— Comatula—The River Min
—Pagoda Anchorage—Chinese Pagodas — Shwin-gan Passage—
Luminous Sea—Plague of Flies—Insects at Sea—Wosung River—
Shanghai

CHAPTER X.

HONG KONG TO LABUAN.

Atmospheric Phenomena—Fiery-Cross Reef—Corals and Coral Fish—A
Wade on the Reef—Marine Animals—Gigantic Anemones—
Anemone-inhabiting Fish—Stormy Weather—Waterspout—Aspect
of Labuan—Vegetation—The Jungle—Camphor Trees—The Coal
Mines— Workings— ee of the Coal— ae Considerations
—Petroleum . . .

CHAPTER XI.

LABUAN.

Bruni, the Capital of Borneo—Piracy—Establishment of the Colony of
Labuan—Its Objects—Natural, Productions — Pigs — Monkeys—

ix

PAGE

101

116

129

145

x CONTENTS.

PAGE
Kahan, or Proboscis Monkey—Birds—Megapode— Chick-chack—
Barking Lizard—Iguanas—Cobra — Pythons— Electric Snake—
Scorpions— Centipedes— Cicadas— Beetles— Hemiptera— Desecra-
tion of European Graves—Isolated Position of the Residents of
Labuan z ‘ : ‘ . . z . : ‘ . 162

CHAPTER XII.

LABUAN (continued).

Butterflies of Labuan—Mode of Flight—Number of Species—Dominant
Species — Butterflies of Pulo Daat—Hermit Crabs — Cocoa-nut
Planting — Dragon-Flies— Water Beetles—Jungle Spiders—Car-
penter-Bee and Mason-Wasp—Eulima aud Stilifer—Alligators—
Mollusca — Feather-Stars— Nudibranchs—Mantle-cutting Doris—
Land Shells—Reef at Pulo peer at
Labuan—Luminous Fungi. . . . - . . i8l

CHAPTER XIII.

SARAWAK.

Entrance to River—Antimony Anchorage—Tarnuh-puti—Drift-wood—
Town of Kuching—Former Condition of Sarawak — Sir James
Brooke — Prospects of the Settlement—The Tuan Muda—The
Dyaks—Their Superstitions—Miss Burdett Coutts’ Estate—Gambier
planting—Flying Squirrel—Flying Lizard— Flying Foxes—Vege-
table Productions — Rain — Italian Naturalists — Quadrupeds—
Domestic Animals—Dyed Fowls—Reef at Pulo Marundum . . 201

CHAPTER XIV.

THE SARAWAK RIVER.

Eclipse of the Moon—Boats and Rowers—First Halt—Reach the Rapids
— The Datu and Chief Hadji—Diamond-washing—Gold—The Last
Rapid—Dress of the Dyaks—The Council—Scenery of the River—
Mode of Producing Fire—Journey Continued—Incidents—Change
Prahu for Canoes—Return Down Rapids in the Dark—Bivouac—
Malay Boat-songs—Limestone Cavern—Berlidah— Ascent of Penin-
jau— Dyak Village of Serambo—Rajah’s Summer Residence—
Bombok—Return to Sarawak he r F ‘ . 220

CONTENTS. xi

CHAPTER XV.

SINGAPORE.

PAGE
Variety of Life in Singapore—The Malays—Their Villages—The Klings
—Kling Women — Their Occupations — Religious Ceremonies —
Mosque—The Chinese—The Bugis—Residences—Native Streets—
Tigers, not numerous— Fire-Flies — Botanic Gardens— Sensitive
Plants—Kling Bird-Catchers—Climate of Singapore—Productions

of the Sea Shore—Sharks . . ‘ : e ; . 242

CHAPTER XVI.

CULTIVATION IN SINGAPORE.

Climate of Singapore—Soil—Nutmeg Planting—Appearance of the Tree
—Over-Manuring—The Nutmeg Disease—Its Causes—Ruin of the
Planters — Occasional Spontaneous Recovery — Cotton—Coffee —
Cinnamon—Sugar-Cane— Gutta-percha—Gamboge—Gambier and
Pepper—Fruit Trees—Cocoa-nut—The Cocoa-nut Beetles—Sago
Plantations . . : hee Ue : j 2 . 260

CHAPTER XVII.
JOHORE AND THE STRAITS.

Excursion to Tanjong Putri—Chinese Carnival—The Tumonggong—
Sing-songs—Chinese Thespians—Gambling Parties—The Game of
‘“¢Poh”—-Gambling in Singapore and Hong Kong—Mountebank
Dentistry— Opium Smoking—Statistics of Consumption— Value of
Imports—Chinese Opium—Considerations—Saw Mills—Horsburgh

Lighthouse—Coast of Johore—Habits of the Pill-Crab—Ubiquity of

Ants 275

CHAPTER XVIII.

MANILLA.

Appearance of the City—Manilla Bay—The Town—Chinese Shops—
Aspect of the Mestizas—Dilapidated Condition of City—The Great
Earthquake of 1863—Features of the Shocks—Their Effects— Moral
Effect on the People—Game-Cocks—The River Pasig—Tobacco
Manufacture—Taxes on Commerce—Sea Snakes—Tropical Skies
compared with Northern—The Southern Cross—Effects of Clear
Atmosphere—Moon-blindness—Case_ . é . ‘ ‘ . 298

xii

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XIX.
HONG KONG—CHINESE NEW YEAR, ETC.

PAGE

Chinese Pyrotechny—Salutations by Crackers— Religions Ceremonies—

Holiday-making—Family Groups—Children—Visits of Ceremony—
Boats—Toy-makers—Mandarin Processions in Canton—Irruption
of Beggars—Chinese Tame Birds—Shantung Lark—Tumblers—
Canaries—Mina—Street Robbery in Hong Kong—Insecurity of the
Person—Police Regulations—Contrast with Canton—Character of
the Chinese—Facility of Escape to Canton

CHAPTER. XX.
CANTON.

Strangeness of Canton—Bogue Forts—Whampoa—Pagodas—Approach

to City—Boat Population ~ Pic-nic Boats—Streets of Canton—
Chops—Puntinqua’s Garden—Fa-tee Nurseries—Gold-Fish—Defor-
mities—Diet of Chinese—Dog-eating—Salt Monopoly— Unity of
Chinese People—Its Causes—Insurrectionary Movements—Influence
of Western Civilization—Benefits of Western Trade— Pekin Me-
morial on Western Education—Proposed Introduction of Railways
—Language the Great Barrier—Prospects of Christianity

CHAPTER XXI.
THE SURFACE POPULATION OF THE OCEAN.

Floating Animals—Capriciousness of their Appearance—Calms—The

Towing Net—Meduse— Noctural Animals—Formosa Channel—
Hydrozoa—Yellow Fly—Blue Animals in Deep Sea—Abundance of
Animals in Bad Weather— Lucernarian Jelly-fishes—Their Vast
Numbers—Peculiarities—Portuguese Man-of-War—Stinging Powers
—Fish Sheltering in their Threads—Sargasso Sea—Its Inhabitants
— Atlantic ee eee Salpe—Three Forms—Chains of
Salpe . : ‘ ‘ ; . :

CHAPTER XXII.
OBSERVATIONS AT SEA,

Flying-fish—Their Range—Object of their Flight— Always away from

the Ship—Mode of Flight—Absence of Vibration of Wings—Nature
of Impulse—A Flying-fish Hunt—Albicores—Abundance of Flying-
fish—Trichodesmium, or Sea Dust—Red Sea Conferva—Abundance

311

330

352

CONTENTS. xili

PAGE
of Conferva in the China Sea—Its Range—Cases of Red Discolora-
tion—Microscopic Characters of Sea Dust—Oscillatoria—Observa-
tions of Former Voyagers—Horizontal Rainbow—Development and
Peculiarities—Changing Aspect of the Sea—Natural Colour of the
Deep Sea—Changes in Shallow Water—By Rough Weather—
Father Secchi’s Spectroscopic Observations . : F - . 878

CHAPTER XXIII.
THE LUMINOSITY OF THE SEA.

Nature of the Phenomenon—Phosphorescence a Misnomer—Classification
of Luminous Phenomena—Sparks always visible—Their Cause—
Luminous Sheath to Ship—Singapore Harbour—Simon’s Bay—
Noctilucea—Scene on the Chinese Coast—Moon-shaped Patches of
Light—Not caused by Medusee — Often spontaneous-—Probably
Pyrosomas—Recurrent Flashes—Colour and Appearance sponta-
neous—Depth of the Animals— Examples of Recurrence—Milky
Sea—Its Rarity—Conditions of Luminosity —Non-luminous Animals
—Rationale of Luminosity—A Correlative of some other Force —
Contractility—Luminous Envelopes—Range of Luminosity among
Animals . J ‘ 5 ‘i z é j : : . 391

CHAPTER XXIV.

THE VOYAGE HOME.

Storm at Hong Kong—Loss of the ‘‘ Osprey ‘’—Sea-birds at the Cape—
Simon’s Bay—Cormorants—Botany of the Cape—Physical Features
of Fulse Bay—Cape Town—Marine Animals of Simon’s Bay—
Coast of St. Helena—James’ Town—Napoleon’s Tomb—Ascension—
General Features —Craters—Vegetation— Insects —‘‘ Wide-awake
Fair ’’—Boldness of the Birds—Turtle Ponds—Varieties of Turtle—
Western Isles— Pico—Fayal—Villa de Horta—Character of Vegeta-
tion—Spithead—Conclusion . 5 c A : : . . 410

APPENDIX.
Sau-o Vocabulary—Dialect of Ke-lung . : . . i . 434

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

——4+——.
PAGE
SANDSTONE PILLARS, SOUTH SIDE KE-LUNG HARBOUR, FORMOSA Frontispiece

ENTRANCE TO THE HARBOUR OF TA-KAU ‘ P F F . . 85
THE SULPHUR SPRINGS NEAR TAM-SUY ‘ F ; ‘ . . 10
COMATULA 5 ‘ c ‘ 3 ‘ ‘5 2 . » . 137
THE WATERSPOUT : - 2 y : 4 ‘ j . 145
GROUP OF NUDIBRANCHIATE MOLLUSCA . ‘ ‘ ‘ To Face 195
MALAY HOUSES AT THE ANCHORAGE, SARAWAK . = é 3 . 201
THE PANGAH, OR HEAD-HOUSE, BOMBOK * . . : » . 220
CHAINS OF SALPZ ‘ é 3 F 7 7 - Lo Face 872

BEROGID CILIOGRADE, FROM THE ATLANTIC . ; . 4 . . 410

RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST.

CHAPTER I.
THE VOYAGE TO CHINA OVERLAND—IMPRESSIONS OF HONG
KONG,

Dissolving Views Marseilles—The Bear Rock—Flocks of Cranes—Alex-
andria—The Delta—Grand Cairo—The Desert—Red Sea—Aden—First
Shore Hunt—Point de Galle—Tropical Calm—Lightning—Tropie Birds
—Singapore—Traveller’s Tree—Caricature Plant—Approach to Hong
Kong—Appearance from the Sea—Boats and their occupants.

WHEN a man leaves his home and country for the purpose
of making a closer acquaintance with Nature and natural
phenomena in distant lands, he naturally does not wait to
begin his observations until he shall have travelled a certain
number of thousands of miles. And thus, although my
destination was China, I found much that was striking and
interesting, from the point of view which I had chosen, on
the road. The overland route to India and China is indeed
so generally known, and so experimentally familiar to a large
number of persons, that it would serve no purpose to dwell
upon its details; but nevertheless a work, whose plan mainly
seeks to recount the aspects of Nature in foreign countries,
would scarcely be complete were no reference made to so
large a portion of travel as is passed over by the steamers of
the Peninsular and Oriental Company between Marseilles
and Hong Kong.

2 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. IL.

The great drawback of this route, to a person not travelling
on business which requires despatch, is the restless rapidity
of movement which allows of no quiet, except on the calm
days at sea. When at length, after an interval of a few such
days, land is reached, he catches a glimpse of a country, it
may be the most interesting he has ever visited ; but in a few
hours, almost before he can realize that it is not a pleasant
dream, inexorable necessity attracts him once more to the
ship, and he turns his back upon the new country, it may be
for ever—its people, its vegetation, its scenery, leaving the
impression of an unreal vision upon his memory, which will
endure as such as long as he lives.

I can only compare the passage overland to the picture
patterns seen in a kaleidoscope, changing with such rapidity
that the impression of one is still vivid when it is succeeded
by another, while yet each picture is complete in itself, and
has features which distinguish it no less from its predecessors
than from its successors. Or I might liken it to a series of
dissolving views, in which the eye still dwelling upon the
last and recently formed picture, finds it replaced by some
other and contrasting one, when another port is reached,
which gradually, by the force of its present reality, drives
out of the mind (for the time) the one which has for some
days occupied all its thoughts. Thus we change the verdu-
rous Delta for the arid desert plain—and this again for the
piled-up, barren rocks of Arabia—which in turn give place to
the green and smiling fertility of the palm groves of Ceylon,
and the scarcely less luxuriant islands of Penang and Singa-
pore.

The vine-clad hills and olive groves of the south of France,
and the tall flower stems of the great thick-leaved aloes about
Marseilles, were hailed as some foretaste of that luxuriance

Cx. I.] FLOCKS OF CRANES. 3

of vegetation which we were soon to witness in the tropics,
of which, however, we were destined to see but little until
we had reached its perfection in the rich garden of Ceylon.
The rocky islands of Corsica and Sardinia, the picturesque
Maritimo, and the white fortifications of Malta, present
nowhere a tree or a bush to relieve their barrenness, and
the only thing remotely interesting to a zoologist is the sem-
blance of a gigantic bear which may be seen walking down
a shelving crag in the straits of Bonifacio, and appropriately
called the Bear Rock. At Malta, some hours of moonlight
and dawn were all that were allowed us, which thus prevented
landing,

Steaming down the placid waters of the Mediterranean at
this time of year (the beginning of March) is perhaps the
perfection of pleasant travelling. The air is more soft and
balmy than it can be at any season in our own climate, and
without being oppressively warm, all thought of: cold is
abandoned, and a sensation of agreeable exhilaration mingles
with one of ideal comfort. Once or twice a flying fish broke
the quiet surface of the water, but the Mediterranean species
did not make their appearance in any numbers. South of
Candia my attention was arrested by four successive flocks
of cranes flying northward, whose screams could be heard
distinctly as they passed close over the ship—a circumstance
which was stated to be unusual, the captain of the ship
never having observed it before in his frequent passages up
and down the Mediterranean. There were about 50 birds
in each flock. The first assumed a long irregular line,
but the other three were more or less wedge-shaped, particu-
larly one, in which the figure was remarkably symmetrical.
Buffon’s idea of the cause of this peculiar arrangement, viz.
that the strongest naturally keeps first, while the rest are

B2

4 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. I.

necessitated to follow behind, would hardly, I think, account
for the regularity of the figure, which is maintained until it
faints into the tenuity of a spider’s thread in the distance.
His theory is, indeed, no improvement upon that of Cicero,*
who, being an augur, studied the flight of birds, and sup-
posed that when migrating in large bodies, they assumed the
> form from an intuitive knowledge that it offers less
resistance to their rapid flight—while one, probably a strong-
pinioned bird, is selected by them as their leader; though
it is probable that this one, in turn, gives place to others
during their progress.

The first sight of the shores of the Nile Delta is by no
means striking, though just what a consideration of its nature
would lead one to expect. A long low coast, terminating in
sand-hills, is presented to.view, whose monotony is only
broken by distant and somewhat formal rows of date-palms,
interspersed with windmills. But here, as we land at
Alexandria, our first dissolving view fairly gives place to a
totally new picture, in which the colours of the kaleidoscope
play a conspicuous part. We seem at once plunged into the
embodiment of the dreams of those days when we read of
Aladdin, The Three Calenders, and Haroun-al-Raschid.
Streets narrow and winding—shops open to the street, and
without windows of any kind—merchandise piled up around
the owner, who sat cross-legged upon the counter, smoking
his pipe and awaiting custom—barbers shaving their cus-
tomers in public—divans, where Arabs were sipping coffee
meditatively—bakers and provision-merchants with wares
anything but tempting to a European—and Nubians, as
black as jet, carrying water-skins, of which the outsides were
sufficiently disgusting objects. Passing to and fro through

* Cicero, de Naturd Deorum, lib, ii. cap. 49,

Cu. I.] ALEXANDRIA AND THE DELTA. 5

the streets, which were impregnated with a penetrating and
far from agreeable odour, and under a sun more powerful
than we had ever felt in England, were crowds of Arabs,
Turks, Negroes, and Egyptians, in every variety of costume
and of every shade of colour ;—some in gaudy dresses, and
flowing robes, turbans, and fezzes—others with bare legs
and arms, or wearing only a kind of smock, and variously
contrived head-coverings—women veiled, with a long strip
of black hanging down from their eyes to their feet; others
in dazzling white, veil included, or with little ones astride
upon their shoulders—children of all ages and degrees of
dirtiness, crying for backsheesh—lean mules and donkeys,
with turbaned and portly Turks upon their backs, or with
bundles of merchandize banging on either side—strings of
camels laden with various goods—warlike gentlemen with
long curved scymitars at their sides, and pistols two or three
feet in length stuck in their belts—all these together formed
a combination often described, perhaps, but not to be for-
gotten when once seen.

A land journey is always a pleasant interlude in a long
sea voyage, though the small carriages of the Pasha’s rail-
way, generally filled with their full complement, are not the
most delightful of conveyances under an Egyptian sun.
Across the fertile Delta agricultural operations were every-
where going on. Groups of date-palms (Phoenix dactylifera)
and groves of olive trees constantly met the eye ; numerous
camels, herds of buffaloes, mingled with the coloured do-
mestic cattle, goats of a small size, and broad-tailed sheep, |
were in plenty throughout the route. The fields were often
separated by hedges of mimosa (M. Nilotica), and frequent
villages occurred, mere collections of mud huts, squalid and
desolate (and sometimes deserted and in ruins), about which

6 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. I.

were Arabs equally squalid and wretched-looking, the children

cased in dirt, wearing a single scanty and dirty garment, with

eyes more or less affected with ophthalmia, and holding out

their hands for backsheesh as we passed. Villainous-looking |
dogs, like gaunt jackals, lurked about the huts, and luxuriant
cacti flourished in some of the gardens. Large kingfishers

hovered over the ponds, and handsome black and white stork-

like birds stood motionless like sentinels by the side of
canals—buzzard-like hawks flew familiarly about, and occa-

sionally swooped down almost among the people collected

at a station—crows, and plovers, and sparrows, were

not uncommon, particularly the last, probably, however,

not our domestic species, but the tree sparrow (Passer

montanus).

As the sun went down, the zodiacal light appeared very
distinctly ; and for several nights I remarked it as we passed
down the Red Sea, much more clearly than I had ever
observed it in England. Conspicuously upon our right
hand shone out the Egyptian star, Canopus, never visible in
this latitude; but whose first sight roused associations in
unison with the classic locality we were traversing,—for at
sunset we had crossed a branch of the Nile.

The glimpse afforded by a ride through Cairo did not
differ essentially from that described at Alexandria; but the
city is far more interesting and remarkable; the streets
more narrow and mazy, ornamented with arabesques and
frescos; minarets and domes meet one at every turn, while
the people seemed even more essentially Eastern than in
the commercial town of Alexandria. Giving my ass his
reins I diverged from my party, and let the beast take me
where he would, trusting to his instinct to lead me finally
aright; and thus unencumbered, I could gaze at my ease

Ox. I.) THE DESERT. 7

upon the motley crowd of well-conditioned Turks and white-
veiled ladies, running Arabs and sooty Nubians,—mules,
donkeys, and camels, which threatened to overturn the
crowds of active, half-naked, and dusky children which ran
hither and thither across the streets. Having thus paid a
visit to the Mosque of Mehemet Ali, and seen its marble
pavement and pillars of alabaster, and having gained a
distant view of the Pyramids, another scene succeeded the
vanishing picture of Grand Cairo.

This time it was the desert; barren sands and low stony
hills of an uniform and monotonous brownish-yellow tint,
broken here and there by a stunted vegetation—these small
green oases being, however, few and far between. But little
life is visible here. A few black crows flew about the out-
skirts of Cairo and Suez, but did not penetrate far into the
desert, although some mud villages of the Arabs made their
appearance even here; and we more than once passed a
group of Arabs, accompanied by their jackal-looking dogs,
apparently walking through the desert along the line of rail-
road. Now and then the skeleton of a camel lay bleaching
on the ground, more particularly in the neighbourhood of
Suez, and at the central station of Awebed a small lady-bird
(Coccinella) flew into the carriage. It was a true desert
species, of the characteristic pale brown isabelline colour,
admirably matching the prevailing tint of the sands on which
its lot was cast.

The passage down the Red Sea was cool and pleasant, but
uneventful. An agreeable breeze followed us, and favourable
contrasts were drawn by many with previous experiences.
Passing Mocha, we were near enough to see its white
houses, over which the unusuél phenomenon of rain was
falling abundantly, and it was also raining further to the

8 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. I.

south, over the land. Barren rocks accompanied us the
whole way, beginning with the distant mountains of Sinai
and Horeb; and having left behind the volcanic islands of
Zebayer and the peaks of Babel-Mandeb, to both of which
we were quite sufficiently near to discern their evidently
crateriform character, another picture was for a few hours
presented to our bodily eyes. This time it was the barren,
craggy, extinct volcano which is now Aden, where the scene
was as wholly new and distinct as any previous one. The
black Somali from the opposite African coast, their heads
either plastered with chenam, or their light-yellowish hair,
dyed from its native hue by this treatment, and woven into
long ringlets all over the face, here mingled with Arabs, and
formed fitting denizens of a country that was little better
than an arid desert. Long strings of camels toiled in pro-
cession up the hills, laden with water-skins, fire-wood, and
bars of iron,—and here and there a half-naked negro met
us, seated upon a dromedary’s hump, and passing us at a
long swinging trot, such as only a camel could accomplish.
Vegetation was here scarcely less rare than in the desert
itself—small patches of green, however, were here and
there visible, produced by a Resedaceous plant (allied to
mignonette), which struggled to maintain existence—and it
was not until we arrived at the neighbourhood of the great
water tanks that we observed how the industry of man had
converted a wilderness into a garden, and at infinite labour
and expense had not only conveyed thither flowers and
plants from distant regions, but even the very soil in which
they were growing. Here, in the yawning mouth of what,
ages back, had been the fiery gulf of a great volcano, but of
which nothing but the form now remains, are the canton-
ments or military stations, and all around is life and bustle.

Ox. I.) MARINE ANIMALS AT ADEN. 9

But time, and the unwonted and intense heat, would not
permit of more than a cursory view of those great works, the
water tanks, or of the curious scenes of Eastern life which
are to.be viewed in the great market-place and bazaar; and
having taken our glimpse we returned as we had come.
Having a short time at my disposal before rejoining the
vessel, I went down to the beach, where, although the water
was rather high, I met with some matters of interest. Under
the stones on which were many largish Chitons, were nu-
merous grape-like eggs of the cuttle-fish (Sepia), each egg
containing a small well-developed cuttle, which, when de-
tached, at once moved actively away, and discharged ink from
its ink-bag. I was fortunate in finding, also, under a stone,
three specimens of a beautiful nudibranch, or marine slug,
which I kept alive for some days for the admiration of some
intelligent fellow-passengers, who expressed their astonish-
ment that such brilliantly-coloured and graceful creatures
should exist, and many were the questions as to how I had
found them. They were of the genus Bornella, and probably
Bornella digitata of Adams, a rare species, which had only
previously been met with in the Straits of Sunda by Mr. Adams
(in H.M.S. ‘‘ Samarang”’), two or three specimens, and the
same number on the Madras coast. Delicately marbled with
yermilion streaks, they swam freely in the water by a lateral
twisting movement of the body, waving at the same time
their singularly complex and elegant tufts in a most striking
and graceful manner. Vain, however, were all my attempts
to depict these nudibranchs in a satisfactory manner, for
the conditions on board a mail-steamer are by no means
favourable for such studies. I therefore placed them in
glycerine, which has a wonderful power of retaining the
bright colours, transparency, and delicate outline of some of

10 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. I.

these perishable animals; but has, unfortunately, the draw-
back that, it unfits them for subsequent dissection, so that it
is always advisable to place some specimens in this medium,
and others in spirit, for the use of the comparative anatomist.

Once more, after a week’s voyaging over the calm waters
of the Indian Ocean, the view changes, and for a few hours
we are walking through the cocoa-nut groves and cinnamon
gardens of Ceylon. Glad, indeed, were we of the shade
afforded by the over-arching palms, which here, for the first
time, greeted our eyes with all the luxuriance of equatorial
vegetation,—a change rendered the more agreeable and
striking by the contrast it afforded to the barren rocks,
which, since we quitted Marseilles, had everywhere met our
view, excepting only the green patch of Delta between
Alexandria and Cairo. Here plantains and pumilows, limes
and pine-apples are to be had almost for the asking; and
here, after a glorious drive through a forest of palms, thickly
studded with native cottages, about which dusky forms
hovered, and little naked children who required no pro-
tection for their tender bodies, we at length seated ourselves
beside a bed of the sensitive mimosa, and enjoyed a prospect
as though the view from Richmond Hill had been trans-
ported to a tropical clime, with all the voluptuous accompani-
ments of a garden in Paradise.

But in these latitudes during the fine season the ocean
presents aspects nothing inferior in glory and magnificence
to the scenes beheld on land. A perfect calm, such as
occurred a few days later, was a thing to be remembered ;
and although I have seen many calms since, they have by
no means always combined every element of beauty which
tended to make this one unique. The sea was like an azure
mirror, polished, spotless, and brilliant, in which the slightest

Cx. I.] A CALM AT SEA IN THE TROPICS. 11

mote would have seemed a flaw; but from out of which, from
time to time, shoals of flying fishes, like flocks of little white
birds, emerged, with a splash and a whur like a covey of
partridges, dropping one by one into the water again like a
shower of canister or grape, and leaving only a few ripples
which presently subsided, and the water was once more like
a clear sapphire. The sky was filled with noble cumuli of
various shades of white, arrariged in successive piles or
layers from the zenith to the horizon, flat below, massively
rolling above; and so crystal-clear was the atmosphere that
those most distant were as well defined as those nearly over-
head; and even the clouds below the horizon, and of which
only the flocculent convoluted tops were visible, were sharply
cut against the distant sea-line. It was like a noble temple,
whose floor was lapis-lazuli, and whose roof was infinity.
But‘ once before had I witnessed a parallel scene, but with
the colours reversed, when far up the recesses of Mont
Blanc, the deep unwonted blue of the cloudless sky was cut
by the clear, trenchant outlines of spotless aiguilles which
towered up all round from the pure white floor of the snowy
glacier.

Events interesting to the observant naturalist can hardly
fail to happen each day while traversing the ocean, and it is
not to be supposed that during this time nothing was seen
worth recording; but I have thought it better to collect the
various circumstances worthy of notice in a separate chapter,
on the surface life of the ocean, than to speak of them in a
piecemeal and isolated manner, which also would stand in the
way of any interesting generalisations. Scarcely a day passes,
however, without some addition to one’s stock of observation
and information, whether it be a fish swimming the sea, a
bird winging the air, or some floating delicate animal which

12 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. I.

would seem least fitted to buffet with the waves, which at
some seasons lash themselves into irresistible fury.

The straits of Malacca, with its fine prospects of Sumatra,
gave a taste of those tropical storms which have procured
for them the name of Straits’ weather. Not that we were at
any time involved in the thunder cloud; but on this and on
several other occasions, certain peculiarities of electrical
phenomena occurred, which may be appropriately referred
to here. In the first place, it has always struck me as a
singular phenomenon, that day after day thunderstorms have
apparently been bursting around us, in several places ilumi-
nating the horizon, and yet we seemed to be exempted from
them. This was particularly the case in the Straits of
Malacca, and on the coast of China. Nor was it all of the
kind known as summer lightning, for I have delighted to
watch the vivid spark coursing through the air, or dashing
down upon the sea or land; but although I have so often
watched lightning night after night successively, the sound
of thunder has been a rare occurrence.

Again, on two occasions I have witnessed storms which
have apparently been of such severity that to be situated
beneath them must have seemed like being at the mouth of
hell. Once at Shanghai, in July, the sky was illuminated
with one incessant unintermitting glare, lasting several
hours, but no thunder was heard; and a similar circum-
stance took place in May off the south coast of Madagascar,
when a storm broke to the south of us, even exceeding this
in grandeur. From 7 to 11 p.m. a flickering glare, which
left the sky dark only for a second once in half an hour or
an hour, showed that a terrific elemental strife was going
on. The central point seemed elevated 10° or 15° above
the horizon, and as the nearer clouds cleared away I watched

Cx. I.] TROPICAL LIGHTNING. 13

for hours the unceasing flashes—tongues of fire darting out
round the distant clouds—radiating in five or six distinct
streams of flame from a given point, like the thunderbolt in
the hands of Jupiter—coursing along the sky, or dashing
down into the sea at the horizon like liquid fire; but all
this while not a sound was heard, no thunder reached the
ears, and the position of the storm scarcely altered during
the whole time. At 11 I retired from watching it, but as
long as I remained awake I could see the reflection playing
upon the walls of the cabin, like the flickering of an un-
steady candle. The day succeeding was marked by a
brilliancy of atmosphere and freshness of temperature we
had not experienced before, and the only important change
we observed was an adverse wind.

On this occasion I noticed a peculiarity, which was also
very strikingly marked, in a storm which passed near us at
Sarawak. The lightning in this case was unusually vivid,
but the flashes did not have the appearance of simple
instantaneous sparks, but looked just as though they con-
sisted of liquid fire poured out from a vessel in a continuous
stream, and lasting a perceptible time, during which the
lightning vibrated upon the retina—the zigzag form of the
flash, however, being perfectly retained meanwhile.

As we neared the Straits we observed several floating
logs, or trunks of trees, which in the distance looked like
boats. Some of them were covered with gannets (Sula
alba ?), as thick as they could cluster, though the birds
could have rested, if they chose, one would suppose, upon
the water, belonging as they do to the fully-webbed Peli-
canide. These birds are seldom seen far from land, and
their appearance is a sign of its proximity ; not so, however,
with the Tropic birds (Phaéthon ethereus), beautiful black

14 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. I.

and white creatures with yellow beaks, and conspicuous for
their long pointed tails. Four of these birds appeared about
the ship on two successive days in the Indian Ocean, on the
second of which we were 800 miles from land. As long as
I was able to watch them I did not see them settle upon the
water, nor did they appear to attempt to catch the flying
fishes, which at the time were on the wing in considerable
numbers.

An hour’s walk in Penang gave the first glimpse of
Chinese life, and one could not fail to be struck with the
activity and energy displayed here as everywhere by the
celestial race,—all astir and busy, though but just daylight.
The verdure of the place, and the elegance and grace of the
various specimens of palms which met the view, were an
agreeable relief to the eye after a week at sea. The dense
jungles and sandy beaches of the Malacca peninsula were
visible as we proceeded towards Singapore, and at night
many fires were visible, which made one speculate on the
occupation and characters of the inhabitants of this tiger-
haunted land. At Singapore, after threading the green,
wooded islets which conduct to the harbour, having ridden
through hedges of bamboo, groves of cocoa and betel-nut,
mangrove swamps on which were built villages, forcibly
recalling to mind the ancient lake-habitations,—streets
peopled by Malays, Chinese, and Klings or Madrasees in
every variety of picturesque costume, I at length found
myself in the verandah of a bungalow, and overlooking a
garden in which many strange trees and plants were
growing. Among these was the Traveller’s tree (Urania
speciosa), the banana-lke leaves of which spring in a
beautifully imbricated fashion from the two opposite sides
only of the stem, the whole tree representing a gigantic

Ca, I] THE CARICATURE PLANT. 18

open fan. The rain falling upon the leaves and leaf-stalks,
runs downs a channel in the latter until it reaches the base,
where a reservoir is formed by the sheathing petioles, which
so closely embrace one another that it cannot escape. An
incision, therefore, through these sheaths produces a con-
stant fountain of pure, refreshing fluid, of which the ex-
perienced traveller may at his pleasure avail himself.
Another singular tree, or rather shrub, I first observed here
was commonly known as the face-leafed plant, or Caricature
plant of the East Indies (Justicia picta), every leaf of which
exhibited upon its blotched surface a series of remarkable
caricature resemblances of the human face divine. One of
these trees in the garden of Gustave Doré would be worth
a fortune to him, supplying him with a never-failing fund
of grotesque physiognomy, from which he might illustrate
every serio-comic romance ever written by Swift or Dickens,
by Rabelais or Cervantes. About the verandah the most
common bird appeared to be the rice bird, or Java sparrow
(Loxia oryzovora); but on a subsequent occasion, in
November, I looked in vain for these birds, which had been
so plentiful in the beginning of April.

I shall, however, have occasion to return to Singapore,
and shall therefore now proceed on our journey across the
China Sea, at this season beautifully calm; and another
week of delightful dolce far niente brought us near the goal
to which for six weeks we had been constantly travelling.
The day before reaching our ultimate destination of Hong
Kong, we experienced, for the first time during all the
voyage, squally and unpleasant weather, which was not
disagreeable, however, when regarded simply as a change
from the uniformly fine and calm seas we had experienced
for six weeks ; more particularly as there were no signs of

16 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. I.

the dreaded typhoon. As we approached the coast, great
numbers of junks, with mat sails and two masts, appeared,
the high poops of which gave them the strange aspect
of plunging headlong into the water; but they appear to be
excellent sailers, and under ordinary circumstances have no
real tendency to do so. The numerous islands clustered
about the entrance of the Canton river began to make their
appearance on the following morning, bare of trees, but
usually smooth and more or less green ; and ultimately the
back of the island of Hong Kong itself, sparsely “dotted
with handsome residences, though otherwise not very pre-
possessing, being barren and exposed, interlaced by craggy
ravines, and running up into elevated crags, the highest of
which, surmounted by a flagstaff, is called Victoria Peak.
This is the telegraph station, from which the appearance of
every ship that approaches the harbour is signalled, and
from which a booming gun announces to every expectant
inhabitant of Hong Kong, and to every ship in the port,
that the mail is in sight.

The first sight of the Hong Kong of the present day is
something not to be forgotten, and perhaps unequalled by
any view of the same character. Having passed Green
Island, a round knoll in mid-channel, we begin to sight
the shipping, from the midst of which a puff of smoke
announces that the ‘‘ Fort William,’ Peninsular and Oriental
receiving ship, now sights us rounding the angle of rock.
On our left is the long stretch of sea ending in the Capsing-
moon pass, through which lies the way to Canton. The
rugged crag of the Peak rises on our right, at the base of
which the town lies like a city of palaces, gradually de-
veloping as we proceed round the front of it. Meanwhile
our attention becomes divided between the varied and

Cz. I] FIRST VIEW OF HONG KONG, 17

numerous shipping, and the magnificent scene which the
land affords on either hand, but more especially upon the
island side. Passing by a heterogeneous crowd of junks
which ply between Hong Kong and Canton or Macao, for
the supply of the market, and which attract notice from
their novel and foreign aspect, we thread our way among
British shipping of every class, among which also are
many British men-of-war and gunboats, mingled with not
a few foreign vessels. Through these, often within speak-
ing distance, we steam slowly and cautiously, and have
time to watch the gradual unfolding of the city of Hong
Kong. Built terrace upon terrace up the base of the hill,
a series of splendid palatial residences, with open verandahs
around them, rise nobly, and in strong contrast to the dark
back-ground of the craggy peak which towers above them—
on one side sloping gradually down towards the Lyemoon
pass in the Hast, and on the other side suddenly and pre-
cipitously terminating towards the sea in the West,—re-
minding the spectator very strongly of the Rock of Gibraltar.
On the opposite shore, a long line of barren, serrated peaks,
sweeping picturesquely up from the shore, with nowhere
any sign of life or habitation, forms a striking contrast to
the busy life and activity of that from which we have just
turned.

Although from the nature of the ground there are numer-
ous spots on shore which command exquisite views, the
position of the spectator on ship-board in the harbour is
peculiarly adapted for obtaining the most charming and
picturesque scenery—for as the vessel swings with the tide,
a series of panoramic pictures, as it were, is gained, em-
bracing every quarter of the compass; and these, when seen

from so advantageous a position as the stern galleries of the
Cc

18 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. I.

“Princess Charlotte ” in fine spring weather, were truly de-
lightful. And when night came, and the young moon lighted
up the scene, the rows of lights round the dark mass of the
mountain, which itself stands out in bold relief against the
twilight sky—the smooth, bright sea reflecting the moon-lit
heaven, and ‘bearing upon its surface innumerable sombre
ships, each showing its guardian lamp—was a fairy-like
scene which I never tired of watching.

Without leaving the ship, too, there were points of interest
in Chinese life which forced themselves upon the attention.
The numerous boats, or sampans, plying about between the
shore and the various ships, all manned by Chinese, were in
themselves a study ; and some were constantly hanging about
the ship at a respectful distance, in the hope of afare. They
are, for the most part, long boats with a small awning near
the stern, under which the passengers sit, and they have a
complement of four or five rowers. I have said they were
manned; but although there are usually one or two men
among them, the majority of the rowers are women, or young
girls. In fact each boat is the home of a family, and in their
boat they spend their whole existence—how, it is difficult to
comprehend ; but naturally they become expert in rowing
and handling their craft. In fine weather but little skill is
required, but there are times when the sea in the harbour is
so rough that boats cannot be obtained at any price; and I
have heard of people, only last winter, being detained on
board ship for nine days together, unable to get ashore. The
family inhabiting a boat all share in the work—it may be a
husband, wife, daughter, and son—or, if the family is not
sufficiently numerous, the complement is made up by agree-
ment from without. But the women and girls, whose dress
differs but little from that of the men (when the latter wear

Cx. I.] CHINESE BOATWOMEN. 19

any), are no less strong and active than their lords; and,
moreover, they are not unfrequently burdened in a manner
which would at first sight seem to hamper their movements
very considerably. Strapped upon their backs, it is a com- |
mon sight to see an infant, his little bare feet peeping out
on either side, and the unsupported head tumbling from side
to side with every movement of the mother, who, in the act
of rowing, places herself in postures by no means always
suitable to the child’s comfort ; but it seldom complains, and
seems to become accustomed to the strange rocking motion.
Often the mother hands the infant over to the back of a
child, girl or boy alike, of nine or ten years old, who moves
about the boat apparently with little reference to his burthen.
Children of an age to toddle about, but still so young as to
require attention, are often tethered by a string to the
middle of the boat, or ornamented by sundry gourds fastened
to their bodies, so that in case they fall overboard, as I have
seen them do, they may float until picked up.

The numerous cargo boats plying in the harbour add to
the liveliness of the scene. They are mostly rowed by men,
who stand up and push the oar before them. A strange
sight it is in wet weather to see these men, who, under these
circumstances, wear cloaks made of grass,—the raw material
sewn together,—which, crowned by the broad and pointed
bamboo hat, give them an aspect of savagery which can
scarcely be surpassed. :

CHAPTER II.
HONG KONG TO PRATAS ISLAND.

Anglified appearance of Hong Kong— Physical Character—The Chinese
Quarter—Leave Hong Kong—Arrive at Pratas Reef—Description of the
Island—We visit the Island—Its Vegetation—Insect Fauna—Marine
Animals—Sea Weeds — Fishermen’s Temple — Lagoon — Birds of the
Island—The Gannets’ Settlement—The Seine—Towing Net—Rollers—
We quit the Reef—Birds observed upon the Ship between Pratas and
Formosa.

Ir scarcely forms a part of my plan to enter largely into a
description of Hong Kong, nor shall I attempt to do more
* in this place than cursorily refer to some of those features
which most strike a stranger from the West. I shall have
occasion to return again to the island, which is a convenient
starting-point for many places.

Hong Kong is so essentially English China, that a traveller
who passed by here, and visited no other part of the country,
would have but a very imperfect idea of Chinese life and
manners. The houses are fine, substantial, and European
for the most part, the Chinese town forming quite a sub-
ordinate part of the place; and the population is a mixture
of English, French, Portuguese, Americans, Parsees, Ma-
hommedans, and Chinese. Of these, all, except the Chinese,
are of a good class, being for the most part well-to-do
merchants, who employ the Chinese in their offices either as
compradores, clerks, servants, or coolies. Some Chinese
there are who do business in Hong Kong on their own

Cu. IL] HONG KONG. 21

account, and the compradores of the large European houses
are often highly respectable men; but the majority of the
Chinese population are of an inferior class. Nearly all of
them understand enough English to carry on a tolerably free
intercourse with their masters, though this English is of
that mongrel kind known as pidgin (or business, pronounced
by them bidgness) English, which it is not only necessary to
understand as spoken by them, but also to speak freely in
. order to be intelligible to the Chinese.

The island is syenitic granite, of a kind which very readily
decomposes upon the surface where exposed to the weather,
and the water which percolates from this disintegrated rock
appears to have deleterious properties, to which the un-
healthiness of some parts of the island would seem to be
mainly due. Irruptions of trap are visible in some parts,
and the whole island partakes of the characteristic barren
aspect of the greater part of the Chinese coast, and, except
in sheltered situations, as in the part called the Happy
Valley, is for the most part destitute of any trees, except a
stunted pine. Good roads are constructed round the greater
part of the island, often high up the hill side, which com-
mand glorious prospects over the sea, and the rocky and
elevated mainland of China; which, with the ever varying
appearance of the harbour crowded with shipping of every
nation, render a walk upon the upper road one of the most
picturesque and grand that can be anywhere met with.

There are no Chinese features, however, observable about
Hong Kong, which are not seen better in other and less
hybrid parts of China. Everything is more or less diluted
with the European element; and I was much struck, when
I first observed a small-footed Chinese woman of superior
class meandering with painful steps through the street, ac-

22 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. I.

companied by an elderly attendant, to see that the sight
seemed to attract as much attention from the Chinese popu-
lation as it did from myself. Around every shop door were
clustered curious groups, who watched the fair hoofed lady
until she was almost out of sight, though I imagine their
curiosity was chiefly excited by the unusual appearance of a
lady so evidently superior, walking in the streets. Still
there was much that was curious, and could not fail to in-
terest me; and in order to observe them more at home, and
free from foreign interruption, I bent my steps into the
purely Chinese quarter, where I soon made the discovery,
however, that squalor and dirt and crime were also here at
home. How I suffered for my temerity I will recount in
another place ; suffice it to say that here I learned a lesson
I did not forget as long as I remained among the Chinese
people.

After a fortnight spent in Hong Kong, I joined her Ma-
jesty’s despatch boat “‘ Serpent,” Commander Bullock, who
most kindly shared his own accommodation with me. The
destination of the ‘‘ Serpent” was the Formosa Channel,
with a probability of visiting some of the ports of the island
‘of Formosa, the coast of China, and Shanghai—a hope that
was fully realised by the event; while the various delays, and
the devious course rendered necessary by surveying opera-
tions, gave me much and desirable opportunity of prosecut-
ing my observations. We quitted Hong Kong on the 24th
April, steering first south for the Pratas Island, which we
reached on the 28th.

Pratas Island is situated in lat. 20° 49’ N., and long. 116°
43’ E., and is of a horse-shoe shape, occupying the centre
of the sunken or western part of the great Pratas reef. The
reef itself is of a crescentic form, extending 18 miles to the

On, II.] PRATAS ISLAND AND REEF. 23

eastward, and having a breadth from north to south of 12
miles, enclosing a lagoon of about 10 miles in diameter,
dotted over with numberless coral patches and shoals. It
lies in the direct line of route between Manilla and Hong
Kong, and is therefore a spot where many a good ship has
been wrecked, especially upon its south-eastern side, which
is too often concealed by the thick fogs which prevail during
the north-east monsoon. The Pratas reef and island were
surveyed by H.M.S. “‘ Saracen,” J. Richards master com-
manding, in 1858, and at that time it was believed that
vessels of 15 feet draught could enter the lagoon by the
south channel, between the south side of the island and the
south-west horn of the reef; but in our recent visit Capt,
Bullock found, that although only drawing 123 feet, he
.could not safely make tlie attempt, and consequently the
ship was anchored on the edge of the reef, three miles south
of the island, which thus sheltered it from the strong north-
east wind blowing at the time.

Pratas Island is about a mile and a half long, and half-a-
mile wide, and is only visible at a distance of eight or nine
miles in clear weather ; not rising in its highest part more
than 25 or 80 feet above the level of the sea, though the
bushes which cover some parts give it an additional eleva-
tion of 10 feet or so.

On Monday morning, April 30th, with Capt. Bullock and
Mr. Sutton, chief engineer of the “‘ Serpent,” I visited the
island, two hours’ pull, from the ship, and spent the day in
exploring its character and natural history features. It is
formed entirely of coarse coral-sand or débris, generally
shelving gradually, but in some parts having a steep bank
about three feet high. The interior is rough and hilly, from
accumulations of similar white sand blown up from the shore,

24 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu, IT.

and so overgrown is it with shrubs as to be in some parts
almost impenetrable, though the soil might be supposed to
be anything but favourable to vegetable growth, nothing but
sand being anywhere visible, and that of the coarsest and
loosest description. The bushes in some places approach
very near the sea, and between them and the water’s edge
various flowers not unfrequently peep out from the inhos-
pitable soil, including a potentilla, an anemone, a plantago,
and some grasses. On the west side of the island is a deep
indentation into which the sea enters, forming a shallow
lagoon or bay, on the banks of which the vegetation assumes
quite a park-like aspect; bushes, and even small trees, with
spreading branches springing forth close to the ground, pro-
ducing a scene of great luxuriance and some beauty. Amongst
the bushes immense orthopterous insects (Grylli) flew about,
exhibiting a deep-red underwing, and looking very much like
small birds. To the shrubs also were attached numerous
geometric webs, which were occupied by a species of spider
belonging to the genus Acrosoma, having a squarish abdomen,
from the upper surface of which projected several spike-like
processes. This was the only species of spider which came
under my notice ; and entangled in its web there appeared
to be as often a spider of the same species as any other kind
of insect, the paucity of insect life on the island apparently
driving them to cannibalism. A moth, whose expanse of
wing was about an inch, and having small red and black
spots upon it, was pretty numerous, and appeared to be
the only lepidopterous insect, with the exception of a large
clear-winged species, which was captured, but unfortu-
nately escaped again. These, with some ants and a few
beetles, constituted the insect fauna, as far as could be de-
termined during our single visit. The beetles were a species

Cx. IT.] SWIFT-FOOTED CRABS. 26

of Dermestes, and a little Corynetes, cosmopolitan in its
habitat, and common nearly all over the world.

Among the coral-débris upon the beach were numerous
masses of various sizes, consisting of rolled Astras, Mad-
repores, &c.; and mingled with them were fragments of
shells of a great many species of Conus, Cyprea, Turbo,
Pinna, Hippopus, &c.; but none of them entire. Innu-
merable little hermits (Paguri and Cenobite) occupied the
deserted shells of Natice and Neritine, and larger ones
those of good-sized Turbines ; but I saw no live shells upon
the beach, except a few insignificant ones, such as Litorine
and Purpure; nor, though the water was bright and clear, and
I waded out as far asI could go, could I anywhere see traces
of Annelids or Echinoderms. The harder parts of the sand
were perforated with deep holes of various sizes, from which
emerged from time to time a wary and swift-footed crab
(Ocypoda), which scuttled nimbly down to the sea upon the
first sign of approaching footsteps, and appeared to be aware
of us at least at 50 yards distance. Nor was it easy to
capture a specimen, for while on the one hand they never
made the mistake of running away from the sea, on the
other hand, if cut off, they fled so quickly, and doubled so
nimbly, suddenly running the opposite way without the
clumsy process of turning round, that they afforded great
amusement and not a little exercise and exertion. _

The sea in the neighbourhood of the Pratas Island has a
very variegated appearance, from the alternations of bare
white sandy bottom, with patches of Ulva and Zostera, both
of which are very abundant. The Ulva is a very beautiful
reticulated species (Ulva reticulata, Forsk.), and the Zos-
tera leaves float about in all directions and in all stages of
decay, generally bearing upon them minute dendritic poly-

26 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. II.

zoa, orbitolites, spirorbis, &c., with which the towing-net
from the ship was replenished. Besides the Ulva, I ob-
tained several other species of seaweed, washed up on the
beach, and conspicuous among them a species of Padina,
very abundant everywhere in these seas, and a Sargassum.

As might be expected on so small an island, quadrupeds
are scarce, nor did we observe any, though it is said the
universal Rat was seen there when the ‘‘ Dove” visited the
spot, nor did I notice the bones of any quadrupeds which
would have indicated their existence there. The skeletons
of turtle were met with more than once, but whether they visit
the island, or are cast up dead upon the beach, I am unable
to say. No other traces of reptiles were observed.

Pratas Island is occasionally visited by Chinese fishermen,
who repair to it in the early part of the year, ‘and there is a
good junk-anchorage in the north-east corner of the lagoon.
We soon came upon traces of such a visit in a clear patch
among the scrub, in the midst of which a well had been sunk,
from which brackish water might be.obtained. There were
scattered about various implements of pottery, in the shape
of water-vessels and teapots, some entire and others more
or less broken, and surrounding them were strewed great
numbers of shells, of a species of Strombus (8. Luhuanus),
the remnants of a past feast, and which remained to form a
future kitchen-midden in the sand. At the head of the
shallow inlet or lagoon stood a joss-house, or Chinese
temple, in a rather dilapidated condition from the effects of
wind and weather, the roof nearly torn off, and the plank
walls very shaky, so that the rain and weather had left their
visible traces also upon the contents and furniture. In this
rough building were 80 or 40 josses, or wooden idols, of
various sizes, once resplendent in paint and gilding, but

Cu. IT.] FISHERMEN’S JOSS-HOUSE. 27

now faded and weather-worn. They were arranged sym-
metrically upon a sort of altar, and upon the tables before
them were bundles of joss-sticks, packets of joss-papers,
rouleaux of paper dollars, lucky stones, gongs, tom-toms,
while around the building were grotesque wood carvings,
procession staves, and all the paraphernalia of the Chinese
devil-propitiators. We soon found, however, that they must
be handled with caution—they were rotting with damp and
decay, and harboured numbers of small scorpions, white
ants, and ugly-looking spiders, which commanded a certain
amount of respect from their malignant and venomous ap-
pearance. The blue-jackets especially, with their bare feet,
were very shy of walking about in a spot where scorpions
had their habitation, but fortunately no one suffered from
their stings. Among other offerings to Joss, were a number
of large model-ships, representing three-deckers, and made
of paper stretched upon frames of wood, now much torn and
dilapidated, but which showed plainly the piratical tendencies
of the frequenters of the temple, and their desire that Joss
should cast some barbarian ships upon the shore for them to
plunder. As far as we could judge, however, from the con-
dition of the place, it must have been three or four months
since anyone had visited the island.

A slope of long, rank grass led down from the joss-house
to the shores of the shallow inlet, upon which, and in the
water, were strewed immense numbers of dead shells of
Cerithium vertagus, some few of which were inhabited by
hermit crabs. From observations made at the island upon
the tide, it appeared that during the day of full moon it was
high water at 8 a.m., and ebbed until 3.15 p.m., by which
time it had fallen three feet. It was not surprising, therefore,
that some of these deserted shells were high and dry; but

28 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. IT.

this would hardly account for the fact that, considerably
above high-water mark, many lay half-embedded in the dried
mud and thick confervoid growth which had long lain above
high-water mark, and bore the signs of having been well
baked and cracked by many a noonday sun. The banks of
the lagoon had evidently been under water comparatively
recently, and much higher up than the tide now reached.
But although some classes of animals were poorly repre-
sented upon Pratas Island, there were plenty of birds, and
of several species, both sea and land birds. A buzzard I
noticed several times; but it was too wary to allow me to
come within gunshot, although ‘it offered a tantalising mark
just out of range. I observed a very handsome shrike, with
an ash-coloured head and black moustache. The blue-
jackets reported that they had seen a canary; and I after-
wards saw myself a yellowish bird resembling the English
siskin, which was probably the bird they had noticed.
Another bird (Petrocinclus maniliensis), about the size of a
blackbird, was of a glossy metallic blue above and fawn-
coloured beneath. Its stomach contained the elytra of
beetles. A fifth species presented all the appearance of a
veritable blackbird, but I could not get near enough to ex-
amine it closely. A species of swallow, probably Hirundo
gutturalis, with glossy bluish back, chestnut throat, and
with a speckled fawn-colour underneath, was flying about in
considerable numbers ; and on the banks of the shallow in-
let I saw a bright-coloured kingfisher, very similar in appear-
ance and size to our own species. There were also some
small birds which crossed our path from time to time, with
the jerking flight and the chirrup of the hard-billed perchers.
Large flocks of Tringas (sandpipers), of at least two species,
were visible on the sandy flats of the inlet which were left

Cu. IT.] BIRDS OF PRATAS ISLAND. 29

uncovered in the afternoon, and also upon some parts of the
seaward shore of the island, where it was inclined to be soft
and marshy. There were also two species of plover, the one
of a reddish-brown colour, with orange-red legs; the other
of a delicate mouse colour, with yellow legs; and a godwit
(Limosa), speckled grey and brown, with greenish legs and
a recurved beak. A large rapacious-looking bird, which
came sailing majestically within gunshot, was brought down,
and turned out to be the frigate bird (Tachypetes aquilus),
a bird confined to tropical regions, but having a wide range
throughout them, being not uncommon both in the Atlantic
and Pacific Oceans. When it fell, a strong guano-like smell
pervaded it, which was very disagreeable. I measured its
expanse of witig, which proved to be nearly seven feet from tip
to tip; and on opening its stomach I found, in a partially
digested state, three large flying fishes and two squids. Small
flocks of a pretty species of white egret frequently flew along
the shore, and indeed, with gannets, made their appearance
about the ship immediately upon her anchoring off the shoal.
I shot one from the ship for examination, and found it to be
20 inches long from tip of beak to end of tail, and of a pure
white colour, with the exception of a few orange feathers
over the base of the beak, which formed a crest; bill yellow,
and legs greenish brown. It was not provided with any of
those special feathers which adorn our British species. The
stomach contained a few remains of beetles.

But. the dominant and characteristic bird of Pratas Island
is the Gannet (Sula alba). These birds measure 4 ft. 10 in.
from tip to tip of wing, and 2 ft. 9 in. total length from beak
to tail, which is wedge-shaped. ‘The head, neck, back, and
tail are fuscous, breast and belly white, legs and feet yellow,
and completely webbed. They are common birds on most

C

30° RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. IT.

of these islands, and are well-known to seamen. They fly
heavily and usually low, fearlessly approaching within gun-
shot, and even stone’s throw, and some of the men amused
themselves with throwing lumps of coral at them as they
flew by, the same bird returning again and again at the risk
of being knocked down.

A walk through the interior of the island among the
shrubs and bushes revealed to me the domestic economy of
thése birds. In the open places, and under the shelter of the
bushes, the mother gannets were sitting upon their nests and
eggs. The nests were mere hollows in the coral sand,
strewed with a few bits of grass, with some admixture of
feathers, and perhaps a piece of seaweed, forming, at best, a
very rude cradle, in which were deposited two eggs. These
eggs were about the size of goose eggs, white, with a
suspicion of a blue tinge, not smooth and glossy like hens’
eggs, but more or less scratched, as though the scratches
were made when the external coat was soft, and had after-
wards dried, preserving the marks. One nest alone contained
four eggs. The poor bird sitting upon the nest would show
symptoms of uneasiness as we approached, pecking the ground
or coarse grass fiercely with its long, straight beak, but did
not offer to quit the nest until we were within two or three
yards of it, or even less. Then placing the end of its bill
upon the ground, with a gulping effort it vomited up its
meal, depositing it beside the nest, and floundering forward,
took wing and rose into the air. This was the proceeding at
nearly every one of the hundreds of nests which we disturbed 3
it was evident that the birds had just gorged themselves with
food, and then sat down upon their eggs (unless, indeed,
their mates had brought them food, a circumstance which I
did not see myself), and that they were unable to raise them-

Cx. IT.) THE GANNETS’ NESTS, 31

selves off the ground until they had got rid of the superfluous
weight in their stomachs. On examining the vomited food,
I found it to consist invariably of flying-fish, generally of a
large size, and usually but slightly digested. There were
sometimes six or seven of these fish, in other instances only
three or fowr, and in two or three cases a squid or two inter-
mixed with them. But what numbers of flying-fish must
exist in the neighbourhood to afford such a daily supply to
so large a number of birds; and yet we did not see a trace of
flying-fishes about the island, and might otherwise have
supposed there were none. Meanwhile the gannets formed
a thick cloud overhead, the noise of whose screams and the
rustling of whose wings formed a wild accompaniment of
sounds. They flew so close overhead that we could have
knocked them down with a stick in any numbers, and I was
obliged to wave my gun about as I walked along, in order to
keep them from carrying away my hat. By degrees the birds
rose higher, and those we had disturbed returned to their
nests as soon as we had passed a few yards beyond.

In the latter part of the afternoon a seining party came
from the ship, and the nets being prepared, four casts were
made very successfully. A great number of fish were taken
and stowed away in the sail-bags, but it was too late and too
dark to examine them very closely, and they were distributed
amongst the ship’s company and dressed for breakfast.
Among them were a great many of a large silvery mullet;
no flying-fish, however. In one of these hauls the net was
so impeded by the quantity of the reticulated Ulva before
mentioned, that it was drawn in with great difficulty.

It was now dark, and a breeze was springing up. A blue
light burnt from the shore was answered by another from
the ship, thus distinguishing her position, and having em-

32 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. Il.

barked in the gig we were soon scudding along under sail.
Meantime the full moon rose grandly over the sea, and in
half-an-hour we had measured the way back to the ship
which it had taken two hours’ hard pull to do in the
morning.

The towing-net hanging out from the ship when lying off
the island was, the first evening, filled with a dense brown
deposit, which on examination proved to be composed solely
of Zoée, or crab-larve, all of the same species. The next
morning on raising it again in the same spot, not a Zoéa
made its appearance, but instead of them were numbers of
Leucifer, Entomostraca, and other minute Crustacea, also
little Atlante, fronds of reticulated Ulva, and decaying
leaves of Zostera, upon which were Orbitolites, Spirorbis,
and minute Polyzoa.

A strong north-east wind prevented us the following day
from paying another visit to the island; while, lying under
its lee, we remained at anchor for the sake of the shelter it
afforded us. But on the second day, towards sunset, our
attention was attracted by the curious phenomenon of long
rolling waves coming in from the south-west, which increased
as the evening advanced, causing considerable motion in the
ship. ‘Towards midnight these south-west rollers increased
to such an extent, the wind still blowing strong from the
north-east, that it was deemed desirable to slip cable and
put to sea, since the proximity, of the reef was very un-
desirable if bad weather set in, while the rolling swell
endangered our bumping upon the reef in a spot where
our fair-weather anchorage left but little room to spare. We
kept outside the edge of the reef therefore during the night,
and next day approached its north-west corner. Here we
saw the terrible sight of the long line of breakers on our lee

Cu.II.] BIRDS BETWEEN FORMOSA AND PRATAS. 33

side, extending for miles along the northern edge of the
reef, over which the sea, lashed into foam by a strong breeze
of some days’ duration, was dashing wildly in a broad
straight band of white foam. Finding that the wind fresh-
ened, and that we could do no more at the Pratas Shoal, we
steered north-east and left the dangerous reef behind.

The explanation of the curious phenomenon of south-west
rollers coming in with a north-east wind followed in due
time. They were caused by a typhoon which was blowing
between 200 and 800 miles to the south of us, and which
recurved in lat. 16° 10’ N. and long. 116° 30’ E., according
to the observations of Capt. Symington, whose ship, the
‘* Northfleet,” was twice caught in it, and who published an
account of the Cyclone.

Pratas Island being so small.a spot, and situated 170
miles from the mainland of China and about 250 from For-
mosa, it is remarkable that so many land-birds should have
found a home there; and the incidents of the two or three
days which elapsed during our passage from the reef to the
Island of Formosa were particularly interesting, as throwing
light upon this circumstance. Steering north-east for Ta-
kau-con, we experienced a strong head-wind the whole way,
that is, the direction of the wind being in a straight line
from South Formosa to Pratas Island. We left the reef on

“May 8rd; on the 4th a large flock of sandpipers met us,
going with the wind towards Pratas, where no doubt they
would find a resting-place. But the following day, being
then a little more than halfway from the reef to Formosa,
the rigging was scarcely free at any time during the day
from feathered guests, which must have been driven off the
Formosa coast by the wind, and some of them at least would

have reached Pratas had they not found a resting-place, and
D

34 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. II.

_in some instances a passage back, on board the “‘ Serpent.”
The following birds I observed at various times during the
day, and sometimes several of them flying about the ship,
and from time to time settling on various parts of the rig-
ging :—a yellow warbler (Sylvia); a yellow wagtail (Motacilla
boarula) ; a shrike (Lanius), grey with a black moustache,
apparently identical with the one already seen on the island ;
two species of swallow (Hirundo) ; a small heron (Ardea) ;
a handsome black bird rather bigger than a common black-
bird, with a crimson beak and a large white spot on each
wing; a red dove with a white head; a yellow and black
spotted plover (Charadrius pluvialis orientalis), precisely
resembling the British golden plover ; a species of flycatcher
(Myiagra azurea); and a bird closely resembling a hen
chaffinch (? Munia topela).

This interesting assemblage of birds was evidently but a
few of the numbers blown off the land (probably Formosa)
by the force of a moderately strong north-east wind, and of
them, many would perish in the sea, a few would find relief
and restoration in passing ships, and without doubt some
would reach Pratas Island, and finding means of subsistence
-would take up their residence there, and be jotted down in
the Avi-fauna of the next observer.

Entrance to the Harbour of Ta-kau.

CHAPTER III.

FORMOSA.
TA-KAU-CON, AND THE PESCADORES ISLANDS.

Character of Native Race —Dutch Occupation — Treaty Ports— East Coast —
Arrive at Ta-kau—Lagoon—Apes’ Hill—Land Crabs—Leaping Fishes
—Walk in the Country—Water Buffaloes—Padi Birds—Village of
Pi-hi-kun — Chinese Ladies—The Pescadores — Ponghou —Makung—
Cheap Provisions—Cuttle Fish— Absence of Trees and Birds —The
Rocks—Visit the Mandarin—Photography—Wreckers,

Tur Chinese do not appear to have been acquainted with
the existence of the Island of Formosa, or Tai-wan, until the
year 1481 a.p., a circumstance which does not speak much
for the naval enterprise of a people who had possessed the
mariner’s compass for so many centuries. It was originally
inhabited by a race who were described as—the men of tall
stature, very corpulent, and having a complexion between

brown and yellow, who went naked during the summer—
D2

36 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. III.

without blushing, adds the Dutch chronicler: the women, of
short stature, yet corpulent and strong, of a lighter com-
plexion than the men, well dressed, and exhibiting a natural
modesty. Both sexes friendly and good-natured, they would
not readily cheat or steal, not treacherous like other Orientals,
anxious to learn; the men, however, averse to labour, so
that the women had to do all the work of the field, and the
heaviest work at home. Formosa was discovered for Europe
by the Portuguese, and from its pleasant aspect called by
them Ilha Formoza, which name it has retained. The
Dutch, however, who found the natives as above described,
occupied and colonised the island, and doubtless did much
good there; raised the people from a state of barbarism,
educated them, and instructed them in the Christian religion.
The Chinese, already conscious of the advantages of settling
in so fertile a country, treated the aborigines like dogs—
robbing and murdering them as it suited their convenience ;
and it is no matter of surprise, therefore, that the natives
felt an attachment to the Dutch, who enforced their own
laws, prohibited fighting among them, made the education
of their children compulsory, and left them nothing of their
own barbarous customs and laws, except the privilege of
selecting their own chiefs to manage the affairs each of his
own village ; each chief being himself under the jurisdiction
of a Dutch military officer, who, with 25 men, was stationed
in every village of importance.

The aborigines of Formosa are reputed still to have a
traditional reverence and regard for white men, and it is
much to be regretted that so firm and benignant a rule as the
Dutch seem here to have inaugurated should have been cut
short by an overpowering attack of the neighbouring half-
civilised Chinese.’

Cu, III.] CHINESE POLICY IN FORMOSA. 37

Formosa is now opened up once more to western eriter-
prise; but in a very different manner from the time when the
Dutch philanthropists occupied it. It is still in the hands of °
the Chinese, who reserve their monopolies of some of its
most important productions, such as sulphur, camphor, rice,
&c. By treaty, the ports of Ta-kau in the south, and of
Tam-suy and Ke-lung in the north, are open to foreign
trade, and a few merchants have settled in these places.
The capital of the island, however, Tai-wan-foo, being
situated nearly three miles inland, up a muddy and shallow
river, is very unsuited for commerce or for residence, and
although our consul, Mr. Swinhoe, who has done much for
the zoology of the island during his residence in it, first
planted his consular flag here, he soon found it desirable to
remove it to Ta-kau. But still the resources of the country
are undeveloped, and it yet remains for some enterprising
nation to do justice to Formosa. Chinese policy only
stunts the growth of its commerce, and, dog-in-the-manger
like, most imperfectly and insufficiently does that which
it will not allow any one else to share in, except at a
disadvantage. |

The western side of Formosa only is occupied by the
Chinese. The eastern rises for the most part into a range
of lofty mountains, in the recesses of which still dwell the
aborigines, with here and there perhaps a small community
of Chinese, who are more or less in awe of their savage
neighbours. This side, too, is very rarely visited by Euro-
peans, being almost devoid of harbours, and the coast
inhospitable and dangerous. The only harbour, in fact,
upon the east coast is that of Sau-o bay, concerning which
more will be said in another chapter.

This interesting region we were now approaching, with the

38 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu, ITI.

probability of spending some weeks in visiting its various
_ ports; and on the 6th May the “‘Serpent” arrived off Ta-kau-
con, in the south-eastern corner of the island.

The harbour is so small, and the entrance so narrow,
that we did not attempt to take the ship in, but contented
ourselves with anchoring outside, where heavy rollers, the
result of the recent typhoon, were setting in from the south-
west. Several catamarans—mere rafts of bamboos, on which
a single Chinaman stands and rows—came off with vegetables
and fruit, presenting a curious appearance, for not only
were they entirely lost to sight when in the trough of the
sea, but even when borne up on the crest of the wave the
rower seemed to be standing upon the water itself.

The aspect of Ta-kau from the anchorage was striking and
interesting. North of the harbour was Apes’ Hill, consist-
ing of a double truncated elevation, the higher plateau
reaching 1120 feet—and, southwards, the Saracen cliffs, a
long line of low perpendicular rocks, upon which a few cycads
were growing. Between these elevations was the narrow
entrance to the harbour, within which could be seen the
yards of several square-rigged vessels mounting Bremen
colours, while behind all was a magnificent range of moun-
tains in the distance—a portion of that chain which traverses
the island of Formosa from north to south—whose slopes
and base are the abodes of numberless species of deer, wild
cats, pheasants, &c., and which formerly had the reputation
of harbouring tigers also. But we have much to learn yet
of the natural productions of the island; and but few
Europeans have penetrated even to the foot of these
hills, about which we know but little more now than we
did when the forgeries of Psalmanazar gulled a susceptible
public. :

Cu. III.] HARBOUR OF TA-KAU. 39

On rowing into the harbour, the numerous picturesque
junks anchored within gave it a foreign appearance, very
striking to one who, like myself, now entered a Chinese port
for the first time. On either side houses, including some
in European style, were scattered—the real Chinese town
forming a long, narrow, dirty street, similar in character to
those which I shall have occasion to describe in other parts
of Formosa. It is situated directly on the shores of the
harbour immediately on entering, and is inhabited by a very
low and poor coolie class of Chinese. The European com-
munity at Ta-kau is very small, consisting of a vice-consul,
one or two English merchants, two medical gentlemen—one
of whom, Dr. Maxwell, is a medical missionary—and a
commissioner of the Imperial customs.

The harbour opens into an extensive lagoon which runs
some miles inland, and is separated from the sea by a
narrow strip of slightly-elevated land, which serves as a
mole. From the hills in the neighbourhood of the harbour
this lagoon may be seen stretching away through mangrove-
covered flats, among which boats could be seen threading
their way. Beyond this, a wide and fertile plain of alluvial
soil, covered with padi fields and other cultivation, swept up
to the base of the magnificent mountains already mentioned,
and was dotted with villages, clumps of trees, and other
elements of a luxuriant landscape; while out to seaward the
small island of Lambay broke the monotony of the view in
that direction.

Apes’ Hill is so called from the fact that a (tailed) species
of monkey is occasionally seen upon certain parts of it; but
as far as I could learn, they are difficult to meet with,
though I was assured that they really existed. I ascended
to the summit, which was very rugged, the side next the sea

40 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. IIT.

being rocky and precipitous; and as it was this part which the
monkeys were said chiefly to inhabit, I did my best to get a
sight of them. Lying flat down, therefore, I looked over
the edge, but neither the dislodgment of stones nor the
clapping of my hands succeeded in eliciting any traces of
the animals, which, in fact, appear to be almost as mythical
and rarely seen as the true apes on the rock of Gibraltar.
While thus engaged, a loud rush near my head made me
retreat from my insecure position, and on looking up I
found that a number of large kites (Milvus govinda), which
were always hovering about the coast in search of garbage,
had assembled overhead, and one of them had made a swoop
near me, probably to reconnoitre the unusual object.

The lower part of Apes’ Hill consists of rugged coral
blocks, embedded among which I obtained a few recent
shells. The blocks are thrown up in a very loose manner,
but for the most part covered with bushes and herbage, even
up to the summit. Abundance of a species of Euphorbia,
and stunted bushes of guava (Psidium) grew upon the
sloping sides, while near the summit appeared the charac-
teristic cycads, which were now in flower, and might easily
have been. mistaken at a distance for small palms. Among
them flew in considerable numbers a large, red-winged
orthopterous insect (Gryllus), and at the summit was a small
green species, with the head singularly elongated and pro-
duced’ in front, belonging to the genus Tryxalis, which
seems largely represented in the island.

Upon the shores of the lagoon was an excellent spot for
watching the habits of the land crabs (Gelasimi), which
marched about in a serio-comic manner amid their holes;
each one as it. cautiously moved along held up in front of its
eyes its single large and delicately-tinted claw, with an

t
Cu. I0.] LAND CRABS, AND LEAPING FISH. 41

expression half of defiance, half of defence. Prowling thus
about, probably in search of food, they were readily alarmed,
and retired to their holes, which generally seemed too small
for them, so that it took a little time for them to accommo-
date themselves to their narrow dimensions. If closely pur-
sued, therefore, they were easily captured. I carried one to
some distance, and placed it at the mouth of another hole,
down which it immediately dived and disappeared, and
although I waited a considerable time in the expectation that
the tenant of the hole would drive it out and show some dis-
pleasure at the intrusion, nothing of the kind occurred.
Another singular animal which I saw here for the first
time, but which I found numerous on many subsequent
occasions, was the leaping fish, Boleophthalmus Boddaertii.
These curious salamandrine-looking creatures, for it was
difficult at first to say which they were, contrived to
elude pursuit in the most active and provoking manner.
Each step in advance caused them to jump, jump, in a
rapid and agile manner from almost under my feet—for
when at rest they were scarcely distinguishable from the
mud on which they were lying, and to which they admirably
assimilated in colour—but on the least alarm they would
make a series of leaps, which rapidly brought them down to
the margin of the water, and from which it was next to
impossible to cut them off. They are wedge-shaped in
form, usually about 3 or 4 in. long, with flat pointed tails and
broad heads, upon which is situated a pair of prominent
eyes. They have been called by sailors ‘Jumping Johnnies,”
and are by no means confined to muddy or sandy shores, for
I have found them equally among smooth rocky places, up
which they climb with great skill, by a series of leaps,
wriggling and curving the tail at each leap in a contrary

%
42 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. ITI.

direction, that is, to right and left alternately. Their leaps
are effected by means of their curiously-bent ventral fins,
which look something like a pair of hands placed imme-
diately behind the head, and as they always make straight
for the water and double with great agility, it is scarcely
possible to capture them excepting with a net.

The vicinity of Ta-kau is fertile and highly cultivated, and
the country populous and interesting. ‘The lagoon has the
appearance of a broad river, with mangrove-bordered creeks
and numerous large arms, and at its head is a muddy ex-
panse, given up to hosts of land crabs (Gelasimi), whose
myriad holes give forth a crackling sound as their tenants
withdraw themselves on the approach of footsteps. Beyond
this, padi fields cover the greater part of the country, among
which numerous villages stand like habitable spots of terra
jirma amidst a marsh. The padi fields are for the most part
rectangular, with narrow ridges between them, which afford
a precarious footing, and render it necessary to keep a care-
ful eye upon one’s footsteps; for the rice grows up from
pools of muddy water, into which an indiscreet step would
at once plunge the incautious pedestrian. Upon these
waters, numerous aquatic insects (Hydrometre and Gyrini),
of species indistinguishable at first sight from those in
English ponds, were sporting ; and many large shells, chiefly
Paludine (P. ethiops and P. chinensis), were floating among
the stalks of the rice. Strange as it may appear, the aspect
of the scene forcibly reminded one of English cornfields in
spring—the green rice hiding the unsightly marshy aspect
of the country.

Nestling amid the trees, among which bananas and bam-
boos held a conspicuous place, were numerous villages, the
houses of which were usually plastered over with mud. Be-

Cx. ITI.) WATER BUFFALOES. 43

side them were small cottage gardens, and plantations of
sweet potato (Convolvulus batatas). From their villages
groups of curious natives came out to see us; noisy dogs
rushed out, barking, and ran away growling; and great
hollow-backed pigs, of the real Chinese breed, grunted
lazily from the mire in which they were wallowing; while
here and there, in a secluded spot, was tethered a water
buffalo (Bos bubalus), one of those unsightly brutes which
represent the domestic cattle of China, his black hide plas-
tered with mud half dried, and his neck stretched out with a
stupid and frightened expression. No sooner did we appear
in sight than, in many instances, the animal, clever enough
to recognise strangers, began to caper about, and, violently
snapping the cord which was fastened to a ring through his
nose, went crashing through the bamboo fences into the
plantations, with the effect of quickly bringing out his wrath-
ful master in hot pursuit. In some spots we came to a herd
of these animals bathing. They delight in water, and in
wallowing where the mud is deepest and softest; and they
require no persuasion to go into a pond, however thick and
dirty, but, laying themselves down, they remain with their
noses just above the water for any length of time. Such
herds were usually under the charge of two or three lads;
and the animals, on seeing us approach, immediately began
to stretch out their necks, regarding us with a stupidly
vicious stare, as though they would immediately quit the
water and rush at us. The former they would probably have
done had we not been very circumspect, and their guardians
were in great fear of their rushing out and being dispersed ;
but there was little chance of their running at us, for they
would more probably have stampeded in the opposite
direction.

44 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. IIT.

The most common bird was undoubtedly the Padi bird, a
species of heron (Ardea prasinosceles),-which was constantly
flying over the padi, or rice-fields ; and it was also accom-
panied by a pretty white egret (Herodias garzetta); but on
the banks of a small lake a cluster of trees was full of these
birds, whose colours were relieved by two other species, one
(Buphus coromandus), which possessed a number of rich
buff feathers ; while the other was of the ash grey of our
ordinary heron (Ardea cinerea), which is here common.
Vast numbers of these birds, all mingled together in the trees,
were set off by the thick green foliage, and had a very pretty
effect. They kept up a loud and constant chatter, and
seemed all disputing with one another for the possession of
nesting-places. As we returned to Ta-kau we captured a
splendid night heron (Nycticorax griseus), a truly nocturnal
bird, but the exigencies of whose young family required it to
be abroad in the day at this season; and among the smaller
birds, the most notable were two species of flycatcher—one,
Myiagra azurea; and the other, Ixos Sinensis. Several
pretty doves nestled up in the trees, among which I noticed
Turtur humilis by its peculiar coo; and on the lagoon a
summer-snipe (Totanus) afforded practice for our guns.

At the village of Pi-hi-kun we halted to refresh, and were
soon surrounded by an admiring group of villagers, who
turned out to gaze at us, and crowded round with the great-
est curiosity to see the foreigners eat, and to examine all
their accoutrements. The gun, powder-flask, and shot-case
came in for their share of admiration, which was at its height
when we brought down a Padi bird as it flew over the village.
Our clothes, their texture and cut, were curiously inspected,
and all the contents of our pockets were turned out, the old
men being as inquisitive as the youngest, but all civil and

Cu. TII.] FORMOSA LADIES. 45

good-humoured. It was my telescope, however, which caused
the greatest furore, and all in turn were treated to a peep
through it. Not in the least degree backward was the irre-
pressible boy, who, in Formosa as everywhere else, main-
tained his character for impudence and inquisitiveness. We
became very popular, and water was brought us in a gourd,
and pine-apples produced, which assisted in extinguishing
hunger and thirst at the same time ; and when at length we
left the place we were escorted out of the village by a crowd
of gamins, to whom the day’s excitement was something to
be talked about for along time after. The girls and young
women, however, were timid and backward, sometimes
venturing into the skirts of the crowd to get a stolen look at
us, but immediately retreating to a safe distance if they saw
that they were observed.

The women of the better class in this part of Formosa
dress in the most brilliant colours, and numerous parties
which we met walking out in the cool of the evening were
amusing impersonations of the Chinese pictures and figures
long familiar to us. The ladies, of whom, with children,
these parties usually consisted, were, like all the females of
Formosa, small-footed, and supported their difficult and
tottering steps with a long walking-stick. Their dresses,
consisting of a wide-sleeved tunic, cut in the formal style
universal among Chinese ladies, were of the brightest scarlet,
blue, or orange, embroidered with black, which contrasted
well with the colour; and their full trousers were of some
other equally showy material. In their hair, dressed in the
elaborate Chinese tea-pot fashion, they wore artificial flowers
made of the pith of the rice-paper plant, of Amoy manufac-
ture ; and as they walked painfully along, with the hobbling
gait peculiar to their hoof-like feet, their figures swaying to

45 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. OI.

and fro, and their arms more or less outstretched to balance
themselves, they had, to us, a most grotesque appearance—
but in Chinese eyes the acme of grace and loveliness, which
they figuratively liken to the waving of willows agitated by
the breeze.

After three or four days’ stay at Ta-kau-con, we steered
towards the Pescadores islands, a group between Formosa
and the mainland, sometimes called the Ponghou Archi-
pelago. This cluster consists of 21 inhabited islands
besides several uninhabited rocks, lying between the
parallels of 23° and 24° N., and are included with Formosa
in the Chinese province of Fo-kien. A strong breeze kept
us rolling tremendously as we crossed the channel, and it
was a matter of congratulation to have reached the outlying
rocks of Three Island and Round Island, and to get under
the lee of Ponghou, the principal island of the group, along
which we coasted more quietly. This gave me, moreover,
an opportunity of examining the remarkable structure of the
neighbouring members of this group, which all presented a
peculiar flat and truncated appearance. This was particu-
larly observable in Table and Tablet Islands, both of which
consisted of flat tables, about 200 feet high, supported above
upon well marked basaltic columns, and sloping from these
down to the water’s edge, just as is seen on the Antrim
coast. So also the large island of Ponghou exhibited a
columnar structure in several places, often with a sandy
beach at its base; and on approaching Pong Point, the
south-western promontory, I observed the columns to be
broken off close down upon the beach, forming a causeway
in two places, though on a smaller scale than at the Giant’s
Causeway. The absence of trees from all the islands gives
them a rather dreary aspect. We entered Ponghou harbour

Cu. ITI.] ISLANDERS OF MAKUNG. 47

and anchored near the town of Makung, the chief town of
the archipelago, and were immediately saluted with half-a-
dozen guns fired’ by some junks lying farther in the bay,
though with what object we could not tell. Two or three
boats presently came alongside, with persons of a very Civi-
lized and decent appearance, and by no means the wild-
looking and half-clad fellows who might have been expected
to inhabit such a remote place. We found it difficult to
communicate with them, however, for although a race of
Chinese, our China boys could not readily understand their
dialect, nor could they make themselves understood. We
landed shortly after at a large old Dutch fort, which once
commanded the harbour, and in which a number of rusty
guns were still lying in the ruined embrasures. The beach
was strewn with numerous worn blocks of coral, and several
fishermen were living under their boats, which they turn up
at night, to shelter them against the wind.

We were very soon surrounded by an admiring crowd,
composed principally of the irrepressible boys, for although
some men followed us with them, no women were seen.
The men and boys usually wore blue turbans, and the
women, when we saw them, had universally small ban-
daged feet, and wore bunches of artificial flowers in their
hair, as we had observed them to do at Ta-kau—ornaments
imported from the opposite city of Amoy. The people
generally struck us as being decently clothed, and presented
a marked contrast to the squalor and dirt everywhere visible
among those we had hitherto seen in Formosa. The
boys also were usually neatly dressed, and there was a some-
thing in their behaviour which gave an impression of good
breeding, such as we were surprised to meet with in this
isolated region. We entered a boys’ school at the outskirts

48 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. IIT.

of the town, where every one, from the schoolmaster to the
smallest boys, seemed to enjoy the novelty of the visit, and
to wish to show us attention. They exhibited their books,
and, for a few cents, even willingly sold some of them, in
which the youngsters had been drawing heroes and idols, in
all the grotesque attitudes in which the Chinese appear to
delight. Followed by an attendant crowd, we walked through
the streets of the town, which were usually narrow, and
covered over with a screen of rattans or bamboos, which
formed an effectual shelter from the sun’s direct rays, and
kept the street cool, as is the fashion at Suez. The shops
were spacious and cleanly, and the articles exposed for sale
very various, but all of Chinese manufacture, and chiefly
from Amoy. No European goods were visible; indeed
the only article of foreign make which we encountered was
some red serge. The houses are nearly all built of blocks
of coral cemented together, and the tiled roofs are peculiarly
curved in the characteristic Chinese manner. In the out-
skirts we occasionally saw women and children sitting at the
doors; but as soon as they caught sight of us at the end of
the street, they would hastily jump up and rush alarmedly
in doors, and bar themselves in—though sometimes curiosity
seemed to get the better of their timidity, and they might be
seen peeping at us from behind their grass screens. If a
girl ventured into the skirts of the crowd which surrounded
us, a look was sufficient to drive her away; the moment our
eyes met, she would sidle off confusedly, and get out of
sight; children scampered away screaming whenever we
appeared ; and the dogs invariably singled us out, barked
sullenly, and ran off to a safe distance—their exit being
much hastened by the sight of a stick, for they are the most
cowardly of brutes, and in this particular town often fright-

Cu. III.] MOLLUSCAN DIETARY AT MAKUNG. 49

fully mangy and wretched-looking, much more fit to be shot
than to be wandering about the streets.

Provisions were exceedingly cheap at Makung. When
Her Majesty’s ship “‘ Swallow” visited the harbour recently,
eggs were purchased at the rate of 300 for the dollar, and
a calf cost but one dollar. When a foraging party from our
ship went ashore, they purchased a calf for two dollars, and
eggs at one dollar the 150, and other things in proportion.
A large basket of the ground-nuts (Arachis hypogea), a very
favourite article of food in China, all ready husked, cost
only 60 cents, and four dollars the picul (1833 lbs.) were asked
for the very best rice.

Beyond the town, the harbour terminates in a broad,
extensive, shallow bay, which at low water affords employ-
ment to a large number of people, who wade over it in
search of shell-fish and other articles, which they consume
largely in their diet. Women are principally employed in
this business, both here and elsewhere, and they carry with
them a basket, and a little iron hammer and pick, with
which they pull out the animal from the narrowest crevices
of the rocks. In some parts of the town, large heaps of
shells belonging to the subgenus Modulus were to be seen,
forming incipient kitchen-middens, and illustrating at once
the chief molluscs of the bay, and an article of consider-
able consumption by the people. Haliotides (sea-ears) are
also sold in the market place, as well as cuttle-fish, both
fresh and dried, all of which enter into their dietary. We
obtained one of these large cuttles, or more properly cala-
maries (Loligo), with the intention of trying its esculent
qualities; but whether the fault of the cooking or otherwise,
even though curried, we did not care to repeat the trial.
When quite fresh, the large macule, and fine spots on the

E

50 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. ITI.

surface, were in a constant state of change, the colour com-
ing and going, from alternate contraction and expansion of
the pigment vesicles, without any direct irritation. When
pale, the colour could be made to re-appear by drawing the
finger along the skin, but the power of contraction appeared
to be lost when the vesicles had been cut through. As it
lay on the table during the night, I cast my eye upon it,
and observed that it was luminous—a glow of whitish light
irregularly illuminating its whole surface. At this time it
was quite dry, and the luminous appearance was not altered
by passing my finger over it.

On enquiring for shells, a good many were by degrees
brought to us, chiefly consisting of common cowries and
harps, and olives of several large and handsome varieties of
Oliva erythrostoma ; but nothing else could we obtain here,
though, ‘if we had remained longer, it would perhaps have
been possible to have procured others.

All these islands appear to be very destitute of trees ; and
standing on the high ground of Observation Island, on the
opposite side of the harbour, I looked in every direction
for a tree or bush, in vain. Although, however, the volcanic
structure of the island is not favourable to the growth of
wood, many very pretty flowers abound, the commonest of ,
which is a species of Cassia. Probably on account of
the deficiency of wood, very few birds were to be seen. A
few terns flew about the harbour, and some summer snipes
(Totanus) were seen occasionally. The commonest bird was
the tree-sparrow (Passer montanus), abundant everywhere
jn the East, where it takes the place of the common sparrow
of Great Britain (P. domesticus); and besides these, I
observed, a small shrike, and a number of larks (Alauda
celivox) upon Observation Island, whose habit and character

Ox. ITI.} MARINE FAUNA. 51

of song were precisely similar to those of the skylark of our
own country.

The rocks of Makung Harbour, which I had an oppor-
tunity of examining, were basaltic in formation, washed
smooth by the waves, and in some spots éxhibiting in section
the columnar structure. No seaweeds grew on these rocks,
with the sole exception of the peacock-tail (Padina), which
was abundant, nor could I meet with any echinoderms
(starfishes, &c.). Indeed, the coast was extremely barren,
and produced little else than small Paguri (or hermits) in
shells of Murex, Litorina, &c., small Chitons and Patelle.
Ligie ran over the rocks, gleaming with rich metallic blue,
and darkening them in crowds, here as nearly everywhere ;
and I really believe that these are the most abundant of all
crustaceans, at all events of those seen. The only animal of
interest I met with was a very handsome Doris, of a deep blue
colour, spotted with yellow, and with branchie and tentacles
of a bright vermilion. This richly-coloured species may be
the Doris Barnardi of Kelaart (MS.). Under the stones were
numerous small porcelain crabs (P. platycheles). An attempt
to dredge in the bay was only rewarded with bags of mud
containing a few broken bivalves.

Before quitting Makung, we pajd a visit to the chief .
Mandarin of the place, but were not successful in seeing him
at his ydé-mun. The appearance of a foreign man-of-war
in the harbour was embarrassing to the official mind, and
from its rarity was somewhat alarming, inasmuch as the
poor Mandarin probably was unable to conceive of such a
circumstance without accompanying demands, or that it
could possibly happen without any further reference-to him
than a mere polite visit of ceremony. He had, therefore,

given out that he had gone to Ta-kau, with which answer we
E2

52 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. TIL

had, of course, to be satisfied; but the lad who guided us to
his house had probably a pretty correct appreciation of the
situation, when he grinningly hinted, ‘‘ Mandoli too muchee
fear.”

After three days’ stay we quitted Makung, our chief
engineer, Mr. Sutton, an excellent photographer, having
taken some views in the town on the morning of our depar-
ture. On this occasion the crowd was with difficulty kept off
from the apparatus, their extreme curiosity proving rather
inconvenient. One man, while a picture was being developed,
and attention temporarily withdrawn, furtively drank the
contents of the bottle of glacial acetic acid, and it was well
for him it was not something even more deleterious.
Another, who was more impudent than most of his neigh-
bours, accepted the challenge to be painted with the nitrate
of silver solution. Accordingly he received a moustache,
beard, rings round his eyes, &c., which were beginning to
darken in the sunlight as we left the scene, greatly amused
at the surprise which awaited our forward friend when the
full effects of the solution should become developed; but,
unfortunately, we had no opportunity of seeing him in his
altered aspect, though we may imagine it would be a source
of no small embarrassment to him, and amusement to his
pitiless neighbours.

A few months subsequent to our visit to the Pescadores,
two English ships were wrecked in the neighbourhood. The
first of these, as soon as she was observed to be upon a reef,
was surrounded by 380 boats, and some 800 natives boarded
her and looted the ship of every movable article. They do
not appear to have offered any personal molestation to the
Europeans, who were even accommodated with the shelter
of a joss-house; but their goods were taken as something

Cx. III.] WRECKING AT MAKUNG. 53

which had fallen to the plunderers by right. In the second
case also, the European crew were stripped and robbed ; but,
otherwise, the intruders showed an inclination, provided
good remuneration were offered, to assist the captain out of
his difficulties. Not everywhere on the Chinese coast is so
much forbearance shown as by these islanders,

CHAPTER IV.

FORMOSA (continued)—TAM-SUY.

Towing Net in Formosa Channel—Pterosoma—Kirola—Sagitta—Atlanta—
Glaucus—Alima— Phyllosoma, or glass-crab—Cerapus— Hyalea— West
Coast of Formosa—Fort Zeelandia—Notonecte—Arrive at Tam-suy—The
Harbour —Boulder Clay—Chinese Graves—Rice-paper Plant—Bamboo—
The Town—People—Rice Embargo—Visit to Mbangka—Camphor Mono-
poly—Visit the Chief Mandarin—Return Visit—Queen’s ‘Birthday.

At daybreak on May 15 we weighed and stood out of the
harbour of Makung, first directing our course towards a sup-
posed shoal, marked doubtful on the chart, which we did
not, however, succeed in discovering. But the appearances
were quite sufficient to deceive the inexperienced—such as
long lines of ripple caused by the rapid north and south tide
of the channel, and drift dust in the distance looking like
breakers. The mast-head man also reported shoal water ;
but it proved to be a fallacious appearance caused by the
tide rips, which ran so strong that the towing-net could not
be kept out except at slack water. ;

And here I may refer to several singular marine animals,
discovered by the towing-net in the Formosa channel, which
proved a rich locality for strange and rare forms. Among
them was the Pterosoma (Pt. plana), a transparent, delicately-
tinted winged animal, thick and gelatinous, and almost in-
visible in the water. It belongs to a class of mollusks
known to naturalists as Heteropods, oceanic animals of

Cu. IV.] CONTENTS OF THE TOWING NET. 55

anomalous forms, with the foot variously modified for swim-
ming. The Pterosoma was established as a genus by Lesson,
upon a species he found swimming in the vicinity of New
Guinea; but either the drawings of his animal are very
badly executed in all the books, or the one found in my net
must be a second species, for there is but little resemblance
between them. Another delicate animal of the same class
was the Firola, a transparent creature, with a long proboscis,
and swimming by means of a well-developed fin in the lower
part of its body. A third was still more curious—an elon-
gated, transparent body, without eyes or tentacles, but
furnished with two pairs of fins and a fish-like tail, the whole
body like a minute arrow, and hence called Sagitta. It
darts through the water by sudden and instantaneous jerks,
during which it is lost to view for a moment. So trans-
parent is the body that the whole internal organisation may
easily be observed, and the circulation of granules, upwards
(towards the head), in the neighbourhood of the tail on either
side the body, and in the middle downwards towards the
tail. This animal is referred by Prof. Huxley to the
articulate division of animals. Another of these nucleo-
branchs, as they are termed, because their respiratory and
digestive organs form a kind of nucleus on the posterior
part of the back, was the pretty little curly-shelled Atlanta
—shell and animal equally transparent, the latter with eyes
and tentacles, and moving actively by means of a fan-shaped
fin. All these delicate oceanic animals have a remarkable
range, being found for the most part both in the Atlantic
and Indian Oceans, as well as in the Mediterranean Sea.
Only once did I meet with the little purple Glaucus, an
oceanic nudibranch, of which so much has been written.
This sea-lizard, as it has been called, soft and fragile as it

56 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. IV.

is, is a very tyrant over animals beautiful and delicate as
itself, and the pretty blue Porpite are the victims. But as
this was rare, so the glass-like crustacean, Alima hyalina, was
common in the net—lovely forms, whose carapace seemed
carved from the purest crystal, with an elegance of sculptur-
ing and sharpness of outline that could not be surpassed,—
perishable animals, but which, while they remained alive,
were active in the water. The only spots of colour in their
bodies were their two eyes, mounted on long. stalks, and
giving out a rich golden-green glow, which was positively
luminous. Almost equally transparent were the glass-crabs
(Phyllosoma), whose flat, leaf-like bodies and long branched
legs seemed as though made of fine plates of clear mica.
These nocturnal oceanic animals (for they never appear in
the net by day) are, however, very passive and quiet, and
seldom show any signs of life. It is not improbable that
they are larval forms of some possibly altogether different
beings.

To find caddis-worms in the towing-net seemed remark-
able; but small worm-like crustacea (Cerapus), furnished
with large antenne, and living in tubes or cases, were not
unfrequently met with. These little creatures have usually
their head and foremost legs peeping out of their case, which
seems to be just large enough for the body; but alarm it,
and it vanishes within, re-appearing immediately, head first,
at the other side, so that one can hardly be persuaded that
it has not two heads. Although some were minute, others
were of considerable size, and much larger than those
usually described. More than once, Hyaleas, and other
graceful Pteropods, were captured; but one of these, pro-
bably the Hyalea tridentata of Lamarck, presented appear-
ances such as I have nowhere seen described. When first

Cn. IV.] NEW FORM OF HYALAA. 57

taken, the keeled lower angles of the globular shell showed
nothing worthy of remark, the appendages were small and
contracted ; but gradually they became spread out to their
full size, and became large, oval, semi-transparent leaves of
a light green colour, exceeding in length all the rest of the
body, now hanging straight down, and now more divergent.
The animal could contract them at pleasure, and in a mo-
ment spread them out as before. The shell itself was tinted
with rich brown; and it appeared to have three pairs of fins,
the largest and uppermost brown, a smaller pair of a reddish
tinge, and a third pair transparent and projecting somewhat
backward over the convex side of the shell. The edges of
the wings (or fins) and the points of union of the green leaf-
like expansions to the other parts of the body, were of so
delicate a structure as to be invisible, except on close and
careful inspection. This animal swam rapidly in a hori-
zontal direction, and kept itself floating on the surface of
the water by a butterfly-like movement of the fins; but
when at rest, it kept them folded over the convex side of the
shell.

The whole west coast of Formosa, between Ta-kau in the
south-west and Tam-suy in the north, is very flat, consisting
for the most part of low alluvial plains, with no conspicuous
elevations. The mountain range which culminates in Mount
Morrison, and renders the east coast harbourless by its near
approach to the sea, nowhere comes near the western side.
As we advance northward from Apes’ Hill, the coast becomes
low and level; little flat islets appear at intervals, which are
seen to be connected by sand-banks on a nearer approach.
The capital, Tai-wan-fu, not many miles above Ta-kau, is
invisible from the sea, being situated some two or three
miles up a muddy river: at its port, however, 16 large junks

58 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. IV.

and a square-rigged Bremen vessel, as well as numerous
fishing-boats lay at anchor. Near the mouth of this river
also are the ruins of an old Dutch fort on the beach,
celebrated in the annals of the island as Fort Zeelandia,
and more particularly in connexion with the tragical episode
which ended the Dutch occupation in 1661. Formosa,
under its enterprising colonists, had reached a political and
social condition far superior to that which it now enjoys,
and an attachment had sprung up between the natives and
their foreign rulers; but this very prosperity excited the
cupidity of Kok-singa, a renowned piratical chief, who, in
May, 1661, appeared with a fleet and force of 25,000 men.
The Dutch concentrated themselves in Fort Zeelandia, while
hundreds of the settlers fell victims to the cruel invader,
whose descent was sudden and unexpected. Finding that
the besieged were determined to hold out to the last ex-
tremity, the pirate became exasperated and would listen to
no terms; meanwhile massacring with cruel tortures hun-
dreds of Dutch prisoners who had fallen into his hands,
after which the corpses were stripped and buried in heaps—
the women being distributed among the officers and men of
his force. The little garrison at length was compelled to
capitulate, and the Dutch were for ever expelled from the
island; while the natives, who were in a fair way of being
civilised and Christianised, have, meanwhile, relapsed into
their primitive barbarism. The devotion of the Rev. Mr.
Hambroek, a minister of the Dutch reformed church, who
was sent by Kok-singa to make terms with the besieged, is
still on record—a devotion worthy of a Regulus, and bearing
a close analogy to that old tale of Carthage.

North of Zeelandia is Kok-si-kon, formerly a port, but
now closed up; and beyond this a long, low, sandy beach,

Cu. IV.] CHARACTER OF THE COAST. 59

upon which people could be seen walking, or sometimes
sitting in groups to watch us; nets hanging up, with here
and there a long, low hut; and after dark, a number of
lights, having all the appearance of a row of gas lamps.
Along all this low coast a singular aérial misty effect was
observable, which appeared to arise from a lagoon behind the
sandy beach. Everything seemed enlarged; men, passing
by, seemed “‘as trees walking ;”’ little villages appeared like
large towns of stone houses, until we approached nearer,
when they dwindled down to mere collections of huts. It
was a kind of mirage arising from irregular refraction. In
Gilim Bay 30 junks lay at anchor. .

The only place where hills approach this coast is in
lat. 24° 15’, where long sloping shores, highly cultivated,
thickly populated, and dotted ‘with numerous villages, skirt
the ranges of high hills rismg about two or three miles
inland, which are often intersected by horizontal valleys of
denudation, affording long and pretty vistas; the lofty
mountains of the Morrison range affording a picturesque
background to the whole. As we were passing this part of
the coast towards evening, the cabin table became covered
with small water-boatmen (Notonecte, of the restricted genus
Corixa), freshwater insects, which must either have made an
unwonted flight out to sea, or have been washed off the
land by the embouchure of some river which here joined the
channel. They flew about the cabin and round the lamp
like moths, and having placed some in a basin of salt water
which happened to be upon the table, they swam merrily ;
but they were all dead in the morning. Jt had been a
beautiful calm day, but in the evening a breeze sprung up
along the coast.

At early morning on May 18th we were off the harbour of

60 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. IV.

Tam-suy, which, like that of Ta-kau, is well pointed out by
natural landmarks on either side. Two lofty and picturesque
hills render it very conspicuous, that on the north called
Tai-tun, which forms an imposing ridge, rising to the height
of 2,800 feet; and that on the south side, known as
Kwan-yin, and having two prominent peaks, attaining an
elevation of 1,720 and 1,240 feet respectively. We were
soon boarded by a Chinese pilot, who was anxious to take
us in, and who magnified the dangers of crossing the bar
without his assistance; but our captain knowing something
of Chinese character, was quite aware that the pilot was as
likely to run us ashore as not, and preferred trusting to his
own experience and skill. It being low-water we rowed into
the harbour, reconnoitring the bar as we crossed, and
proving its practicability ; but, meanwhile, a breeze sprung
up, and a heavy sea broke over it, while a thick haze
obscured the ship and shut it out of view. An attempt to
recross the bar in the boat proved unsuccessful, and we were
fain to remain on shore, while the ship was forced to put to
sea and stand out till morning. Our rockets and blue lights
that night were unanswered, and we were therefore glad to
see with the morning light our vessel once more in the
offing; we speedily rejoined her, and at high-tide crossed
the bar and entered the harbour, much to the confusion of
the pilot, who soon after came on board and offered his
services in the new character of compradore.

The town of Tam-suy, or as it appears to be otherwise
called, Hoo-wei, is situated upon the right bank of the
harbour. From land to land at the entrance is just half a
mile, but a considerable spit of sand diminishes it by more
than one half. Within the harbour, however, it rapidly
increases to three-quarters of a mile, and even a mile in

Cx. IV.] BOULDERS AT TAM-SUY. 61

width, affording good anchorage for large vessels. Imme-
diately upon the left-hand on entering, there is a small
Chinese fort ; and half a mile higher are the ruins of an old
Dutch casemate—a square, red-brick building, once no
doubt of considerable strength, and elevated 50 or 60 ft.
above the water’s edge.

This elevated right bank, upon which the town stands,
presents very remarkable features. It rises in an undulating
manner for about 100 ft., and is entirely composed of allu-
vial clay, containing a vast number of boulders of stone.
These boulders are of the most various sizes, from such as
can be easily lifted by the hand, to large blocks of 20 ft. in
circumference. They are also of very varied forms—some —
being round and smooth, and evidently more or less rolled ;
while others are quite angular, and have little or no appear-
ance of having been water-worn. I carefully examined
many of these blocks to see if I could discover any traces of
striation which could be attributed to glacial action, but
although I met with some suspicious markings, I could not
satisfy myself that they were scored by the agency of ice.
Moreover, there was no marked difference in the various
boulders as to their lithological character, but to all appear-
ance they were, with little exception, formed of the ordinary
pebble green-stone.

This alluvial soil is very fertile, and the undulatory cha-
racter of the ground gives considerable picturesqueness to
the neighbourhood of Tam-suy. Houses are scattered about
on the hill-sides, and a large amphitheatre just outside the
town forms a spacious and well-filled burial-ground, consist-
ing of an immense assemblage of the characteristic forms of
Chinese graves. These are mostly of the horse-shoe form,
or rather omega-shaped, and vary in elaborate and compli-

62 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. IV.

cated structure according to the position of the occupant.
The ordinary merchant has a simple tomb, with a rectan-
gular stone tablet in the centre, inscribed with Chinese
characters in red and black; while the tombs of the Man-
darins are often extensive structures, in which the limbs of
the omega are enlarged into fantastic and elaborate copings
of stone, ornamented with statues and carvings. The poor
are satisfied with a simple mound and small sculptured
headstone, or even less; though such is the veneration for
ancestry, that the poorest usually find means to secure some
memorial of their deceased parents.

Upon these hills grows in considerable abundance the
Rice-paper plant (Aralia papyrifera) ; and from this place it
is largely exported to China for the purpose of making upon
the prepared paper those brilliant colourings for which the
Chinese are so renowned. It is a small but handsome
plant, the stem growing to the height of from 4 to 6 feet,
and then giving off by long footstalks a number of hand-
some large digitated leaves of a dark green colour, but
whitish beneath, which spread out sometimes 4 or 5 feet on
either side. Fora long time the source of rice-paper was
a mystery, and its name indicates the common fallacy as to
its origin ; but an examination with the microscope could not
fail to detect the large cellular substance of which it is really
composed, namely, the little-altered pith of a plant. This
pith is of a snowy whiteness, and occupies the whole of the
cylindrical stem, more particularly at its upper portion,
becoming smaller near the base. I never found any hollow
centre in the pith, although it is said the Chinese them-
selves call it the Tung-tsau, or hollow plant; nor did I
observe any specimens in the neighbourhood of Tam-suy
more than 6 feet high, although the Chinese accounts make

Cu. IV.] RICE-PAPER PLANT. BAMBOO. 63

it twice that height. Probably the specimens which came
under my notice were young, or those which had not had
the benefit of cultivation, for they were scattered sporadically.
upon the hill-sides. The mode of preparing the paper from
this plant is by skilfully paring the previously-removed pith
with a broad and sharp knife, which shaves it cleanly off in
a spiral manner from the circumference to the centre, at the
same time preserving an equable thickness throughout.
The substance is then flattened out, cut into smooth sheets,
and is ready for the reception of pigment, which can be
laid on with remarkable facility and brilliancy.

But perhaps the most prominent feature of the vegetation
of Tam-suy and its neighbourhood is the bamboo (Bambusa
arundinacea), everywhere a striking object from its graceful
feathery foliage. It lines the river’s banks, forms hedges
and fences, and is remarkably beautiful. At the same time
it is the most useful of trees, from which almost every
article and utensil is made ; the small canes, and the large
heavy stems alike, with little preparation, being converted
into innumerable useful objects; while the split wood is
utilized in a hundred ingenious ways, and there is scarcely
any manufactured article into which the bamboo in some
form does not enter.

The long rambling town of Tam-suy consists, for the
most part, of a narrow street of shops of a poor description,
paved with great cobble-stones, or else not at all, and in
which pigs of all sizes, and barking dogs, dispute the passage,
which, in some parts, scarcely admits of two passengers
passing one another. The Vice-Consul, Mr. Gregory, re-
sides here, as well as three or four other Europeans, either
engaged in mercantile affairs, or employed in the Chinese
customs.. The consulate, however, is but a poor building

64 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cx. IV.

for the representative of Great Britain; for the inhabitants,
who are mostly of the Coolie class, and upon occasion can
show themselves a turbulent set, have a prejudice, forsooth,
against building houses more than one story high, and no
such dwelling exists in Tam-suy.

Squalid, however, and unsightly as are the buildings of
Tam-suy, there is a very pretentious joss-house or temple,
in which the stone pillars, elaborately carved, represent,
with considerable cleverness, fantastic dragons encircling
the columns in high relief, and holding loose stone balls in
their mouths. Workmen were still engaged upon these
sculptures.

The people of Tam-suy are poor and meanly clad, and
the same may be said of the other towns in this part of
Formosa. The males usually wear nothing more than a
short pair of drawers, or some substitute for them, many
of the younger male children going entirely naked. The
women and girls, however, are always decently clothed, very
few of the female children being bare even to the waist.
Bandaged or small feet are universal among them, the only
exceptions being a few among the lowest of the low.

Bullocks, goats, and poultry are difficult to obtain, but
pigs are abundant, though few who had an opportunity of
witnessing their disgusting habits and foul feeding would
care to eat them. Ducks also are plentiful.

Rice is abundantly produced in the neighbourhood, as
well as in other parts of Formosa, but its exportation is
forbidden on pretence that no more is produced than is
required for home consumption. This embargo was issued
by the Tao-tai of Tai-wan in 1864; but inasmuch as the
approbation of the foreign ministers of Pekin had not been
previously obtained, it appears to have been illegal. More-

Cu. IV.) RICE EMBARGO. 65

over, the Chinese authorities winked at the exportation by
natives, and junks laden with it left Tai-wan in spite of the
embargo, greatly, no doubt, to the advantage of the man-
darins. The excuse that no more was produced than was
required was simply a subterfuge; and the evil effects to the
commerce of the island are evident from the fact, that it was
roughly estimated that the direct loss with regard to Ta-kau
alone, in commissions, was equivalent to 63,000 dollars per
annum as long as the prohibition lasted. Although, how-
ever, it extended to all Formosa, it was enforced with far
less stringency at Tam-suy than in the other ports.

A Hamburg merchant, Mr. Millisch, residing at Mbang-
ka, or Bang-ka, situated nine or ten miles up the right
branch of the Tam-suy river, having invited us to visit him
there, we took the opportunity of seeing a town which, being
the chief of the Hoo-wei district, was more considerable and
interesting than Tam-suy. Mr. Millisch was the only Euro-
pean resident there, and occupied a handsome two-storied
house, the only one I observed in this part of Formosa.
We accordingly went up with the tide in the captain’s gig,
aided by a breeze: from the sea. For the first four miles
the stream was of varying width, averaging about a mile,
and running in a south-easterly direction at the foot of the
Kwang-yin hills, which, seen in the light of a western sun,
had a remarkably piled-up or cone-in-cone appearance, and
at the base are perforated with caverns., On the right bank
a cultivated plain stretched to the foot of the Tai-tun hills,
which expanded to the eastward as we proceeded. At length,
at a village called Kan-tow, the stream divided, the left
branch continuing its course across the island in an easterly
direction, while the right, which we followed, took a south-

easterly course through a flat country, in which rice, sugar,
F

66 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. IV.

and maize are cultivated; and a straight reach of 3} miles
brought us to Twa-tu-teen, a large village, where the stream
trended to the south, and after another mile and a half we
arrived at Mbang-ka.

This is a large town, situated on the river side, and
abounding in the narrow and unsavoury streets before
described, one side being covered over with a kind of arcade,
and the other side open, but by far the dirtier of the two,
being chiefly occupied by pigs and children, both of which
swarmed everywhere. Accumulations of filth lay about at
the very doors of the inhabitants, and it was no unusual
sight to see women adorned with bright and gaudy finery
sitting within a foot or two of a pool of seething filth enough
to breed a pestilence. Chairs or sedans were to be obtained
here—rickety vehicles, in one of which I perambulated the
town; but in some places the corners of the streets were so
narrow that it was with the utmost difficulty that my chair
could be coaxed round, and then only by a series of in-
genious manceuvres.

Mbang-ka derives considerable importance from the fact
that large junks can come up thus far; and one arm of the
river, which again divides just above, flows from San-kop-
yung, the district which produces large quantities of cam-
phor; and here the junks are loaded with that important
and valuable commodity, the source of which is the laurel
(Laurus camphora). But the camphor trade is at present
of little value to any one, except to those to whom the
monopoly is granted by the Chinese Government. The
camphor mandarin, as he is termed, who enjoys this mono-
poly, pays 40,000 dollars per annum into the imperial chest
for his privilege, and having obtained the camphor at the
rate of about five dollars per picul of 1834 Ibs., he can then

Cu. IV.] VISIT TO THE MANDARIN. 67

sell it for 27 dollars. One dollar for duties and some other
slight expenses increase the cost, and about 10 per cent. of
the camphor is lost by evaporation during the transit; for
with the proverbial dogged conservatism of their nation,
they insist on continuing to pack it in wood instead of
stowing it in tin cases, by which contrivance it might all
be saved. Still the profits are very considerable, and will
probably remain in the hands of the monopolists until some
enterprising European merchant shall wrest it from their
hands, and open up this important trade to foreign com-
petition.

The branch of the river which diverges above Mbang-ka
from that leading to the camphor district is navigable for
boats up a series of rapids to the borders of the aborigines’
country.

While at Mbang-ka, Capt. Bullock having made an ap-
pointment with the chief military mandarin of the district,
Ching-yung, to pay him a visit, we repaired to his ya-mun,
where he received us with official formality. His residence
was situated just outside the town; and our party, includ-
ing Mr. Gregory, the vice-consul, having reached it, with a
procession of chairs at our heels (for we preferred walking,
although it was etiquette to go in chairs), we were saluted
with three guns as we entered the enclosure. In this en-
closure I may here mention that I observed-a horse, belong-
ing to the mandarin, of the spotted circus-kind, which seems
to be most prized by the Chinese. Mr. Millisch also pos-
sessed a horse; but these two were the only horses I saw in
all Formosa, though I have been informed that at Tai-wan-
foo, the capital, horses are known. Having seated ourselves
in the audience-chamber, tea was served in cups of egg-

shell china by a number of attendants, as soon as they had
F2

68 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. IV.

succeeded in chasing out the ragged crowd which had curi-
ously followed us into this sanctum. The mandarin was
decorated with a clear blue button and peacock’s feather,
and appeared to be an intelligent and rather superior man
of about 35 years of age. He conversed freely through the
medium of Mr. Gregory, who acted as interpreter ; and after
having remained some 20 minutes we quitted the place

‘with the same formalities as on entering, the mandarin
having first accepted Capt. Bullock’s invitation to visit the
ship at Tam-suy, next day, which happened to be her
Majesty’s birthday.

The day following, therefore, the 24th of May, we were
prepared to receive his promised visit, and to show him the
manner of decorating the ship in honour of that occasion.
As usual, at eight a.m., the ship was dressed out with flags,
&c.; and Captain Bullock having invited the European
residents to dinner, a long table was prepared on the quarter-
deck, and a stage erected at one end, upon which the blue-
jackets were to enact a play which they had got up among
themselves. It was not, however, till nearly five o’clock that
the mandarin arrived, accompanied by the subordinate man-
darin of Tam-suy, his secretary, the consul’s linguist, and a
crowd of attendants. They seemed much pleased with every-
thing they saw, and minutely examined all the principal
arrangements of the ship, particularly the guns; so that
time drew on, and the dinner hour (half-past six) was get-
ting very near. The Europeans began to arrive; but our
Chinese friends as yet showed no signs of bringing their
visit to a termination. Under these circumstances Capt.
Bullock,, who was quite willing that they should remain,
asked them to be his guests for the evening. Chinese polite-
ness, according to the rites, should have declined adding

v

Cu. IV.] THE QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY. 69

four impromptu guests to an already full table; but undis-
guised interest and curiosity seized upon the opportunity,
and they accepted the invitation without hesitation. Mr.
Gregory, the vice-consul, sat with them and acted as inter-
preter; and as they had their own attendants they fared as
well as they could desire. They seemed to appreciate the
champagne and other beverages of an English dinner, and
did full justice to the viands, even using knives and forks.
Dinner ended, and some speeches following, they were politely
listened to; and when at length it was announced that the
curtain was about to be drawn up, they still kept their seats.

The play was “ Therése,” a tragedy of course, for sailors
always select something serious and lugubrious, the most
affecting parts being, of course, those where it was most
difficult to avoid hurting their feelings by a burst of laughter.
The Chinese looked on to the end; and even afterwards,
when some songs, sailors’ hornpipes, &c., followed, they re-
mained politely attentive ; and it was only when one of the
Chinese servants was forced upon the stage to sing a stave
in the real falsetto, singsong, Chinese style, that they allowed
their gravity to forsake them, and fairly joined in the laugh
which the absurdity of the thing universally raised. Late
in the evening they rose to leave, with many expressions of
gratification, and three guns saluted them as they went
ashore in the captain’s gig.

The Tam-suy mandarin, whose name was Lim-ching-fang,
wished to have invited us to a return dinner; but unfortu-
nately our plans did not admit of longer stay, and prepara-.
tions were made the following day for taking the ship round
to Ke-lung.

The Sulphur Springs near Tam-suy

CHAPTER V.

FORMOSA (continued) FROM TAM-SUY TO KE-LUNG.

The Sulphur Springs near Tam-suy ; approach to them ; their present condi-
tion ; effects on Animal Life—Preparations for River Voyage—Village of
Pah-chie-nah—Arrive at Sik-kow—Bivouac at Chuy-teng-cha—Birds on
the route—Rapids—Population—Domestic Animals—Arrive at Liang-
kha—Descent to Ke-lung—Character of the People.

Havine heard of the existence of some sulphur-springs in
the vicinity of Tam-suy, I was glad of an opportunity of
visiting them ; and accompanied by Mr. Lessler, of Tam-suy,
who kindly lent me his boat for the purpose, we devoted one
of the days of our stay to a journey thither. The locality of
the springs is among the hills, about equidistant from.
Tam-suy and Mbang-ka, and we approached them by taking
the left-hand branch of the river, where it divides at
Kan-tow. They are highly interesting from a geological point

Cu. V.] BEETLES OF NORTH FORMOSA. 71

of view, indicating, as they do, the existence of volcanic
action near the surface in this part of Formosa—a circum-
stance which we might have been led to expect from the
frequent reports of earthquakes, though none occurred while
I was in the island.

These sulphur-springs are not the only springs of the
kind in those parts; others are indicated at no great dis-
tance. The road to them from the spot where we left our
boat ran through a beautiful and highly cultivated district.
Besides numerous padi fields situated upon the hill-sides,
and ingeniously irrigated by a series of platforms, down
which the water flows from one to the other after the manner
of the cascades of St. Cloud, a remarkable feature is an
immense pineapple-plantation of many acres in extent, so
that the verdure of these hills leaves one unprepared for
the fact of subterranean heat finding a vent in such close
proximity.

On the road we were accompanied by a number of
children, who for the reward of a few cash, darted out in
forays upon the coleopterous insects of the surrounding
country. They brought us splendid longicorns, especially
the white-spotted Cerosterna punctator, and the equally
handsome Batocera Germani, the first of which we had
found in some profusion on the shrubs among the rice-paper
hills at Tam-suy. Perhaps the most numerous beetle was a
small metallic blue Popilia, and almost equally common was
a fine species of green Euchlora, among which was here and
there a bronze Mimela of smaller size. Many beautiful
yellow Casside were among them; but all partook of a
Chinese character and facies.

About halfway up the ascent we crossed a stream having
the character of a mountain torrent, the stones at the bottom

72 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cx. V.

of which were covered with a deep green deposit, very
copious in the quieter and more sheltered spots; and upon
dipping one’s hand into this stream, the temperature was
found to be too high to allow it to remain there. At this
point it was about 130°; but higher up it could be seen
steaming, notwithstanding the tropical heat of the day.

This stream does not appear to flow directly from the
sulphur-springs above, but probably from some subterranean
source connected with them. The channel leading down
directly from the springs was quite dry, though it bore
evidences of having been, comparatively recently, the theatre
of similar exhalations. The rocks over the opposite side of
this ravine were lofty, and cropped out boldly, striking
south-east, and dipping down to the north-east in the
direction of the springs. At this spot they had a bleached
appearance, visible from a distance, precisely similar to that
exhibited at the active springs. They bore, however, at that
moment, no other sign of their past activity ; but, on a near
approach to them, a very perceptible odour of sulphuretted
hydrogen was smelt, and the rocks themselves appeared
to have had their surface disintegrated by the action of the
steam.

A short distance above this spot we reached a cul-de-sac
in the hills, bounded on the right by bold bare rocks, having
the lithological characters of a coarse caleareous grit, and
dipping about 15° to the north-east. This was the spot
occupied by the present active sulphur-springs, and was of
small extent, embracing not more than two acres of ground,
whose desolation formed a very striking contrast to the
verdure on nearly three sides of it. This spot was perfectly
barren, and was filled up with low hillocks of friable rocks,
loose stones and débris, having the character of a moraine,

Ca. V.] ASPECT OF THE SULPHUR SPRINGS. 73

and interspersed at irregular intervals with shallow pits or
depressions, containing mud and sand, and sometimes foul,
muddy water. From cracks and fissures in these depressions
arose clouds of steam, and yellow patches of sulphur were
visible from a distance.

At the time of my visit, in the middle of June 1866, there
were seven or eight springs in a more or less active condition,
from which clouds of superheated steam arose, either by
a small round hole, or narrow fissure, or by several such.
apertures. The rushing steam produced a loud noise, lke
that accompanying the blowing off of steam from a boiler;
and above the fissures was a quantity of sublimated sulphur,
adhering to the. rock in acicular crystals, forming, about the
most active spring, a bright yellow patch which was visible
from a considerable distance. It was no easy matter to reach
the sublimed sulphur, for, on a close approach to the spot,
a jet of hot steam made it necessary to withdraw, and
warned us that a nearer approach was dangerous. J managed
however, with the aid of a stick, to procure some from the
crevices in and around which it was deposited. Most of
the springs were dry; but one rose through muddy water,
which bubbled’ up in a series of rapid explosions, carrying
the boiling water, sand, and mud five or six feet high, and
splashing it all around.

It is evident that the degree of activity of these springs is
very variable, and that at the time of my visit they were ina
comparatively quiescent state. The jets of steam were
isolated, and a comparatively small portion of the two acres,
at which I estimated the area of grey barrenness,.was in an
active condition. Numerous pits which had evidently at
some period sent forth their jets of steam were perfectly
quiet, and stones coated with sulphur scattered among them

4 BRAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. V.

showed their occasional activity. Moreover, the edge of the
‘level, where it began to descend down the ravine before men-
tioned, was covered with a thick crust, which had evidently
been at one time in a semifluid state, and had slowly flowed,
a viscous mass, over the edge, and now had the appearance
of dried asphalt. This was doubtless the remains of mud,
through which the sulphur rose, such as we still saw in some
comparatively small pools, but which at one time had been in
sufficient quantity to rise above the general depression and
run over the edge into the ravine.

The sulphur appeared in all cases to be deposited in a
perfectly pure sublimed form; nor was there any smell to
be detected in the active springs themselves. The steam is
laden with the element in a dissolved condition, and deposits
it in pure crystals upon any substance with which it comes
in contact. The effects produced upon the exposed rocks
were in all cases due to the disintegrating and bleaching
effects of steam; and the smell of sulphuretted hydrogen
was most perceptible in a spot where the rocks had been
disintegrated, but where there was no sign of present
activity.

It has been supposed that the locality is very fatal to
animal life, from the presence of sulphurous vapours,—that
it is a sort of Avernus, destroying birds and insects which
pass in its neighbourhood. But I cannot endorse this view.
I myself observed birds and insects flying over it with ease and
impunity, nor was any noxious smell elsewhere perceptible.
Any ill effects could be produced only by the direct action of
the steam, with which the sulphur could have little or nothing
to do; and if any corroboration of this were required, it need
only be mentioned that the patch occupied by the sulphur-
springs is immediately surrounded by the brightest verdure,,

Ca. V.] PREPARATIONS FOR RIVER VOYAGE. 15

and a stream of clear water runs along its edge, and alone
separates it from padi fields in the most green and healthy
condition.

At the present time no attempt is made to obtain sulphur
from this prolific source. Although it can be obtained at
the rate of 45 cents per picul of 133 lbs. (about 2s. per cwt.),
the Chinese Government stupidly and obstinately forbid its
being worked. Still, sulphur has been largely obtained from
these springs under the rose, or by means of a bribe, and it
yet remains for European enterprise to open up so important
and probably almost inexhaustible a source of this valuable
material. .

On the 25th May, Captain Bullock having decided to take
the ship round to Ke-lung harbour, on the east coast, I made
arrangements to proceed overland and meet her there. The
journey across the country could, as I learned, be performed
almost entirely by boat, with no other difficulty than some
rapids in the higher part of the river. It was, moreover,
short, and was not unfrequently performed by two or three
gentlemen who carried on the occupation of merchants either
at Tam-suy or Ke-lung, and had often occasion to com-
municate personally with one or the other town. Having
therefore obtained the necessary information from them,
Mr. Sutton, the chief engineer of the ‘‘ Serpent,” and my-
self, proceeded at once to make our preparations for the
voyage.

Having obtained a sampan, or native boat, with three men,
we placed in it provisions for two days, camera, collecting ap-
paratus, &c., intending to proceed leisurely. The boat was a
flat-bottomed one, adapted for the peculiar navigation, about
20 feet long and six feet wide, covered with a bamboo awn-:
ing, and having a grass mat at the bottom; and, with the

76 ; RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. {Cu. V.

aid of a large mat-sail and a sea-breeze, we rapidly proceeded:
up the Tam-suy River, soon arriving at the spot where it
first divides at Kan-tow. From here we followed the right-
hand branch which flows east by south through cultivated
fields, in which we occasionally met with patches of Boeh-
meria nivea, and small groves of betel-palm(Areca catechw) ;
but the characteristic tree of the banks here, as everywhere
along the river, was the bamboo, whose graceful and feathery
foliage gave a great charm to the scene. On the north-east
side were numerous hills, of heights varying between 1000
and 1500 feet, amongst which are situated the sulphur-
springs, already described. A little more than three miles
brought us to the village of Pah-chie-nah, which is more
airy and cleanly than either Mbangka or Hoo-wei, and pos-
sesses an excellent market-place, though the inhabitants
appear to be of the same poor class. Numerous duck-boats
were met with on these banks, which bring some couple of
hundred ducks to a feeding-ground, where they are turned
loose to spend the day under the charge of a lad, who acts
as duck-herd. They keep close together all day, so that
they might all be covered with a blanket, and at night are
conveyed in the boat back to their pens. Another feature
of the route was the Chinese water-wheels for irrigating the
fields, in which three or four Chinese are constantly at work,
treadmill-fashion.

At sunset we moored our boat a mile beyond Pah-chie-
sili in a bend of the river and at the foot of a hill which
commanded a magnificent view of the noble range of moun-
tains running from north to south of the island, and which
the setting sun lighted up gloriously. On the opposite side
of the river, upon a steep rocky bank, was a house, outside
of which sat a:family of Chinese of a better class, the head

Ox. V.] NIGHT ON THE RIVER. : 77

of which having, somewhat to our surprise, leisurely ex-
amined us with a good double field-glass, made signs for us
to go over and chin-chin with them. We accordingly did
so, and, having partaken of their tea, offered them some of
our own provisions, with which they appeared much in-
terested, particularly the white bread, though the loaf-sugar
seemed most generally appreciated.

We slept in the boat, the night being brilliantly fine, a
strong dew falling towards sunrise, and the stillness being
broken by the croaking of frogs, the chirping of cicadas, the
occasional leaping of a large fish in the stream, the passage
of boats up the river, and the distant creaking of a water-
wheel which appeared to be in action all night long. A
strong tide was flowing; but the water appeared perfectly
fresh to the taste, even at the flood. We had agreed to keep
watch and watch during the night, and I most religiously
kept awake during the first hours, listening to these various
sounds. When, however, my turn had passed, and after a
short nap I awoke, I was not a little disgusted to find my
companion snoring instead of watching. But there did
not appear to be any real reason for the precaution.

The following morning, after taking some photographic
views, capturing some of the beautiful butterflies and beetles
which, especially the former, abounded on the hills, we pro-
ceeded on our journey. The thermometer being at 89° in
the shade, we were glad of our bamboo awning; and there
being no wind and a strong ebb tide, we made but little
progress for some time, moving slowly by a very meandering
course through a highly picturesque country. Hills of
varying height rose on either side, usually covered with
vegetation, and occasionally opening and showing green
padi fields; while in front an abrupt and very remarkable

78 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. V.

long stratified hill occupied a conspicuous part of the land-
scape, and this we gradually approached till we reached the
town of Sik-kow, behind which it was situated.

Sik-kow is similar in character to the other towns on the
route; but the streets are wider than those of Mbangka or
Hoo-wei. The inhabitants, however, did not give us any
notion of their being more simple or primitive on account
of their comparative seclusion, but rather the reverse. A
noisy crowd followed us through the streets, some members
of which appeared to incline to impudence, and one man
seemed by his loud talk and gestures to be attempting to
incite others against us, while the general greeting of “hwan-
ha” (foreigners) was heard no less here than everywhere else
on the route. ;

Leaving Sik-kow, we proceeded eastward through similar
scenery, increasing, however, in its striking character, for
some six miles further. A little beyond Sik-kow on the
left bank, a bed of large oyster-shells, some of them eight or
nine inches in length, and having a close resemblance to, if
not identical with, the recent Ostrea canadensis, arrested
our attention. They were imbedded in stiff blue clay in
the river’s bank, and immediately overlie’ a thin seam of
an inferior coal, which cropped out beneath. The bank
(which, as in most other places, was perforated with the in-
numerable holes of freshwater crabs), including clay, shells,
and coal, was about four feet high above the water’s edge,
and the bed extended about 100 yards in length.

We arrived at the town of Chuy-teng-cha at nightfall;
and here, as its name implies, the tide-way ends. As it was
dark we did not land, but proceeded a little further, and
passed the night in a small bay at the foot of the rapids.
Numerous boats upon the beach and many in motion seemed

Cx. V.] BIRDS ON THE ROUTE. 79

to show that this was a busy town of some importance; and
by questions put and answered, as we passed, in which we
could hear from time to time the word “ hwan-ha,” we knew
that the people were discussing our movements and the kind
of freight. our boatmen had under their charge. We had no
fear of them, however, for they turned out to be excellent
fellows, good-tempered, willing, and obliging, and mightily
amused at all our proceedings—one of them, in particular,
laughing from morning till night.

On the second night, as before, we were tormented by
mosquitoes, which made it difficult to obtain any rest ; while
the close heat of the atmosphere made us wish to divest
ourselves of some of our clothing, a proceeding forbidden by
the tormenting insects. Frogs and cicadas again kept up a
serenade all night; and a nocturnal bird sang a harsh song
in some trees upon a cliff opposite. I could not get a sight
of this bird, whose four notes somewhat resembled the creak-
ing of a wheel; the last two notes being often repeated
twice. As soon as dawn began to appear it flew away, and
IT heard it no more. At the same time two or three large
bats, which at first in the twilight I mistook for owls, flew
home to their retreats with a loud croak.

As soon as the sun arose, pheasants began to crow upon
the fern-covered hills, and we heard and saw several during
the day; but, although we landed for the purpose, we were
unable to get a shot. But by far the commonest bird we met
with throughout was a black bird—whose feathers, however,
had a rich green gloss—about the size of an English ousel,
with a long forked tail and whitish rump. This bird made a
harsh note not unlike a jay. This was the Black Drongo,
Dicrurus macrocercus of Latham; they were visible every-
where along the banks, usually in pairs, seldom flying over

80 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. V.

the river, and often perched upon the topmost spray of a
bamboo in a conspicuous position. I procured the nest and
eggs of this bird. The nest was made of dried grass and
cotton-grass, simple in form, and situated upon the bough of
a tree about 15 feet from the ground; the eggs were three
in number—pinkish, with sparse umber spots and blotches,
particularly about the larger end. The other birds I noticed
were doves of a small species, kingfishers, pied wagtails,
grey shrikes, and a small short-tailed bird (Cotyle sinensis),
with the habits and character of a sand martin. Early in
the morning, a lark (probably Alauda ccelivox) singing in
the fields could scarcely be distinguished from the English
skylark, and another bird’s song reminded me greatly of the
English song-thrush. A second thrush-like bird also was
singing, as well as the sprightly little Prinia sonitans; but
not more than half-a-dozen birds could be said to be in song
here, at a time when nearly thirty would be enlivening the
woods and groves of England.

Having passed the end of the tide-way, the remainder of
the journey was made through a series of strong rapids, up
which it was necessary to drag the boat by main force.
They commenced immediately from our resting-place of the
previous night, and our boatmen jumped out of the bows,
and passing a bamboo across them pushed one on each side,
while the third pushed behind, and thus our flat-bottomed
craft moved up the incline into a reach of deep water. This
proceeding was repeated perhaps a score of times, the in-
.tervening reaches being bounded by very beautifully wooded
hills, with precipitous rocks dipping to the water’s edge
about 15° to the east. Many beautiful secluded retreats
were thus passed, generally, however, with signs of life near
them; for it is remarkable how densely populated this side

Cn. V.} INDUSTRY OF THE PEOPLE. 81

of the island appears to be—nowhere could we go without
meeting Chinese in some form or other: in the quietest and
most retired spots a cottage might often be descried upon
close inspection. If we wished to shoot a bird among the
brushwood, we were most likely to find a group of women
and children peering at us from behind; if it were on the
bank, some fishermen at work, or lads wading in the mud
for shell-fish, or women washing in the stream, were sure to
be there, so that it was never safe to shoot, except at the
upper part of the trees. Ferries were numerous, and
generally at work as we passed; water-wheels were met with
at every turn, generally worked by three men, or two sets of
three ; children leading water-buffaloes on the bank were
frequently seen, and the unwieldy heads of these animals
often peered at us above the water with a mingled expres-
sion of curiosity and stupidity ; and even in the midst of the
stream were Chinamen and boys, sometimes stark naked,
but more frequently with something about the loins, dredg-
ing for shell-fish and crabs in the river. The shell most
commonly obtained in these situations was a dark costate
species of Cyrena; but in the markets two other species
were equally abundant as articles of food, viz. Cytherea
petechiana, and a species of Tapes. A long black Modiola
(M. teres) was also largely eaten. But everything is fish
that comes to the Chinaman’s net, and he is always at
work, even in the most unpromising situations, to earn a
livelihood in a mud-bank, or & sand-flat, or up to his neck
in water in a river. Population teemed everywhere, and,
while in England we might have walked for miles without
meeting an individual, we were scarcely ever out of sight of
some human being in this part of Formosa.

The houses were built of mud and thatched, occasionally
G

82 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. V.

more substantially of brick and tiles, but usually of grass
and reeds, arranged in tiers, and plastered over with mud
and cement,—the floor, even of the better houses, of mud
or earth,—the roofs, éften crescentically gabled, giving the
towns a very characteristic appearance. In the poorer
houses in villages, the pigs and fowls made themselves quite
at home in the interior, and I have seen a large cesspool
only partially separated from the dwelling-room. Pigs, fowls,
ducks, geese, and buffaloes, were the only domestic animals,
if we except the dogs and cats. The cats were mostly of
the Malay breed, with a short broken or twisted tail, and
usually tortoise-shell in colour; the dogs most commonly
black, seldom white, of an ugly mongrel appearance, about
the size of a pointer ; they barked vigorously:as soon as they
caught sight of the foreigner, though there was no fear of
their biting, provided we possessed a stick, for they were
most arrant cowards. Horses and asses were unknown, and
humped cattle, of a small size, rare.

At length we entered a narrow gorge of rocks, which only
left room for two boats to pass one another, and warned us
that the aquatic part of our excursion was at an end, and in
a few minutes we were in the midst of a number of boats the
counterparts of our own, which completely lined a beach
about 100 yards long, scarcely leaving space for the painted
nose of our own craft to insinuate itself between them. Here
were clustered some houses forming the village of Liang-kha,
about three miles from Ke-Iung, where the river we had
ascended abruptly terminated on the shoulder of a hill, up
which we had risen by a series of rapids, another and a
smaller stream branching off from the same spot, and
descending the other side towards Ke-lung.

Having placed our gear in a chair obtained from Ke-lung,

Cu. V.] KE-LUNG, AND ITS INHABITANTS. 83

we proceeded on foot through a pass on the hills, meeting
on the way numerous coolies transporting goods of various
kinds from Ke-lung. Some carried heavy bundles of dressed
hemp ; others, barrels of dried flying-fish of a large size. A
sudden turn of the road brought us in view of a splendid
panorama—the valley, town, and spacious harbour of Ke-
lung, forming altogether a fine picture. On the densely
wooded knolls in the valley, tree-ferns were conspicuous ;
the sandstone hills on the left dipped in long stratified lines
to the south-west; and outside the harbour, in which three
square-rigged ships, as well as numerous junks, were lying
at anchor, stood like a sentinel an abrupt rock, 600 feet
high, known as Ke-lung Island, and bearing some resem-
blance to St. Michael’s Mount. On the right was the in-
teresting coal-region, which renders Ke-lung so important a
port, in which good anchorage and plenty of fuel may be
always readily obtained.

Descending into this valley we passed through the town
of Ke-lung, paying our sole visit to it on this occasion.
It seemed larger and more open than those we had pre-
viously seen, but was inhabited by the same class, who
indeed gave us an unfavourable impression, by detaining us
at the landing-place until we satisfied their exorbitant de-
mands, urged with an unpleasant degree of noise and tumult.
We afterwards learned that they had on more than one
occasion threatened the life of one or two Europeans who
were resident here, and who by maintaining an independent
demeanour, and refusing to succumb to their prejudices,
had rendered themselves obnoxious. Like the Chinese
generally, however, they require to be dealt with firmly;
and the only way to establish oneself in security among

them is to show them a bold and determined front—taking
@2

84 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. V.

at the same time proper means to avoid public collision or
private revenge. The vice-consul, however, a kind and well-
intentioned man, possesses but little of this determination,
and is unfortunately too ready to humour their prejudices,
and show respect to their most outrageous feelings and
wishes, which have more than once bred riot both at Tam-
suy and at Ke-lung.

’ At length we got clear of the turbulent crowd, and having
placed our matériel in a boat, we found the ‘‘ Serpent” at
anchor near the mouth of the harbour, and at a consider-
able distance from the town, which was the principal
reason why we never returned to it, although it is to be
regretted that no photograph was taken from the hills
behind, which commanded so unusually fine a prospect.

CHAPTER VI.

FORMOSA (continued) —KE-LUNG.

Prevalence of Sandstone—Formation of the Harbour—Caverns—Village Popu-
lations—Modes of Fishing—Sandstone Peaks and Images—Rising of the
Coast—The Coal Mines; mode of Working; value of the Coal; geo-
logical position of the Beds; burning Properties—Petroleum—Marine
Animals of the Shore—Peronia—Aplysia—Nudibranchs— Creseis—Sin-
gular shoal of Stephanomias.

Finvine good anchorage in the harbour of Ke-lung we
remained there for some weeks, or rather we made this place
a starting point for some interesting excursions, returning
to it again during the interval, and allowing thus some
opportunity for geological and natural history investigations.

On this side of the island sandstone prevails, and the
whole environs of the town of Ke-lung are of that rock,
which extends from Masou peninsula, north of Ke-lung, to
Petou promontory on the south and east. The section of
the coast between these points exhibits inclined beds of red
sandstone with an average dip of 16° or 17° to the south-
east, the weatherworn outcrops producing an undulating
country. The hills at the back of the town of Ke-lung are
also of the same formation, and have a similar dip and
strike. The harbour of Ke-lung is a spacious excavation in
these sandstone strata, the navigable entrance being narrowed
by a low flat sandstone table ten feet above high-water,
called Bush Island, on the south side; between which and the

86 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. VI.

mainland is also a larger island, which has evidently been
separated from it by the bursting of a narrow passage, and
its subsequent gradual wearing away by the sea, which
washes through at high-water. This is Palm Island, upon
which, however, no palms grow; but a few Cycads, which
have probably been mistaken for them.

Ke-lung harbour presents many remarkable and interesting
features. The north side is picturesquely indented, and
more or less covered with luxuriant foliage; but the south
side, where the ascending strata are abruptly broken off,
presents a beautiful succession of rounded knolls, separated
by narrow valleys and steep-sided ravines; the whole being
densely clothed with trees and verdant underwood, in which
occurred yellow Casside of various species, and great numbers.
of a beautiful fringed land shell (Helix trichotropis). Several
caverns exist upon this side of the harbour: The largest and
most remarkable of these was reported to be of very con-
siderable extent, and mysterious tales were told of the
difficulty or impossibility of exploring it; we therefore de-
termined to make the attempt. The entrance was prettily
ornamented and overgrown with ferns, lycopods and
begonias; it faced the mouth of the harbour, and was
lofty and spacious, having a sandstone roof above of 50 or
60 feet in thickness. The main cavern was arched and
symmetrical ; but we soon found that this part at least was
very limited in depth, for having penetrated about 50 yards
we arrived at its extremity. It was rather damp, and the
floor was of hard sandstone, presenting no indications of any
deposit in which one might look for organic remains with
any chance of success. In the left wall, however, we found
a narrow fissure, which was the really unknown portion, and
being provided with a magnesium lamp, we squeezed our-

Cu. VI] SANDSTONE CAVERN. 87

selves into this cleft, and crept along it with difficulty for
70 or 80 yards. One stoutish gentleman of our party fairly
stuck in the middle, and was only hauled out with difficulty
by the combined efforts of a blue-jacket before and behind.
This fissure was very damp, and at length terminated in a
small irregular chamber, beyond which we could see no
passage. Its proportions were well seen by the aid of the
magnesium light, which so illuminated the vault, that the
gentleman before mentioned, who was wedged in midway,
flattered himself that if he could once get out of his difficulty
he should find himself in broad daylight.

While examining the walls by the aid of this light, I found
they were tenanted by some spiders and crickets, of the
latter of which I with some difficulty secured specimens.
They proved on examination to possess perfect eyes, although
the place is of course totally dark ; and it is therefore to be
concluded that they had simply crept in from the exterior,
though what could be the inducement, or upon what they
subsisted, it is difficult to imagine—for the rocky walls were
perfectly bare, and the whole intervening distance was drip-
ping with water. Returning to the main cavern, I was curious
to see if they also existed there; and at the extremity of this
I also discovered the crickets upon the damp wall.

On either side of the harbour are several villages, inha-
bited by a poor fishing population. These villages give
a lively aspect to the spot. One of them, close to the mouth
of the cavern, being near the landing-place, we often visited,
and soon became acquainted with the entire population,
whom we employed in collecting shells, &c. Had the dis-
trict been a rich one in these commodities, we should doubt-
less soon have made a good collection, for the younger part
of the community, both boys and girls, soon found that they

88 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [On. VI.

could raise a little money in this way; and every time we
appeared on shore we were speedily surrounded by an eager
crowd of half-naked and tolerably dirty urchins, who pressed
upon us the common but pretty cowries, Cyprea pellis-ser-
pentis and C. annulus, &c., and all manner of trash. The boys
were forward enough, but the girls were very timid, and for
a long time would only hold out their hands at a distance
to show they were anxious to trade, but afraid to come too
near the Hwan-ha (foreigners). From the miscellaneous.
collection thus presented to us, we selected a small number,
for which we had a fixed price of a few cash—a most con-
venient medium of exchange—for inasmuch as 1000 go to a |
dollar, two cash for a cowry, a helix, or a beetle, while it added
considerably to their exchtquer, at the same time did not
threaten to ruin ours. The inhabitants of these fishing vil-
lages were Chinese, and therefore not idle. The girls and
younger boys were daily out, as long as the tide permitted,
among the rocks gathering shell-fish, and it was not uncom-
mon to see them up to their necks in water, collecting what
forms to them a very important article of diet. The men
were employed in the fishing-boats, or in hauling the seine,
which took place chiefly on the sandy beach of the south
side; but although the seine was very extensive, and the
operation of pulling it a very laborious one, the result did
not seem to be at all adequate. J went ashore on one or
two occasions during the haul, in search of fish, but did not
succeed in getting anything but very small sprat-like fishes.
Nothing larger appeared to be caught. Every evening, too,
at dusk, numerous boats pulled out from the town to the
wider part of the harbour, and after dark a number of blazing
torches spread a lurid light over the water. Curious to see
what they were doing, I one night took a boat and rowed

Cu. VI] EFFECTS OF AQUEOUS ACTION. 89

amongst them. In each boat stood a man at the bow, hold-
ing a bundle of small bamboos, which blazed so brightly that
I was hardly convinced that they were not dipped in oil,
until an examination proved them to be dry. This flaming
torch, with which about three boats out of four were pro-
vided, served to attract the fish, and when the boat was thus
surrounded with fish, a signal was made to another boat un-
provided with a light, which coming up, drew a net around
the illuminated boat, and thus secured the shoal. This was
done with great shouts and noise, which we often heard,
lasting far into the night. I boarded one of these boats,
and saw them haul the net; but the produce seemed to be
entirely confined to a small white fish like whitebait. The
fishermen were civil enough, although we rowed right in
among their operations; but they did not appear at all
anxious to dispose of the fish, which were sweet-tasted,
and if cooked at Blackwall would probably rival the real.
whitebait. F

The effects of aqueous action upon the sandstone rocks are
very conspicuous in some parts of Ke-lung harbour. Near
the cave before-mentioned, and immediately upon the verge
of high water, is a tall isolated sandstone rock, having pre-
cisely the appearance of an old ruined castle, and appro-
priately named Ruin Rock, which forms an excellent land-
mark by which to anchor a ship. The harder layers of
sandstone having defied the effects of weather and the spray
which is dashed up during the north-east monsoon to which
the harbour is exposed, the softer portions have at the
same time been more or less excavated, leaving a mimic
resemblance of the ruined chambers of a three-storied
building. But the most curious and extensive effects of
the direct action of the sea are to be found at the entrance

90 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. VI.

of te harbour on either side. That on the north side is
called Image Point on the chart, but the south side is even
more remarkable, and no less deserves this name, while the
effects are upon a larger scale.* Crossing over the narrow
sandstone platform connecting Palm Island with the main-
land, and which is covered at high water, I found myself
in an extraordinary spot, where the soft sandstone has been
worn away by the force of the waves into a variety of fan-
tastic forms, for the most part resembling gigantic mush-
rooms—huge stalks, 10 or 12 feet high, bearing vast balls
of harder material upon their summits, like immense nine-
pins; hills with excavated flanks, and harder knobs and
ridges, over the foremost of which the waves were dashing,
sending up the spray 50 or 60 feet high, although the sea
was comparatively calm. Some of the heads of these huge
mushrooms had fallen off, and remained as great round
blocks with hard ridges, such as are often seen, but whose
history could here be distinctly traced, as could also a
further step in the disintegration of the beach ;—for in
many places round, deep holes were bored in the solid rock,
which were evidently produced by one of these hard heads
resting upon a softer spot, where it had been twisted and
whirled about by the waves, wearing and boring its bed as
though with an auger, sinking deeper and deeper, until at
length it was itself worn away and dissipated by the long-
continued grinding action, leaving a clean-cut deep hole in
the rock from a foot to a yard in diameter, but containing
nothing but clear sea water.

I have little doubt that the harbour of Ke-lung is slowly
rising, though I have not sufficient data to show the rate
of elevation. The evidences of this elevation are to be

* See Frontispiece.

Cx. VI.] RISING OF THE COAST. 91

found on both sides of the harbour. Blocks of worn and
washed coral strew the beach on the north side, and lie
about confusedly at high-water mark in the neighbourhood
of Ruin Rock. Similar washed coral blocks lie on the
beach between tide-marks on the south side, viz. on Palm
Island. The sandstone platform between Palm Island and
the mainland, which presents every appearance of having
been excavated by the sea slowly forcing a passage through,
is now very little below high-water mark; and above the
sea level the sandstone rock bears plain indications of
having been washed and worn by the waves where vegeta-
tion is now growing. Beyond the present limits of the
harbour, the level plain at the back of the town shows that
the sea once extended farther among the hills; and the
inner third of the present harbour is so shallow as to be a
mere mud flat at low water. Quite recently the middle
third has become too shallow for the anchorage of large
ships, such as had previously found sufficient depth; but
this fact may be due to the evil practice of throwing ballast
into the harbour to save the trouble of carrying it ashore ;
for, although the Chinese are industrious enough to work
when necessary, they have but little conscience ; and if en-
gaged to unlade a ship in ballast, they will do so, but will
drop it overboard at the nearest convenient spot, as I have
seen them do, without the slightest consideration for the
deterioration of an anchorage, or the shoaling of a sheltered
landing-place.

This part of Formosa derives commercial importance from
the existence of coal-mines, which are possessed and worked
by the Chinese authorities. I visited these mines, which
are situated about a mile and a half to the eastward of the
town of Ke-lung, on the sides of the hills bordering on Quar-

92 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. ° (Cu. VI.

se-kau Bay. Being in communication with the owners of
coal depots for the purchase of coal for the ship, we were
brought into contact with a civil Chinaman, who was acting
as compradore for Messrs. Lessler and Hagen of Tam-suy.
This man spoke and wrote excellent English, having been
educated at the English school in Penang, and when sub-
sequently he superintended the delivery of the coals on
board ship, the sailors were not a little astonished, and
stood around open-mouthed, to see a smart young Chinaman
with pig-tail, long silk coat, thick-soled shoes, and about
whose nationality there could be no mistake, sitting at a
table on deck and writing an elegant, free, commercial hand,
while he communicated with the officers in fluent and gram-
matical English. This man politely lent us his gig and two
rowers to conduct us to the mines. The two men were very
good-humoured, particularly the younger one, who laughed
immensely at everything we said and did. Having rowed us
nearly up to the town, the harbour getting very shallow as
we proceeded, so that at length only a narrow channel be-
tween two mud-flats approaches the town, we entered a
small, muddy creek, with so little water that our boatmen
had several times to jump out and pull the boat along. The
hills were beautifully wooded, and the glen narrowed as we
proceeded. At length, quitting the boat, we ascended a
slight elevation, passing a range of red sandstone hills,
which formed a series continuous with those seen at the
back of the harbour, and which dip on an average 16° or 17°
to the south-east. The weather-worn outcrops of these
strata. produced the undulating country in which I now
found myself, and in the depressions of which the coal
appears to have been deposited. We now entered a cul-de-
sac in the hills, and, descending from the path into a ditch, I

Cx. VI.] COAL MINES AT KE-LUNG. 93

stood at the entrance of the workings, which consisted of two
small caverns at right angles to one another, hewn directly
into the coal seam, which was 24 feet in thickness at its
outcrop. The seam rested upon a thin bed of stiff, whitish
clay, and was covered by a bank 40 or 50 feet high com-
posed of rubbly clay with stones, on the face of which small
bushes were growing. Out of these caverns a dirty stream
of water was flowing, ankle deep. The working was nearly
level, and the roof so low that one could only get along by
bending nearly double. There was nothing remarkable in the
interior ; the workmen, all Chinese, were in a state of per-
fect nudity, and after a painful and very dirty walk of about
a quarter of a mile, we emerged at another part of the hill.
These mines appear, therefore, to be worked in a very
primitive manner. No shafts are sunk, nor is any machinery
employed, but the coolies pick the coal and convey it out of
the working in small baskets, and in almost infinitesimal
quantities at a time. It is placed in boats and conveyed to
the harbour, where it is deposited in the coal-stores situated
upon the southern side—mere accumulations of coal pur-
chased by English and other merchants, and from which
ships are fnostly supplied. These stores have no covering,
nor any protection whatever from the weather, and the coal
therefore is apt to deteriorate if kept there long. The mines
themselves are exclusively worked. under the Chinese autho-
rities, and by Chinese coolies, foreign interference or pos-
session being jealously guarded against: the consequence
is, that their resources are both undeveloped and unknown.
It is impossible to judge of their extent beneath the soil,
because no shafts have been sunk, and no tentative efforts in
the shape of borings appear to have been made. The
wonder is rather that so much is produced by the industry

94 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cz. VI.

of the coolies; its comparative cheapness is owing to the
low value of coolie labour, added to the absence of expensive
outlay in the working of the mines.

The coal resources of Ke-lung have only recently been
thade known. In 1857 it was stated that ‘owing to the
prohibition by the -authorities of Formosa against the ex-
port of rice, vessels arrived at Amoy loaded almost entirely
with coal, at about 14 dollar (5s. 6d.) a ton;” and it was
further said at that time that arrangements might be made
for the formation of a stock for the supply of Her Majesty’s
vessels on very favourable terms.

In 1858 H.M.S. ‘‘Inflexible”” received coals at Ke-lung
at the rate of four dollars (17s. 6d.) per ton. H.M.S.
“‘ Serpent,” during the year 1866, was coaled at the rate of
16 dollars the hundred piculs, which is somewhat less than
three dollars (18s.) the ton; and for this price we selected
our coal from the depots, and it was brought alongside and
deposited in the bunkers. When we finally left Ke-lung,
there were seven ships in the harbour—Hamburg, Bremen,
Prussian, and English, receiving coal either as cargo or for
consumption.

The position of the coal-bed of Ke-lung proves that it is of
comparatively recent formation. It lies apparently quite
superficial; and, although it would undoubtedly require a
closer and longer study than I was able to devote to it, in
order to prove its exact geological relations, especially in the
absence of dny subterranean workings in the form of shafts
or borings, the position of the worked seams is undoubtedly
superficial to the sandstone. How far down the coal seams
are believed to penetrate I was unable to learn, for they are
in the hands of Chinese proprietors, and all the workers are
Chinese, with whom I was unable to communicate directly ;

Cu. VI.] QUALITY OF KE-LUNG COAL. 95

while the few European merchants who are interested in the
produce were not scientifically acquainted with the dis-
trict.

With regard to the quality of this coal, it has properties
which favour the supposition that it is a recently-formed
deposit. The first account of it made public was issued from
H.M.S. “ Inflexible,” and the chief engineer of that ship
published an account of his experiments and steaming re-
sults with it, in the Nautical Magazine for 1859. This ac-
count, however, is strangely at variance with our experience
of the coal. In general terms the verdict given by him was
that it was “ good for domestic purposes and for steamers
making short passages ; but it consumes rapidly, and makes
much smoke.” Although, however, this general statement
nearly coincides with what we found to be the case, it is not
supported by the elaborated and tabulated results published
in the Nautical Magazine.

The Ke-lung coal is of very light weight; it burns very
rapidly, and it gives out a very great heat—so much so, that
it readily sets the funnel on fire. It is extremely dirty, and
the combustion is so imperfect, that a vast number of blacks
of a soft and soiling character are produced, and fall all over
the ship. The flues also rapidly get very foul, requiring
frequent attention and cleansing. It leaves no less than
50 per cent. of ash, so that although it appears cheap, it is
not really more so than other and better coal, which has
more substance and less waste. For it is evident, that if
Ke-lung coal were but one-half the price of Welsh, and that
Welsh did twice as much work, the latter would be cheaper
fuel; for not only would there be equal horse-power for an
equal price, but the superior bulk of the inferior and
apparently cheaper coal would entail great additional labour

96 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. VI.

upon the firemen in removing it from the bunkers and
feeding the furnaces, to say nothing of the waste of stow-
age.*

But the worst feature of the Ke-lung coal is that it forms a
large quantity of slag, or clinker, which sticks firmly to the
furnace bars, and becomes so heated as to fuse them. Many
of the fire-bars in the ‘‘ Serpent” were fused in this manner
before the load was exhausted.

I was informed that at no great distance from the coal
mines of Ke-lung there are sources of petroleum, which
are known to some European merchants residing there,
who were in treaty for the ground. The Chinese, however,
are very jealous in guarding any land which is supposed to
possess mineral riches, having an idea that gold is to be
found there. So anxious are the present Chinese occupiers
upon this point, that in any title of purchase of land there is
an express stipulation, that should gold be discovered upon
that land, the precious metal should not be considered as
included in the purchase, but shall revert to the original
possessor of the soil.

The rocks around Ke-lung harbour did not yield a very
great variety of animals, although there were some of con-
siderable interest. The sandy beach in some places was
entirely formed of minute shells of a great number of species,
usually more or less rubbed, but containing a considerable
number of tolerably perfect specimens. In the crevices of
the coral blocks which strewed the shores, shoals of small
and beautiful coral-fish abounded, some of the richest azure
blue (Pomacentrus), others striped and banded (Glyphito-

* There are soine interesting points of resemblance between the coal field
of Ke-lung and that of Labuan, on the coast of Borneo, of which an account
will be found in Chapter X.

Cu. VI.] MARINE ANIMALS OF KE-LUNG. 97

don and Therapon), others yellow, green, red, and various
bright colours, and of forms equally various; but unfor-
tunately neither spirit nor glycerine succeeded in preserving
their tints. The rocks, where washed by spray, were
blackened by the swarms of Ligie running nimbly about,
exhibiting a bluish metallic tint, which glanced upon
their backs in the sunlight. Beautiful purple Echini occu-
pied the hollow places in the sandstone; and great black
Holothurie, of the kind used for Trepang, lay scattered
about in many places, and these, when touched, threw out a
quantity of white tenacious threads, which adhered like glue
to the hand. The slug-like Peronia was not uncommon,
usually found crawling upon the rocks at high water, being
an animal that is satisfied with an occasional moistening of
the surface. When I kept these animals alive they proved
very erratic, and would never remain in the vessel, but im-
mediately crawled out; and I found them from time to time
in all parts of my cabin, even some days after I had lost
them. Iwas therefore somewhat surprised, on a subsequent
occasion, to find Peronias on’ the coast of Borneo, on the
under side of stones which were immersed in the water. The
Peronia is greenish-brown in colour, without dorsal branchie,
or mantle-tentacles, as in the Nudibranchs, but have two
snail-like retractile tentacles on the head, with eyes at their
points, and the whole mantle is covered with papille, having
something of the form of fleurs-de-lis. After the gale which
detained us in the harbour, the low cay, called Bush Island,
was covered with a fleet of little Velelle and Physaliz, which
had been stranded by the wind. This island, too, produced
a number of beautiful Anemones, botrylliform Tunicata,
‘&c.; but the most remarkable animals there met with were

certain Tectibranchs, as they are termed, in which the shell
6

98 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. VI.

is more or less undeveloped and concealed in the mantle, the
gills forming leaflets also under its protection. These were
the sea-hares (Aplysia), of which at least two species lived
here—one, the most common, of a uniform brown colour;
the other, of larger size, marked with sparse black blotches.
These animals are remarkable for their power, like the
cuttle, of pouring out an abundant secretion of a purplish
colour from the edge of the mantle, with which, when
alarmed, they stain the surrounding water. Another some-
what similar animal found here was the rich black Corio-
cella nigra, its flowing velvet mantle entirely concealing
its shell at pleasure.

In Ke-lung harbour, although I sought diligently, my
pains were rewarded by only two or three species of Nudi-
branchiata. Of these one was a small blue Doris, on Bush
Island; the other two were, however, both new species,
and interesting from their extreme beauty. One of these
was a Doris of a cream-colour, edged with orange, and
covered over the back with rich vermilion marbling. But
the last was probably the type of a new genus, its mantle
capacious, of a rich variegated rose colour, edged with white,
and studded with translucent white spots—the whole body
so delicate as to be semi-transparent. Its movements were
wonderfully graceful; spreading the broad and transparent
mantle out wide on either side, and throwing back its long
tentacles, like ears, it swam about with a moderately rapid
vermicular but vertical motion, the head and tail being
thrown forward till they met above, and then partially thrown
back, accompanied by a waving of the mantle from end to
end.

Lying for some time at anchor in this harbour, some very
interesting marine animals came under notice from time to

Cu. VL] PTEROPODS AND ACALEPHS, 99

time. At one time the towing-net would bring up trans-
parent animals which bore a close resemblance to the
Cymbulia ovularis, of Rang, whose broad expansive wings, by
which locomotion was effected, were placed in a tuberculated
and purse-shaped crystal calyx, from which it was easily
separable, the whole animal being in some lights invisible
but for an oblong black spot in the centre. Another of
these transparent Pteropods was the Pneumodermia; but
the most abundant and striking was the pretty and delicate
little Creseis, with an elegant glassy shell, like an inverted
church spire, pointed like a needle at one end, while, from
the other, a pair of little delicate wings would keep the calm
surface of the water in a constant ripple by their soft flapping
to and fro. So abundantly did these little creatures swarm
upon some days, that they came up in solid masses, and the
towing-net was filled with them in every mesh; so that it
was a long task to clear it of the fragile shells.

Beautiful Acalephs, or sea-jellies, too, were among the
harbour’s inhabitants; ciliogrades, like elegant pink glass
flowers, in constant motion, with prismatic bands of cilia
playing along the raised ridges of their body from end to
end. But even these were hardly so striking as the wonder-
ful influx of Hydrozoa, of the singular genus Stephanomia,
that occurred one evening. This happened upon the 18th of
June. Although calm, it had been a wet day; yet, in spite
of this, myriads and myriads of Creseis swarmed in the
harbour. During the day a breeze sprang up, and at times
rollers came in; but as the afternoon advanced, the sea
became alive with marine animals, including some of the
forms I have already described, but chiefly beautiful organisms
which most closely resembled the Stephanomia triangularis
of Quoy and Gaimard. They were wonderfully sculptured

H 2

100 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. VI.

and carved masses of solid jelly, either perfectly trans-
parent, or tinged with pink. They would bear being taken
up carefully in a hand-net, and placed in a basin of sea
water, but when there, they became absolutely invisible from
their delicacy and transparency. When touched they would
break asunder into transparent, gelatinous, star-like bodies ;
so that I was in despair at getting even a sketch of their
complicated forms, for they soon melted away into shapeless
masses. I endeavoured to preserve some in various sub-
stances, but without success, for they immediately fell to
pieces and dissolved.

These bodies were solid to the touch, about three inches
long, and appeared to be formed by the union of gelatinous
bodies (swimming bells) of very complex form, and dissimilar
at different parts of their length, so that the diameter of one-
third was greater than that of the other two-thirds. I was
much disappointed at my unsuccessful attempts to keep some
record of them; but their invisibility, their fragility, and the
approach of darkness, rendered all my attempts futile, and
although I might have succeeded better if I had had another
opportunity, I never saw anything like them on any subse-
quent occasion.

But the circumstance to be especially remarked is, that
during all the time these curious animals were floating by,
it was raining pretty hard—a condition which, a priori,
might be supposed to have been most unfavourable for them;
for the destructive character of fresh water to delicate marine
animals is well known. Whence, too, could they have come
in such profusion? And if the surface of the sea is their
natural habitat, why are they not more frequently seen ?

CHAPTER VII.

FORMOSA (Continued)—SAU-O BAY.

East Coast—Steep Island—Reefs at Sau-o—Chinese Village of Sau-o—Village
of Tame Aborigines—Their Huts—Physical Characters—Dress—Native
Cloth—Search after the Wild Aborigines—Characteristics of the Villagers
—Their Occupations—An Alarm—They visit the Ship—Native Polite-
ness—Language—Religious Ideas—Diseases—Distinctions from Chinese
Race.

Tue east coast of Formosa, as has been already observed,
is remarkable for the absence of harbours ; the mountains
for the most part running sheer down into the sea. There
is a landing-place at Chock-e-day, a considerable distance to
the south; but the only harbour is at Sau-o Bay, some
30 miles south of Ke-lung.

The Vice-Consul having called Captain Bullock’s atten-
tion to some reported dangers about this important harbour
of refuge, it was determined to visit it; for, although a plan
of the harbour was appended to the chart of Formosa, since
that plan had been constructed during a hasty visit, and
represented only about six hours’ work, it was probable that
important improvements and corrections might be made.
We had promised ourselves much gratification from a visit
to this interesting locality, on account of its being a spot but
very little known, and which very few have visited; and also
because we hoped to see something of the aborigines of the
island. Accompanied by the Vice-Consul at Tam-suy,

102 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. VII.

and two or three other gentlemen, we accordingly left
Ke-lung on the 12th June. After passing Petou pro-
montory the contour of the coast changed, becoming less
bold, and more retiring and flat, until we had reached the
embouchure of the Kaleewan, one of the largest rivers in
Formosa. This river flows into the sea, through a fertile
plain 18 miles long and six broad, which supports about
10,000 inhabitants. Nearly opposite to it, at 10 or 11 miles
distance, is a large island terminating in two peaks, the
highest 1200 feet, the lower 800 feet high, presenting a
precipitous face eastward to the sea; but, although we went
on both sides of Steep Island, and near enough to see that
it was cultivated in terraces to a considerable height on the
landward side, we were unable to disembark upon it, and I
cannot, therefore, speak with certainty of its formation.

The entrance to Sau-o Bay is protected or jeopardised (as
the case may be) by a reef, which is nothing more nor less
than a great trap dyke, running out nearly at right angles to
the coast, and over which the waves dashed wildly, for the
wind had risen. It extends a mile out, for the most part
just above water, but rising into three prominent rocky
peaks, one of which is 70 feet above low-water, and all three
are whitened with the deposit of sea-birds which were resting
upon them. Another reef, nearly at right angles to this,
and probably of the same nature, runs across the harbour
for about 300 yards, the highest point being a conical rock
15 feet high, the rest only just above water. It forms a
natural breakwater, and, without blocking up the mouth
of the harbour, shelters the interior, which is spacious,
though not free from danger.

Sau-o Bay is shut in by lofty hills, for the most part
steep, and densely clothed with forest. The formation is

Cx. VII.) EXCITEMENT AT SAU-O. 103

that of a compact, black, slatey rock, having a conspicuous
cleavage varying in direction, and being in some places per-
pendicular to the level of the sea. There is no sandstone
here, though there is abundance of sand upon the beaches.
As we entered the harbour we observed, upon the north
side, a hamlet: of Chinese fishermen, consisting of half a
dozen cottages on the hill-side, their boats being drawn up
on the beach in front. Passing this by, we proceeded to the
innermost or west side of the harbour, and anchored near a
sandy beach, beyond which we could see the roofs of the
houses of the principal village, called Sau-o, two other
villages in the bay being, as we afterwards found, concealed
from view. All the rest of the bay had a desolate and life-
less appearance, the wooded hills sweeping down to the
water’s edge, and presenting an aspect of wildness, which
well accorded with our belief, that they were inhabited by
the still savage aborigines of Formosa. -

On the approach of the vessel, numbers of people assem-
bled on the beach from the large Chinese village of Sau-o,
attracted by the unusual circumstance: among them the
gamins were conspicuous, capering about on the sand, while
their more sober elders formed a long line in the back-
ground, squatting on their hams, and discussing over their
pipes the cause of the phenomenon. As soon as we landed,
we were escorted into the village by the crowd, and, on
reaching it, were received by several explosions, which we
were fain to consider a salute of honour. Sundry warlike-
looking personages, armed with matchlocks, had turned out
to meet the suspicious-looking strangers; but seeing us
walking unarmed and amicably among the citizens, they
fired their weapons harmlessly in the air for effect. They
allowed us to examine their matchlocks, which we were told

104 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. VII.

were manufactured at Amoy; and their ammunition, con-
sisting of very coarse powder, with a finer grain for the
priming, and bullets—some round, some oblong, some rect-
angular.

We found nothing remarkable in this village, which was
essentially Chinese in its dirt, its pigs, and its inhabitants—
closely resembling in character the other towns of Formosa;
but our attention was arrested by a woman, whose handsome
and European-looking features, and peculiar voice, at:once
marked her as non-Chinese, and showed her to be one of the
aboriginal inhabitants. How she came thus domesticated
among the Chinese we could not learn, but we heard from
various quarters that a system of petty warfare is kept up
between the two races, and that occasionally some of the
women are carried off by the opposing parties.

The following morning we landed on the southern side of
the bay, where we were to find the native village, of which
no trace however was visible from the ship. We were met
upon the beach by a number of men and women, who were
in no respect, either of dress or feature, similar to the
Chinese, and along with them, after the first expressions of
surprise and curiosity, we entered the village. This is
rudely walled, the entrance being through doors at either
side, by which we passed into an assemblage of huts con-
structed chiefly of grass and bamboos. The grass is woven
into a kind of trellis or mat, which is placed against the
sides, while the chief part of the walls is constructed of
upright sticks, the interstices being imperfectly plastered
with mud to keep out the weather. The door is of bamboo,
and fixed upon a rude hinge, the lower part revolving some-
times upon the bottom of an earthen cup, to give freedom
of motion. The roof is a thick thatch of grass and herbs

Cu. VIL] KIBALAN VILLAGE OF SHEK-FAN. 105

(in which a species of Turk’s-cap lily is largely used), and is
supported by bamboos irregularly disposed among it. At
one end is often an overhanging shed, containing a supply
of firewood, of which there is everywhere abundance.

The interior of these huts contained but little; a stone
stove, and a square flat board in one corner, which did
service for a bed—apparently for the whole family—ap-
pearing to constitute nearly the whole furniture. Articles
employed in fishing might be seen stuck into the thatch,
and a stool or two was to be found in most cottages. Be-
sides these, a few small articles of convenience existed
which could be found when required by the owner.

The occupants of these habitations were a fine race of
people, much superior in good looks to the Chinese; their
features being more regular and well-formed, and their ex-
pression decidedly more intelligent. The complexion was
olive, the eyes wanting the obliquity so characteristic of the
Mongol race, the cheek-bones less high and prominent, the
lips somewhat thick, and the chin well turned, giving alto-
gether a very pleasing expression, neither stupid nor savage.
The hair was usually black, but sometimes had a decidedly
reddish cast, and that of the women was luxuriant and tied
with a loose knot, while the men had adopted the Chinese
custom of shaving the forehead, though not so far back as
the vertex, and wearing a pigtail. Their aspect and physique
were in many cases very striking, and among them we
saw both men and women of stalwart proportions. Some
of the young girls were decidedly pretty, and exhibited all
the coquetry, the love of finery, and other characteristics,
which distinguish the sex in general in other parts of the
world. .

The costume of these people was somewhat slight. The

106 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. VII.

men were attired similarly to Chinese coolies, that is, usually
in a simple pair of short drawers, to which, in some cases, a
blouse was added. The dress of the women consisted of
a short petticoat, folded round the loins and meeting in
front, where it overlapped, but was not fastened. This
petticoat did not reach so far as the knees, and the feet
and legs were bare. A sort of loose jacket, open in front,
completed their attire, though some of the matrons did not
make use of this addition. This, however, appears to be a
costume not always considered necessary, and those who
landed at the village early on the second morning report
that the population was more scantily clad, the men being
entirely naked, and the women wearing only a flap round
the loins. Seeing the strangers arrive, however, they re-
tired with deliberation to their huts, closed the doors, and
reappeared in the costume above described. The women
possessed necklaces of beads, which they wore round their
necks, and some of them had stone bangles round their
arms; their ears were pierced in three or four places from
the lobe upwards, though none of them seemed to have or-
naments in them, except buttons, often of the commonest
kind. The young children of both sexes were entirely
naked. Most of them had objects round their necks, such
as coins, beads, or buttons.

It should be mentioned that, in most cases, the garments
worn by these people were made from a cloth of their own
manufacture. This was a stout material, the threads of
which were usually arranged in a zigzag pattern, and of a
whitish or bluish-white colour. Many of the younger girls
were employed in spinning the thread from fibres of hemp ;
and the cloth was woven by the older women, in pieces
about a yard and a half long and a foot broad; three of

Cu. VIL.J EXPEDITION TO THE HILLS. 107

which pieces they were willing to dispose of for one
dollar.

These people are called by themselves Kibalan, and are,
I believe, known by the Chinese as the tame aborigines, in
contradistinction to the raw savages which dwell on the
mountains, and on the east coast more particularly. These
latter are at deadly enmity with the Chinese; while the
Kibalans live in close proximity, though isolated from them.
An officious half-caste among them informed us that there
was another village close by; so, guided by him, we pro-
ceeded about a furlong along the beach, but were rather dis-
gusted to find it a Chinese village, differing in no respect
from other dirty Chinese villages.

Returning, therefore, to the Kibalan village, the name of
which I believe is Shek-fan, we made known to them by
signs that we were anxious to visit the mountains, and to
meet with the savages. They, however, did their best to
persuade us not to go, assuring us that we should be shot.
On showing them our revolvers, however, they seemed to
think we should be safer; but when we inquired for a guide,
one and all declared that their throats would be cut if they
ventured among the hills. After considerable parley, the sight
of a dollar induced one to accompany us, and, when he had
armed himself with his matchlock, we set out; our guide,
however, taking good care to keep in the rear of the party.
Crossing some padi fields, and proceeding along a sandy
bay to the southward, our path was arrested by rocks, while
on our right was a range of hills covered with a seemingly
impenetrable forest., On closer examination, however, we
discovered. a beaten track, and up it we climbed, through a
dense vegetation of tree ferns, camphor trees, etc., among
which were some beautiful flowers, and many gay butter-

108 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. VII.

flies, although the overarching trees shut out most of the
light. We ascended a considerable distance, tracing the
path, which, although faint, was evident, and marking the
trees as we ascended; but no trace could we find of the
savages of whom we were in search. At length, finding the
path less and less distinct, and time failing, we gave up the
chase, and descended to the Kibalan village. The track
which we had followed, however, was so evidently a more
or less frequented one, that, considering the dread professed
by the inhabitants of the village of their savage neighbours,
it is difficult to understand by whom it could have been
used, unless by the mountain aborigines descending to the
plain in search of supplies. Subsequent inquiries at Sau-o,
as well as some signs made by the Kibalans, elicited the
information (whether true or false) that the aborigines of the
mountains could not be reached under two days’ journey
from Sau-o Bay.

We unpacked our basket of provisions in the middle of
the village, and were soon surrounded by the entire popu-
lation, who pressed curiously about us, but withal civilly;
and seemed to think our eatables not bad, particularly the
loaf-sugar, which young and old appeared to appreciate.
Captain Bullock had brought with him some old numbers
of the Illustrated London News, which he distributed among
them ; but I remarked that though all seemed anxious to
get a leaf, they did not look at the woodcuts, but imme-
diately folded it up and put it in some part of their dress—
nor could I interest them by pointing out to them the most
striking illustrations, which they did not appear to compre-
hend. They did not, however, show any lack of interest
and curiosity in most things, and the men particularly most
inquisitively examined every part of our dress, feeling its

Cu. VIT.] MANNERS OF THE VILLAGERS. 109

texture, looking into our pockets, and showing by signs
that they wished to see the interior of any box or bag we
happened to carry. Nor were they content with looking
once, but the same objects must be inspected again and
again. The women more particularly exhibited a great
anxiety to obtain as presents anything we could give them,
particularly anything ornamental. The naval buttons were
a great temptation ; and over and over again they pointed
to them, and intimated their desire to be the fortunate pos-
sessors of them. When denied, they would point to a
young child and ask it for him, as though we could not then
refuse it. Darwin, I may observe, makes the same remark
when speaking of the Fuegians. If the button was given
under these circumstances, it was immediately fastened on
a string and tied round the child’s forehead. But so im-
portunate were they, that I might have completely stripped
myself and found candidates for every article I possessed.
Notwithstanding this, however, and that they repeatedly
put their hands into our pockets, not a single article was
lost, and no attempt was made to steal; but upon its being
re-demanded, they never offered to retain any object what-
ever.

After our meal was over, the empty bottles were eagerly
sought after, and we soon learned that no more acceptable
present than a bottle could be made to them. This, which
they called brasco, and tobacco,* were the only two things
which they specially applied for. Nearly every one, men
and women, smoked ; and almost their first greeting was a
demand for tobacco, a word which they appeared to have
previously learned. A small plantation of tobacco grew
and was in flower, within the walls of the village, and in

* Both words, no doubt, from the Spanish or Portuguese, frasco and tabaco.

110 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Ca. VII.

several places the leaves were laid out in the sun to dry.
It is smoked by them in pipes about a foot long, which the
woman sticks in her hair when she is not using it, and not
unfrequently we observed them smoking a bundle of scarcely
dried leaves, rolled up and forming a rude and uncouth
cigar.

It will not be supposed, however, that they were without
occupation. In many huts the men were asleep, but towards
evening they might be seen with their nets wending their
way to the beach. Others I observed engaged over some
seething vessels, in which I found they were extracting oil
from the bones of turtle. The women had, several of them,
naked babies hanging to their bare breasts; others came in
from the country with pruning-knives, and laden with large
bundles of grass and lily straw, which they laid down to dry
in the sun, and which it appeared was ultimately intended
for the repair of the thatch : these women had cloths wound
round their legs, as a protection while in the field, and
broad bamboo hats hanging by their side for wear in the hot
sun. Others were spinning thread or weaving cloth, while
some were engaged in beating rice out of the husks, which
they did by placing it in a hollow stone vessel, under which
was placed a mat, and then two of them beating it alternately
with the end of a heavy bamboo.

While some were thus engaged, the idlers allowed them-
selves to be amused by some of our party, who showed them
little tricks, which caused hearty laughter, and which they
tried their best to imitate. Seeing a revolver, they were
very anxious to have it fired off, and stuck up a leaf upon a
door to be shot at, which was done twice, upon which there
immediately appeared two or three men armed with match-
locks, who had evidently turned out at the sound of the

Cu. VIT.] DEFENSIVE MEASURES. 111

pistol to protect the community in case of need. This little
incident seemed to prove that they were always on the alert,
and gave colour to the general report that they, like the
Chinese, are subject to the raids of the raw mountain
savages, against whom they are always more or less prepared
to defend themselves. This was also corroborated by the
fact that in the midst of the village a building was in course
__ of construction which was evidently of a defensive charac-
ter. It was in a very unfinished state, having at present no
roof, and the walls not all completed; but the loopholes
in the walls of the finished sides, as well as the accounts of
the natives “themselves, showed for what purpose it was
intended. Men were engaged in sawing wood, and doing
other business of construction.

By the side of this unfinished building was piled a great
heap of tiles of a dark colour, and of a most rubbishy brittle
character, which they had purchased of the Chinese for
roofing their fort. It seemed the greater pity, inasmuch as
the rocks of Sau-o Bay are of a slatey character, with very
distinct cleavage; and, close by the village, slates might have
been obtained by a little trouble and intelligence; and these
would have answered the purpose better than the wretched
tiles they were about to use. A herd of water-buffaloes,
brought home late in the afternoon, repaired to a muddy
pool in front of this building, and, with their characteristic
timidity and stupidity, after eyeing us curiously for some
time, they took alarm at some movement of one of our
party, and bolting helter-skelter out of the mud, floundered
over the heap of tiles, crushing numbers of them to pieces,
and all but overturned some of the native huts in their mad
career. Besides buffaloes, they have pigs (always black),
Chinese dogs, Malay cats with short twisted tails, and fowls.

112 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cx. VIL.

The following morning a number of natives visited the
ship in their boats, and, on bottles beg shown to them,
they eagerly demanded them. When thrown into. the water,
half-a-dozen men leaped after them, and vigorous swimming-
matches took place for the prizes. They would also dive
for buttons of any kind that were thrown in. Soon after-
wards several boats, full of people of all ages and both sexes,
came alongside and readily ventured on board. Indeed,
one great distinction between these people and the Chinese
was the entire absence’ of timidity on the part of the females,
who, instead of running away and hiding themselves as soon
as they are even looked at, showed the most perfect confi-
dence and freedom from mauvaise honte. They immediately
commenced eagerly inquiring for brascos (bottles), and as
our supply of these desirable articles was limited (owing to
the custom of throwing empty bottles overboard), consider-
able jealousy was excited among the unsuccessful compe-
titors. There was no idea of barter, and perhaps it was our
own fault that we obtained nothing in return for our valuable
presents. A number of our visitors were induced to descend
to the captain’s cabin, where, as lunch was going on, they
readily partook of the edibles, and made themselves quite
at home. Captain Bullock good-naturedly cut off the tassels
from his cushions, which were immediately transferred to
the hair of the native beauties. After going about the
ship, and conducting themselves with the greatest propriety,
they returned to the village. A little incident struck me as
worth recording. One of the men passing the ward-room
sky-light, where some of the officers were at. lunch, looked
down, and lingered, when he was pulled away gently by
another man who was with him. It was a slight movement,
but Chinamen would have remained and stared till their

On. VIT.] LANGUAGE OF THE NATIVES. : 113

eyes started from their heads before such native politeness
would have occurred to them.

Mr. Sutton, chief engineer, took his camera off shore, and
succeeded in taking several excellent stereoscopic pictures
of the village and its inhabitants. The people readily
acceded to the desire that they should sit, and several
picturesque groups were formed, some of which were suc-
cessfully fixed by the camera: of course it was very difficult
to keep them all quiet, and impossible to make them com-
prehend the necessity of absolute stillness during the critical
moments. The result, however, was in several instances
very satisfactory.

The attempt to learn some of their words, and to form as
good a vocabulary* of their language as the time would
permit, was met by perfect good will on their part; and
many words, as well as their mode of counting, were
obtained, chiefly from the women, who appeared to take
considerable interest in imparting the information. Con-
_ siderable amusement, too, was excited by our mistakes in
pronunciation, etc., and our efforts elicited a considerable
show of intelligence on their part. We found the women
much more serviceable than the men for this purpose,
chiefly on account of their clear pronunciation, which was
decidedly more distinct than that of the men. In
all cases, the attempt of the women to pronounce -Eng-
lish words was more successful than that of the men.
The word ‘‘flint,” for instance, being given them, a man
would not approach it nearer than plin-iss, while the women
at once said fil-lint. The voice of the women was remark-
ably agreeable, having a plaintiveness and softness which

* This vocabulary will be found in an Appendix at the end of the

volume,
I

114 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. VII.

were really striking, and sometimes sounded more like a
gentle singing than speaking.

We lookéd in vain for any indication of their religious
ideas. Over the door of the village, by which we entered,
some one had stuck a joss-paper, after the manner of the
Chinese, and probably some Chinese had done it, but there
were no joss-houses or temples in the hamlet, nor did we
find any in the houses, though among the poorer Chinese
almost every house has a little altar to the lares in the prin-
cipal room. We inquired as well as we were able of the
inhabitants on this point, but could elicit nothing from
them. Nor could we discover any indication of a written
language.

With regard to their diseases, we had no means of learn-
ing anything of the mortality of the village. One young
woman appeared to be recovering from small-pox, and one
old woman was covered with a skin disease, which gave her
a leprous appearance, but the people in general were
healthy-looking and physically strong, hardy, and well-made.
We observed no deformities among them, with the exception
of one child of three or four years old, which crawled nimbly
about on its hands and knees, but appeared to be physically
unable to stand or walk. The village may have contained,
at a rough estimate, 250 inhabitants. There were plenty of
children, but old, grey-headed persons were not numerous.

In conclusion, I think it is evident that the race of people
inhabiting this village is distinct from the Chinese. Among
the women, particularly, there was scarcely one who had a
Chinese feature, and their habits and modes of life also differ
considerably. The feet were in no instance bandaged, as is
universally the custom among the neighbouring Chinese.
With regard to the men, it was not always so easy to dis-

Ca, VII.] A SUNKEN ROOK. 118

criminate, although in many, or rather most, instances, the
Kibalan man was bigger and more stalwart, and with a cast
of features superior to that of the Chinese. Some of them
may have been half-castes; but I am of opinion that the
majority of the inhabitants were of pure aboriginal descent,
though how they became separated from the mountain
savages, and the process and reason of their domestication,
Ihave no means of knowing. Their present isolation in
their own special village in a great measure accounts for the
apparent purity of their blood. They were in all respects a
more intelligent and more engaging people than the Chinese
of Formosa, though these latter affect superiority. Thus,
when I inquired of a man in the Chinese village of Sau-o,
who I imagined had a dash of Kibalan in his face, if he
belonged to that race, he replied, “‘ No, I am a man;”’ (that
is, a Chinese, not a foreigner).

On the third day we weighed anchor and stood out of
the harbour; but we had scarcely got in motion when a
bump upon a sunken rock warned us that the dangers of
Sau-o Bay were not yet fully known. The anchor was at
once dropped, and a search made for the rock, which was at
length discovered 12 feet below the surface; but as we, for-
tunately, only drew 123 feet water, and had but little way
on, no damage was done. Had it happened on our entrance
it might have been more serious. This circumstance gave
me, however, more time to inquire into the peculiarities of
the natives of this interesting and little known spot.

12

CHAPTER VIII.
THE ISLANDS NORTH-EAST OF FORMOSA.

Visit of a Chinese Admiral—Ke-lung Island—The Harbour from the Sea—
Pinnacle Island—Craig Island—The Wideawakes ; their Breeding Place
—Geological Structure of Craig Island—Hunt on the Rocks—Grapsi—
Agincourt Island-— Pinnacle Rocks— Hoa-pin-san and Tia-usu— The
Raleigh Rock—The Dredge—Chromodoris—Gigantic Foraminifera—
Further Search—Return to Ke-lung.

On our return from our visit to Sau-o Bay we found that
a Chinese admiral was in the harbour of Ke-lung, his flag-
ship being a gun-boat of British build. An interchange of
civilities took place, and the admiral paid us avisit on board
the ‘‘ Serpent,” accompanied by his interpreter, a young
man who had been engaged by the English at Canton, and
at once recognised a portrait of Captain Bate (who was
killed before Canton) which was hanging in the cabin. The
admiral was a jolly, though spare, elderly man, very pleasant
and affable, and at the same time extremely inquisitive with
regard to everything which he saw on board the English
ship. He was never tired of asking questions, through his
interpreter, about the fittings and tackle of the ‘ Serpent ;”
but was, apparently, more particularly interested in the Arm-
strong guns, which he examined with great care, and the
manipulation of which he watched attentively. He seemed
greatly to covet our two small 20-pounders, and inquired
their value. Being told that they cost 1500 dollars, or

Cx. VITI.} REPORTS OF THE RALEIGH ROCK. 117

1201. each, he at once offered to give that sum, and seemed
disappointed when he was informed that Government pro-
perty could not be disposed of. Having lunched with us
in the cabin he returned to his ship, with many polite
chin-chins, receiving a salute of three guns as he left the
“Serpent.” In the afternoon he quitted Ke-lung, saluting
us with three guns as he passed, having previously sent on
board a present of sweetmeats, and his card on red paper.

Whilst in this part of Formosa it was determined to
search for, and determine the position of, the Raleigh Rock
and Recruit Island, both of which were very doubtfully laid
down on the charts. The Raleigh Rock was supposed to be
seen by H.M.S. “ Raleigh” in 1837, and was afterwards
described by Sir E. Belcher as 90 feet high, perpendicular
on all sides, and covering an area of about 60 feet in diameter.
The ship ‘ Recruit,” in 1861, sighted an island near the
same spot, which was described by the master as about a
mile in extent, and 600 feet high. The ship “ King Lear,”
Captain Croudace, also describes a rock of 90 feet high close
to the same locality, rising very abruptly, and having a small
rock standing erect, like a pillar in ruins, detached from its
north side. The possible existence, therefore, of two or three
large rocks in the track of vessels, in a locality in which the
reckoning was much affected by the Japan stream, was of
sufficient importance to warrant an attempt to clear up the
mystery, especially as Admiral Belcher had not professed to
settle its position, owing to bad weather.

On the 1st June, therefore, we quitted Ke-lung harbour
on the quest, for the second time; for on the first occasion,
four days previously, we encountered such heavy weather on
leaving our shelter, that we were glad to put back with all
speed, and had received no encouragement to quit it again

118 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Ca. VII.

until now. Immediately outside the harbour, Ke-lung Island
is a very striking object, and a fine landmark for the entrance,
from which it is distant only two and a quarter miles. It is
a steep conical rock, rising 580 feet above the level of the
sea. I had no opportunity of landing upon it, and cannot,
therefore, speak with certainty as to its geological structure;
but from its peculiar form, and from the fact that between it
and the mainland there is everywhere 30 to 35 fathoms
water, I should suppose it to be probably volcanic. I more
than once passed within a mile of it, and could see no signs
of sandstone; nor are there any trees upon it, as there are
upon the sandstone shores of the harbour.

Looking back towards Ke-lung, one could not fail to be
struck with the appearance of the coast northward of the
harbour, which consists of a series of ascending strata, dip-
ping south at an angle of 15°, and hollowed at the outcrop
northwards with valleys extending as far as the eye could
reach. The conformity of the lines is very remarkable, and
they are continued at the back of the harbour in the distance ;
but it cannot be observed on the southern side.

Immediately north of Ke-lung we met with a group of
three islands—Pinnacle, Craig, and Agincourt—little, if
ever, visited, and of which no description has been given.
The first of these, Pinnacle Island, is of a remarkable form,
and has received the native name of the Chair-bearers, from
the fact of the outline faintly resembling a Chinese sedan
borne between two men. It is a perfectly bare craggy rock,
with a tall pinnacle at either end, against which the waves
dash furiously, sending the spray a hundred feet high. The
rock was whitened with the excrements of sea-birds, and I
had no opportunity of a close inspection.

On approaching Craig Island great flocks of birds flew

Cu. VIII.) BIRDS OF CRAIG ISLAND. 119

about, making a great noise; and large white patches upon
the hill-side proved, with the aid of a telescope, to be un-
quiet flocks of gulls and tern, in constant movement. On
searching for a landing-place we observed, somewhat to our
surprise, a rude hut, with a piece of blue cloth waving be-
fore it and doing duty for a flag. Seeing one or two human
figures, we at first took them for shipwrecked mariners ; but
we soon discovered that they did not seem anxious to be
relieved from their position, and they ultimately proved to
be two Chinese egg-collectors. In their huts were large
numbers of eggs, but for what purpose they collected them,
how they came upon the island, or how they were to get off
(for they had no kind of boat) was a puzzle, and remained
so, for our Chinese servants could hold no intelligible com-
munication with them.

A tent was pitched on the beach for the purpose of taking
sidereal observations; but I preferred remaining on board
till daylight. The noise and chattering of the birds could
be heard all night, one now and then crossing the ship; and
at dawn I landed and walked through the thick herbage,
laden with dew, to the top of the island. Every here and
there, in a clear patch, a number of wideawakes, differing in
no respect from the wideawakes of Ascension, were seated,
scattered at intervals over the ground. On my approach
they chattered and croaked, and made as though they were
ready to run at me; but thinking better of it, they would
rise with a clumsy fluttering, and take wing. They mostly
perched upon the large overgrown stones, from which they
rose easily ; but if they happened to be upon the herbage they
floundered along, vainly endeavouring to rise, until they
reached the edge of a stone, over which they tumbled, giving
their long wings room for extension. They were pretty

120 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. VIII.

birds, black above and white beneath, face white, beak and
feet black, and tail forked. There were vast numbers of
them, and it would have been easy to have taken with the
hand as many as one wished. On rising, they formed a
thick canopy immediately overhead, darting at our hats, and
almost at our faces; so that we were under the necessity of
holding up sticks and waving them over our heads to keep
them off while we stooped to pick up some eggs. All this
while they made various noises, chattering, croaking, and
barking like a dog.

The nests of these birds were mere depressions in the
ground upon the hill-side; but some of them chose the rocks,
or crept into little clefts which were only just large enough
to admit them. A great many of them had eggs, but I
nowhere found more than one egg in a nest. These eggs
were very variously marked, sometimes brown, speckled with
greenish, in colour like that of a magpie; sometimes uni-
formly speckled with small brownish spots upon a white
ground; while others again had larger blotches about the
big end. They appeared to have been systematically taken
from them, and many of the birds were sitting upon a small
rough piece of rock.

Besides the wideawakes, there was a large number of birds
of another species,-somewhat larger in size and of a blue-
grey and white colour, and these formed the large patches
seen upon the hill-side; but they were wilder than the terns,
and all flew off on our approach. These birds had also eggs,
of a larger size than those of the terns, and blotched with
reddish-black on a white ground.

Besides these there was a small sooty petrel, and a few
gannets (Sula alba) ; and the only bird I observed upon the
island which was not aquatic was a tree-sparrow (Passer

Cu, VIII.] GEOLOGY OF CRAIG ISLAND. 121

montanus). On the rocks by the shore were a number
of dove-coloured birds with white foreheads, of which, how-
ever, I failed to obtain a specimen; nor could I find their
nests and eggs, unless a white egg, like that of a pigeon,
which I found in a crevice, were one of theirs.

The whole of Craig Island is a mass of trachytic lava,
broken up into smallish rough masses, even to the very
summit. These being more or less covered with grass,
rendered walking over it very difficult. The blocks upon
the sea-shore are very large, and piled up in picturesque con-
fusion. On the eastern side is a series of magnificent lofty
pinnacles, or aiguilles, perforated below, and thus forming
beautiful natural arches, which are grand and imposing
objects seen from the beach. These pinnacles appear to be
portions of a trap-dyke running out into the sea. The
surface of the island is somewhat disintegrated, and a poor
soil is formed, upon which a large number of herbs are
growing ; but there are no shrubs or trees. The herbs con-
sist principally of a succulent Saxifrage and a species of sea-
cabbage (Brassica), with pink flowers; but there is no incon-
siderable variety of vegetation.

On a sandy part of the shore, where the tent was pitched,
we found a number of large centipedes by scraping up the
sand and lifting up the stones; there were also ants, and a
few hemipterous insects, and cockroaches (Blatte). I also
found in other parts of the island green beetles (Euchlora),
like our rose-beetles. A ramble among the great blocks of
trachyte strewing the beach did not yield much, although
the rock-pools formed exquisite aquaria, in which were
tunicates, sea-anemones bearing a close resemblance to our
Actinia bellis, rock-fish, and some sea-weeds which seemed
of a brilliant blue while under water, but when taken out lost

122 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. VIII.

all their colour. Fine specimens of the barnacle, Pollicipes
mitella, were wedged in clefts of the rocks; and running
about hither and thither upon them were numerous active
crabs, of the genus Grapsus, which are more or less charac-
teristic of all tropical islands. They are somewhat quadri-
lateral in form, and have a flattened aspect, and are so wary
that it is a most difficult task to capture them, more par-
ticularly as they are always found upon irregular, and often
smooth rocks, over which they run with great velocity, in
places where it is impossible for their pursuers to find a foot-
ing. The first pair of legs is short, curved, and spinous the
other pairs usually more or less compressed, and hairy to
the extremity. With these they hold securely to the most
slippery surfaces. The most generally distributed species
is one (G. strigosus) ornamented with long wavy lines of
red and orange, and a very beautifully marked animal. Their
cast shells of all sizes strew the rocks in all directions,
and are scarcely distinguishable from the living animals,
except that, perhaps, the tints are less vivid than those of
the living ones. When taken up, however, they fall to
pieces, unless great care is used. It was amusing to watch
the Grapsi, which always seemed to know when they were at
a safe distance, and then did not. trouble themselves to
move ; but stir a foot, and they would scuttle away in all
directions, and, if closely pursued, escape into crevices, or
down gullies between the rocks, where it was impossible to
follow them. I have seen these crabs not only move up and
down nearly perpendicular surfaces, when undisturbed, but
leap sideways over crevices several inches wide, a feat which
they performed with singularly little effort, and so rapidly as
scarcely to attract observation.

But my time was too limited to allow of my doing more

Cu. VIII.) AGINCOURT ISLAND. 123

than take a cursory view, and note the characteristic pro-
ductions of the shore, when I was summoned to rejoin the
ship, or be left, Robinson Crusoe-like, upon the island.
My towing-net from the ship, however, meantime yielded a
number of the little oceanic crabs with spiked carapace
(Lupea pelagica).

Agincourt, the third island of this group, presents a re-
markable appearance from the numerous caves in its sides,
which are visible from a considerable distance, and its
structure on a near inspection is easily discernible. The
island is formed of a rounded hill of sandstone, with several
smoothly worn eminences, and traversed from end to end by
an enormous dyke of trappean rock. This dyke, best seen
on the north side, is broad and nearly level, terminating in
an abrupt precipice on the left, and gently sloping towards
the sea on the right. It cuts off a small portion of the sand-
stone rock from the main mass, and in this portion are two
conspicuous caves, finely and spaciously arched at the en-
trance, but apparently not penetrating very far back. There
are no less than six caverns in the sides of this island; nor
are they all confined to the soft sandstone, for while two of
them are in the sandstone of the north side, and two in the
sandstone of the south side, the remaining two are situated
in the abrupt face of the trap cliff on the eastern side of the
island. In all the sandstone caverns the arches were broad,
sweeping, and symmetrical; but in those of the trap they
were lofty and irregular in form, and quite distinct in
character from the rest.

On the west side is a poor village, or hamlet, whose in-
habitants we could see watching us; and this accounted for
the fact that the highest part of the island was under culti-
vation, and also for the absence of the numerous birds which

124 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. VIII.

characterised the neighbouring Craig Island. Agincourt was
covered more or less with vegetation; but there were no
trees, and only a poor apology for shrubs. The sea in the
immediate neighbourhood of this group has a general depth
of rather more than 100 fathoms.

About 75 miles to the E.N.E. of Agincourt is the second
group of islands, consisting of Hoa-pin-san, Tia-usu, and
the Pinnacle Rocks, the last consisting of several distinct
islets, and forming, with Hoa-pin-san, one group. Hoa-
pin-san is composed of trappean rocks, with a bold outline,
and rising nearly 1200 feet above the sea; while the Pin-
nacle Rocks well deserve their name, from the remarkable
forms which the most elevated and prominent of them
assume, and which look like buildings, lighthouses, &c. I
did not approach them near enough to ascertain their struc-
ture; but Sir Edward Belcher * says, with great probability,
that they are masses of grey columnar basalt, upheaved and
subsequently ruptured, and rising suddenly into needle-
shaped pinnacles, which are apparently ready for disintegra-
tion by the first disturbing cause, either gales of wind or
earthquakes. ‘'Tia-usu also is composed of huge boulders of
a greenish porphyritic stone, probably a basalt, cemented by
coralline and amygdaloidal matter.

On none of the islands of this group are there any trees
or shrubs—they have a rocky and desolate appearance, only
relieved by the multitude of birds which darkened the waters
around by their vast flocks, as they sought their resting-
places towards sunset. The islands, too, are more or less
whitened by their deposits. The soundings around this
group reach 80 fathoms.

In the night we sighted at eight miles distance a rock,

* Voyage of the Samarang, vol. i. near the end.

Ca. VIII.) CONTENTS OF THE DREDGE. 125

which seemed to be that of which we were in search; and,
steaming up, we lay off near it till morning. It then ap-
peared as a large irregular precipitous rock, about 600 feet
long, and rising 280 feet high, with a reef at either end—
covered with sea-birds, and whitened with guano, which ran
down over the ledges in long streaming festoons, giving the
rock a very singular appearance. Great numbers of gannet
(Sula alba) were flying around, and it appeared that they
were the principal inhabitants.

The sea was unfortunately not smooth enough to enable
us to effect a landing; but as the ship was drifting a short
distance off to allow of taking observations, I put down the
dredge in about 60 fathoms. It came up richly laden with
sponges, delicate branching corals, and Gorgonie of the
richest colours—yellow, red, green, brown, &c.—zoophytes,
tunicates, small shells, Ophiure, &c.—a very embarras de
richesses; but the most interesting haul I had ever seen.
There were several pretty little feather-stars (Comatule), a
little nymphon, or sea-spider, and, within the sponges, small
crabs had their habitations.* It took a long time to search
through the contents of the dredge ; and so numerous were
the species of animals, that, unassisted as I was, it was
perfectly vain to think of doing more than select the most
interesting for examination. In the midst of this mass of
coral débris, I found a magnificent Nudibranch of a new
species, but probably belonging to the genus Chromodoris.
It was nearly three inches long, translucent, of a deep ame-
thystine tint about the head, shading into reddish upon the
back; all round the mantle was an edging of opaque white,
while the laminated tentacles and leaf-like gills on the back

* These crabs constitute a new genus, which Mr. Spence Bate has named
Spongecetor.

126 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Ca, VIII.

were of a rich orange-yellow colour. A more splendid ani-
mal I had never seen, even among this surpassingly beautiful
family ; and notwithstanding the unenviable position from
which I rescued it, it became quite lively when placed by
itself in sea water. It was active and graceful, and lived
several days, giving me time to describe and figure it;
after which, I gave the little creature an honourable posi-
tion in a series of bottles which contained my scientific
novelties.

At the same spot, there came up in the dredge some
curious round bodies, which might have been taken for
small oyster-shells, but which were in reality of far greater
interest. These were members of the family of Fora-
minifera—lowly organized creatures, for the most part
microscopic, but which in this case were possessed of a very
definite size. The greater part of these were Orbitolites,—
round, button-like, flattened shells, of a most remarkable
symmetrical structure, which has been admirably elucidated
by Dr. Carpenter. They were 4 inch in diameter for the
most part, and quite white. They consist of a concentric
series of alternating cells or chambers, directly communi-
cating laterally, and indirectly in a radiating manner. This
regularly-constructed calcareous framework is built up by,
and is filled with, a sarcodic substance which sends out
stolons through all the canals, and ultimately passes out in
filaments through a series of pores along the margin, which
filaments have the functions of prehension and locomotion
combined. :

But besides these comparatively well-known forms of
- Foraminifera, there were others which are at the same time
among the rarest, and are the giants of their tribe. These
belong to the genus Cycloclypeus, and became known by

Cx, VIII.) LOSS OF THE DREDGE, 127

some specimens dredged by Sir E. Belcher off the coast of
Borneo. These specimens measured in some instances
24 inches in diameter, and some of them are in the British
Museum. It is interesting to observe the spread of this
form fully 20° further north, in the N.W. corner of the Pacific
—for one of these great Foraminifera, 1} inch in diameter,
I found off the Raleigh Rock. Its edges were somewhat
broken, by being crushed up in the dredge; but what was
very remarkable was that it bore evident marks of having
undergone severe fracture in an earlier stage of its existence,
which it had patched up, and in process of growth had
become quite round and orbicular once more. In Cyclo-
clypeus there is a great advance upon the simple structure
of Orbitolites, though in outward appearance they closely
resemble one another; but the cells which enter into the
construction of Cycloclypeus, instead of being closely con-
nected with one another, are singularly isolated, while the
shelly covering is wonderfully elaborate, as may be seen by
referring to Dr. Carpenter’s figures in the Philosophical
Transactions (1856).

Notwithstanding that I had already more material than I
could possibly manage, I was anxious to accumulate more
riches, and hoped to make more discoveries, and the dredge
was again dropped overboard, while the examination of the
first mass was continued. At length it was drawn up, and
full of expectation I looked over the side, but alas! the
handle alone came to the surface, with one scraping side
still attached, but bent nearly double. It had caught
against a rock, and unfortunately not being a dredge of the
self-disengaging kind, a lurch of the ship had torn it in
halves, and left frame, net, and contents at the bottom of the
sea. I had no other dredge at hand, and it was impossible to

128 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. VIII.

replace it then and there; and had therefore for the present
to content myself with the towing-net, which yielded a
number of minute banded fishes, Meduse, Sagitte, and the
Pteropods Cleodora and Hyalea.

Having fixed the position of the Raleigh Rock, we then
went in search of Recruit Island, or any other similar ob-
ject which could have given rise to the descriptions of a
rock 90 feet high, and standing on a base of 60 feet, looking
from a distance ‘‘ like a junk under sail.” But although we
went ten miles further east, and searched carefully over the
position assigned in the Admiralty charts—Belcher’s, the
Raleigh’s, Croudace’s, Horsburgh’s, and Lyall’s—we failed
in finding any sign of an island or rock; and the conclusion
was forced upon us that the island I have described was at
once the Raleigh Rock and Recruit Island ; and this object,
whose very existence had become somewhat mythical, had
now taken, and would henceforth keep, a definite and
authentic position upon the map of the North Pacific.

An uniform depth of 70 to 80 fathoms existed everywhere
around the Raleigh Rock, and the lead constantly brought
up sand, foraminifera, shells and echinus’ spines. The
object of this excursion being now accomplished, we returned
once more to Ke-lung harbour; but only to make prepara-
tions for finally quitting it for the Chinese coast.

CHAPTER IX.

HAITAN STRAITS AND COAST OF CHINA,

Red Discoloration of the Sea—Haitan Island and Straits—Middle Island—
New Anemone— Black Islet—Its Fauna and Flora—Chinese Pirates—
Rumbling Fish—Slut Island—New Nudibranchs—lIridescent Seaweed—
Trigger-Shrimp — Comatula—The River Min— Pagoda Anchorage —
Chinese Pagodas—Shwin-gan Passage —Luminous Sea—Plague of Flies—
Insects at Sea—Wosung River—Shanghai.

On June 22nd we crossed the Formosa channel for Haitan
Straits on the Chinese coast. The only noticeable occur-
rence on the passage was a remarkable discoloration of the
water—for once of a red colour. The seq swarmed with
vast numbers of small gelatinous worms, about half an inch
in length, and of a pinkish colour, which accumulated under
the sides of the ship in immense quantities, as she drifted
for current in mid-channel. The towing-net brought them
up in solid masses of red jelly, and when placed in a basin
they swam about with great activity and with a vermicular
movement. This was, with one exception, the only occa-
sion on which I observed a red discoloration of the sea. In
the other case, when between Aden and Galle, the water
appeared in many places to be alive with myriads of minute
crustacea, which formed reddish patches; and when the
sun shone upon the sea they could be discerned from the
ship’s side darting rapidly about below the surface.

The following morning at daybreak we sighted Haitan

Island, and coasted along it for some time southwards.
K

140 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. IX.

This island, as well as the adjacent coast, presented a most
barren and desolate aspect, and consisted of perfectly bare
rocks, apparently of whinstone, descending smoothly to the
water’s ‘edge, interspersed here and there with sandy
patches and conical hills of sand. A few houses were visi-
ble, and attempts at terraced cultivation, but no trees or
shrubs were anywhere to be seen. The coast of China is
for the most part no less uninviting than that here de-
scribed, being usually wild, rugged, and barren.

Entering the Straits at the south end we passed through
a maze of small islets, between Haitan Island and the
mainland, which all partook more or less of the same
character.

Two of these small islands, which I had an opportunity
of exploring, were types of the rest. The first of them,
called Middle Island, was formed of rugged granite rocks
promiscuously heaped together, the upper part being much
disintegrated and formed into a barren soil. A pair of
oyster-catchers (Hematopus) inhabited the island, and were
very tame. Two species of Coccinella and Epilachnia
(ladybirds), one of them identical with our common seven-
spotted ladybird, and some small Hemiptera were all the
insects which rewarded my search, and a broken Helix of
small size alone represented the land-shells. The rocks,
even above high-water mark, were thickly covered with a
small and very prickly oyster (Ostrea spinosa), and in the
clefts grew the large barnacle, Pollicipes mitella. A few
Purpure seemed the only living mollusks; and in a sandy
bay a number of small and exceedingly swift-running crabs
(Ocypoda) seudded along, and eluded pursuit in the most
provoking manner, suddenly changing their course and run-
ning the opposite way, without turning, and then darting

Cu. IX.] FAUNA OF MIDDLE ISLAND. 131

like lightning into a hole in the sand, which they had already
prepared. Besides these there was nothing more to be no-
ticed, with the exception of a very elegant anemone (Sagartia),
of a new species, which I afterwards found to be extensively
distributed over the islands in these Straits. It was of a
small size, adhering firmly to rough stones, and very prettily
marked with a close vertical series of hair-like streaks,
which, when the animal was expanded, ran parallel from
mouth to base. These lines are variable, and give consider-
able variety of appearance to the individual zoophytes.
The greater number, and usually the broader lines, were
olive-green, or greenish brown, and this may be called the
body-colour, and these are alternated with dull white, and,
at regular intervals, a streak of vermilion or yellow, perhaps
twelve vermilion streaks altogether. In some specimens
the white streaks were replaced by yellow, while in others
the colour was a uniform olive, with about a. dozen delicate
hair-like streaks of vermilion or orange placed at regular
intervals.

The other island, called Black Islet, was a small spot,
about a furlong in length, consisting of a mass of granite
broken up and much disintegrated—all the upper part being
a soil of coarse quartz sand. It was within sight of the
last, but the rocks were perfectly smooth (except for a few
small barnacles), and had not a single prickly oyster grow-
ing upon them. Here, however, were abundance of Ligie,
but the tide was too high to allow of my exploring low down.
I therefore devoted the hour at my disposal to the higher
parts of the islet ; and considering its small size, the variety
of its Fauna and Flora was remarkable. The Fauna was
composed chiefly of insects—three species of dragon-fly
(Libellula), a grasshopper, a small spider of the genus

K 2

132 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. IX.

Acrosoma, two or three species of Microlepidoptera, some
two-winged flies, ladybirds (red with black spots), a little
hemipterous insect, and a small beetle (Opatrum), whose
habitat was on the sandy beach. There were also some
terns flying about the island.

The Flora consisted of 32 plants, viz. three Cryptogams
(a fern, and two lichens), and 29 Phanerogamous plants, of
which 16 were in flower, and belonged to the following
genera :—Rumex, Oxalis, Rubus, Statice, Aster, Atriplex,
Saxifraga, Sonchus, Silene, Arenaria, Vicia, Lathyrus,
Allium, and Mesembryanthemum. Besides these, there
was a thistle (Cnicus), a dwarf acacia, a Juncus, a grass
(Poa), a Soldanella, a crucifer with long pod, and a small
suffruticose Juniper.

All the islands in Haitan Straits are of volcanic struc-
ture, and present several picturesque points—as the Pillar
Rock, a lofty rectangular mass of stone of imposing ap-
pearance, and Junk-Sail Island, which at a distance well
bears out its name.

We were detained in these Straits for about a week by
bad weather, which amounted to a typhoon outside. During
this period numerous junks sailed through, some of them
having a very suspicious appearance, and such as a be-
calmed merchantman would hardly like to meet; for not-
withstanding the active services of our gunboats in the
suppression of piracy, “‘pylong pidgin” flourishes when
occasion offers. So recently as May, 1865, the “ Formby”
British ship, becalmed off Cape Padaran, was surrounded
by 15 piratical junks, which suddenly hoisting a red flag,
made an attack which would probably have proved success-
ful, had not a fortunate breeze sprung up, which enabled
the ‘‘ Formby,” after defending itself for some time, to get

Cu. IX.] CHINESE PIRACY. 133

away from its persecutors, who then reluctantly gave up
the attack. About the same time, the bark “Ruby” was
attacked by pirates, also near the above locality, and having
no means of defending themselves, the captain, with his
daughter, who was on board, and the crew, got into their
boats on one side of the ship at the same moment that the
pirates boarded on the other side. Fortunately they were
not regarded, the miscreants betaking themselves to plun-
dering the ship, which they did most effectually, tearing up
the boards and otherwise damaging her, while the crew were
left unmolested. The pirates afterwards abandoned the
vessel, which was found derelict by a Hamburg barque, and |
taken into Saigon. Meanwhile the captain and crew, after
having been several days in the boat, were picked up by a
French gunboat, and taken also into Saigon, where the first
object that met their eyes was the lost vessel safe in the
harbour. Wreckers, too, turn up in a wonderfully short
time, when there is anything to plunder ;. and some months
subsequently to our visit, a British barque, the ‘‘ Fanny,”
having been abandoned at the north entrance of these
Straits, was boarded and looted; while the crew, who had
taken refuge on Slut Island which we had found deserted,
were then set upon, and robbed of the little they had
managed to save.

In order to protect shipping, and to assist in putting
down Chinese piracy-with a strong hand, it was, not long
since, announced that certain new gun-boats were to be built
to reinforce the China squadron, and a’ number of officers
were to be sent out. Itis.to be doubted, however, whether
our active interference with an evil whose root lay in the
Government of China, is entirely for good. No one who
knows China can doubt that the crying mischief lies at the

134 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. IX.

doors of the mismanagement and indolence of the Court of
Pekin. It is their interest as much as ours that piracy
should cease; nor are we alone among European powers
in suffering inconvenience from the outrages of piratical
ships. Of course the Chinese are willing enough to be
freed from embarrassment by our kind offices; and the
French, Germans, and Americans, whose ships also throng
those seas, would no less benefit by its suppression. But it
has been suggested, with show of reason, that it would be
suicidal to our own interests if we unconditionally render
aid to the Chinese Government, and thus take away their
only motive for actidn, while, at the same time, the expense
of fitting out aggressive gun-boats ought to fall, not only
upon us, but also in fair proportion upon those who will reap
some proportion of the advantage.

When lying at the north entrance of Haitan Straits, I
heard one evening a singular sound, which was attributed to
a fish—whether rightly or wrongly I had not the means of
ascertaining. It was a loud rumbling noise, which at one
time might have been taken for the distant roar of the sea,
at another, for the singing of a kettle. When once atten-
tion was called to it, it appeared very distinct and loud, but
it was of that monotonous nature that it might have re-
mained unnoticed for a considerable:time. It was most
observable on the starboard side of the ship, and.in the
cabin. The scuttles were closed, however, and on deck I
failed to hear it. I listened long to it, hoping to find
some explanation? but could only suppose it might
have been produced by some fish, or other animal,
under, or against the side of the ship. The sound became
louder and fainter at intervals, and finally it ceased by
imperceptible degrees.

Ou. IX.] SLUT ISLAND. 135

Between us and the mainland was a small island (Slut
Island), which I visited several times, and found productive
of many interesting species. The island itself appeared
from the ship to be highly cultivated, a series of green ter-
races extending nearly along the whole length; but a nearer
approach showed the terraces to be covered with rank grass,
and at the foot of them a ruined village, the bare walls of
which were thickly overgrown with coarse vegetation. Two
or three men, who were employing themselves in picking up
what edible articles they could find on the beach, assured me
that the inhabitants had voluntarily deserted it; but it had
all the appearance of a pirate village, which had been
destroyed by fire and sword. And, indeed, its situation was
most favourable for such lawless pursuits. The men had
taken possession of a joss-house, which was in pretty good
preservation, and contained, among other figures, some of a
frightfully diabolical character, which, however, did not
appear to deter the Chinamen from cooking their shell-fish
in their immediate presence, and under their influence.

Upon the stony shore at low water were shells of the
genera Turbo, Ranella, Murex, Oliva, &c. Large purple
Echini, and a few inconspicuous star-fishes, represented
the Echinoderms; and the little striped Sagartia before
described was here pretty numerous. Among my trophies
also was a Virgularia about six inches long, closely resembling
V. mirabilis. "On one shore-excursion I was so fortunate as
to find four new species of Nudibranchiata. The first of
these was a Doris with a rich chrome border, and large,
circular, raised carmine spots scattered over the back, giving
it a very striking appearance. It was a small animal, and
I found but one specimen, and this makes it the more
remarkable that I should have rediscovered the species

136 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Ca. IX.

afterwards on the shores of Labuan. The second species
was also a Doris, twice the size of the last, bright yellow
bordered with mauve. The third was a Doridopsis, nearly
two inches in length, of a rich velvety brown, with capacious
branchial leaves upon the back; and the fourth was a small
and elegant species, probably of Plocamophorus, but, like
the other three, undescribed.

A very beautiful seaweed, a species of Valonia, grew in
the rock-pools of this island. It was small in size, and, seen
beneath the water, had a most splendid glossy green appear-
ance, which might with truth be described as luminous,
strongly calling to mind the extraordinary moss, Schisto-
stegia, which is found in the caves of North Lancashire.
This moss when brought out of the cave loses its brilliant
appearance, and similarly the Slut Island seaweed entirely
lost its peculiar golden aspect when taken out of the water.

Among other animals which I brought from the shore was
a small shrimp, a new species of the genus Alpheus, of a
deep violet colour, and with a claw of very remarkable con-
struction. I placed it in a basin of water with a small crab,
whose presence appeared violently to offend it. Whenever
the crab came in contact with the shrimp, the latter produced
a loud sound, as though some one had given the basin
a sharp tap with the finger-nail. During the night we were
frequently startled by this sound, the explanation of which
was as follows. The shrimp possessed two chele or claws—
one, the right, a large and stout one, and the left one long
and slender. When irritated it opened the pincers of the
large claw very wide, and then suddenly closed them with a
startling jerk. When the claw was in contact with the
bottom of the basin, a sound was produced as though the
basin were smartly struck; but when the claw was elevated

Cu. TX.) TRIGGER-SHRIMP. COMATULA. 137

in the water, the sound was like a snap of the finger, and
the water was splashed in my face. The appearance of the
claw during the operation reminded one forcibly of a trigger.
The pincers opened slowly, till they gaped very widely, and
when they had opened to their fullest extent, they closed
instantaneously, as though with a spring, like the trigger of
a pistol. If the pincers were not opened to their fullest
extent, however, they closed gently and without noise.
Other, and probably new species of this curious genus of
Crustacea I afterwards met with at Labuan; and I also took
specimens at Singapore, where they were full of spawn in
the early part of April. The peculiar clicking apparatus,
although deserving of remark, is by no means unusual, and
is shared by another genus, Alope.

A beautiful banded Comatula, or feather-star, came up with

FES
a
a\

Comatula.

the anchor, which, however, was sufficiently simple in its form
to allow of its being depicted with tolerable accuracy before

138 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. IX.

it performed its usual suicidal operations. These singular
animals were usually of so complicated a form as to defy any
attempt at drawing them with a satisfactory or useful
result ; and they were at the same time so perishable, that
no means of preserving them could be found. If placed in
fluid they discharged all their colour into it, and became so
brittle as to break up into minute fragments; and if dried,
they became of an uniform blackness, and were inevitably
broken more or less in the process.

The weather having at length cleared, and our surveying
operations being completed, we quitted Haitan Straits on
the 2nd July, and steering northward, lay off the White Dog
Island for the night. A curious effect presented itself as we
approached the mouth of the river Min on the following day,
in the sudden change of colour of the water. About two or
three miles from the coast, and parallel with it, ran a long
and well-defined line, stretching as far as the eye could reach,
the outer side of which was distinguished by the greenish
tinge of sea-water near shore, while on the landward side
were the yellow turbid waters charged with the mud brought
down by the river Min. The line of demarcation might have
been drawn with a ruler, and a single step would have suf-
ficed to cross it.

As we were anchored off Woga Point, in the mouth of the
river, and lay there a day or two in order to procure fresh
provisions, I took the opportunity of ascending the river as
far as Pagoda Anchorage, about 10 miles short of Foo-chow-
foo. This is a very picturesque excursion : lofty hills arise
on either side nearly all the way, their slopes sweeping
boldly to the water’s edge, and terraced for cultivation often
to the very summit. The soil, however, is naturally barren,
the hills being of a dark stone, and in many places quarried,

Cu. TX.] THE RIVER MIN. 139

extensive bare patches being not unfrequent, conspicuous
from the absence of herbage upon them, and glistening
with the moisture which trickled over them. These rocks
often sloped in smooth tables to the river’s bank, and
in one spot assumed a remarkable form, known to the
Chinese as the Mandarin’s leg. This is a block of stone
projecting from the smooth hillside in bas relief, and in one
aspect bearing a singular resemblance to a gigantic human
leg and foot, placed obliquely, the toe touching the water as
though kicking it. It is said that at this spot the influence
of the salt water ceases. Near Pagoda Anchorage a light-
coloured rock juts out on the left bank, formed entirely of
soapstone. It descends sheer down into the river, the lower
part being soft and disintegrated, and mottled with yellow
and flesh-colour, and the general texture that of softish
sandstone, but with veins of a substance more resembling
the ornamental soapstone. Many ornaments, in the form
of pagodas, &c.,.are made of this stone, and are sold in the
neighbourhood at a very low price.

At Kwan-tau a great many junks were anchored, and also
at Tin-tac; and we passed many large pole-boats, as they
are termed, laden with spars attached to their outsides.
These “sticks,” such as are used for large junks, are often
of very great size, and weigh sometimes no less than ten
tons, the mainmast of our own ship scarcely exceeding five.

Chinese forts are numerous on the river’s banks: from one
spot at least four were visible, consisting of stone embrasures,
with large guns, usually eight-inch, peeping through them,
their muzzles painted with red-lead, and protected from the
weather by a wooden frame. Some of these forts mounted
80 guns, others only about a dozen; some were very con-
spicuous, others masked with herbage. A small island in

140 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cr. IX.

the stream bristled with fortifications and guns; but it was
evidently a very old and tumbledown affair, more picturesque
than useful.

Pagoda Anchorage receives its name from a stone pagoda
built upon Losing Island, in a broad reach of the river, near
which is the town of Mingi, a busy spot, inasmuch as it is
the emporium which carries on business between Foo-chow
and the shipping at the anchorage. The Pagoda is pictu-
resquely situated, rising above trees and terraced houses,
50 that four storeys are visible, of a dark grey or brown
colour and of rather heavy proportions. This perhaps arises
from the fact that the top storey was wantonly destroyed
some years since by some sailors of a man-of-war, so that it
naturally has an imperfect and unfinished appearance. Not
very far from the spot a second pagoda may be seen from
the river, up one of the vistas between the hills. That these
pagodas have some religious meaning I think cannot admit
of a doubt, notwithstanding that a Chinaman, when I ques-
tioned him, laughingly denied that they had anything to do
with “joss pidgin.” But anyone who has mixed with the
Chinese soon discovers two peculiarities in their character,
viz., first, that they will laugh off any inquiry or reference
to their religious customs or superstitious belief, as though
it were not worthy of discussion, or too ridiculous to be
mentioned ; and secondly, that it is impossible to get any
satisfactory answer to rational inquiry into their own man-
ners, customs, politics, or history. I never heard of any
reliable information being obtained from a Chinaman upon
such points in a general way ; and it is only those who have
long lived among them, and have mastered not only their
character but also their language, who can place the least
confidence in the statements made by them.

Cu. IX.] SHWIN-GAN PASSAGE. 141

From what I could gather concerning pagodas, however,
they were decidedly of a religious or superstitious origin.
All the country round which can be seen from the top of one
of these structures is supposed to be blessed with fertility,
and the higher, therefore, and the more imposing the build-
ing, the greater would be the extent of rich and fertile
district ; and I have been informed that the inhabitants of
all the villages of a given neighbourhood united their means
in order to cause a respectable pagoda to be constructed,
which should thus bring a common blessing upon them all.
Nine storeys, however, seem to be a favourite number, and
most pagodas appear to be of greater or less antiquity. At
the anchorage rode about 30 vessels of all nations, among
which several Americans were conspicuously dressed out
with flags, it being the 4th July.

We returned to the ship the same night, narrowly missing
it in the dark owing to the extraordinarily rapid tide which
flowed out, and against which pulling would have been of no
avail; and the next day we left our anchorage at the mouth
of the Min, and, crossing the remarkable tidal line before
mentioned, made for the Incog. Islands, about which some
surveying operations were attempted ; but a strong north-
east wind drove us off the ground.

The coast of China, though barren and desolate, is not
without picturesqueness. The numerous islands which are
clustered along nearly its whole extent are seldom visited by
European ships, partly because they have ever been the
nests of pirates, and also because the navigation would be
far too intricate to be of advantage. A good idea of their
character was gained by passing through the Shwin-gan
Passage, in which the islands assumed a comparatively fer-
tile aspect, being green and dotted with trees, the ground

142 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. IX.

broken and hilly, with here and there a few bullocks grazing.
It was like steaming along a pleasant lake, with just water
enough to float the ship. One or two large villages lay at
the base of the hills, the occupation of whose inhabitants
was denoted by the numerous large triangular nets which
lay spread.out upon the slopes, and were visible, from their
numbers, for a considerable distance. The narrow exit was
staked for fishing purposes ; but we managed to pass through
a small gap without injuring them. The numerous cuttle-
bones floating outside were probably indications of the same
thing, for they use these animals largely as bait; and beside
them were Physaliz, Velelle, and other marine animals.

This night was one of the most wild and weird-looking
that I ever witnessed. ‘There was no moon, and it was very
dark; but the sea was highly luminous, every wave breaking
with a pale light, which rendered it visible at a considerable
distance, so that the whole sea was streaked with unearthly
fire, and the ship was enveloped in a sort of luminous sheath.
Vivid lightning flashed incessantly all around, momentarily
rendering the scene more strikingly wild; and the ship
rolled all the time so violently that it was almost impossible
to walk the deck. The combination of effects produced a
mingled feeling of awe and delight, and realised the wild
dreams embodied in some passages of Dante or illustrations
of Doré.

Far out to sea we came upon some small open boats,
which one would have thought only fit for crossing a ferry,
and in which some Chinamen were tending an extensive
series of floating nets, extending from one-half to three-
fourths of a mile in length. The industry and enterprise
of these people were strikingly exhibited, and a feeling of
surprise and admiration was excited by the extent of their

Cu. IX.] INSECTS AT SEA. 143

operations, and the boldness with which they carried them
out.

It was here, when we had stood out some 30 miles from
the land, that a plague of flies overtook us. The cabin was
so full of them that the rafters were blackened. Common
black house-flies, for the most part, with, however, a good
sprinkling of large green flies. Where they could have
come from was amystery; but they were a terrible nuisance,
and although we swept off hundreds in a butterfly net, their
numbers did not appear to be sensibly diminished.

Another singular circumstance was, that although no
land was in sight, large dragon-flies repeatedly flew across
the ship ; and I observed a large dark butterfly flit across in
the direction of the land, without stopping to rest on the
ship. At this time the nearest land was the Chusan Islands,
fully 30 miles distant. It is by no means an uncommon
circumstance to see butterflies launch themselves off one
shore for a short aérial excursion to the opposite shore, half
a mile ora mile distant, without the least hesitation; and
when anchored in such a harbour, as at Ke-lung, they were
constantly flying through the rigging so rapidly that it was
impossible to catch them, for they never rested upon the
ship. Under these circumstances, they usually fly low, in
a straight line, and near the water.

Soon after passing through the Fisherman’s Group of
islands, the discoloured yellow and muddy water announced
that we were approaching the embouchure of one of the
great rivers of the world, the Yang-tze-kiang. The entrance
is anything but imposing, the coast being perfectly flat, only
relieved by a few trees and sheep dotting the landscape.
The delta at-its mouth consists of three islands, the pas-
sages between which are closing up, so that they will ulti-

144 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. TX.

mately become one. But we had not much to do with the
great river, the broad vista of which we saw in perspective
before us, between the boundary marks of its low mud-banks
—but, turning to the left hand, we passed into the Wo-sung
river, upon which the city of Shanghai is situated. At its
entrance are the remains of a fort or battery of 1380 guns—
the long line of embrasures, dismantled and in ruins, having
been captured by the English in the late war. Having
passed the port of Wo-sung at the mouth of the river, there
is absolutely nothing to see upon the low banks; and the
only thing which was worthy of attention was a sight only
too common in China: lying on the mud, clothed, just as
he had been cast up by the remorseless stream, was a dead
Chinaman, and over him were standing ravenous dogs, de-
vouring the carcase, and fighting over the unconscious
victim as they would over a bone—the larger driving away
the smaller, and digging his muzzle into the ribs of the
unfortunate corpse. And people were working in the fields
within a stone’s-throw of this disgusting sight!

Presently afterwards we were at anchor at Shanghai. The
hot season had just begun, and the sun’s power was terrific.
And the close, narrow, crowded river seemed stifling after
the free open sea to which we had so long been used. After
a, few days spent in this great northern city, into the charac-
teristics of which I must not enter, I took leave of H. M.S.
“‘ Serpent,” which was ordered north, and retraced my steps
to Hong Kong.

The Waterspout

CHAPTER X.
HONG KONG TO LABUAN.

Atmospheric Phenomena—Fiery Cross Reef—Corals and Coral Fish—A Wade
on the Reef—Marine Animals—Gigantic Anemones—Anemone-inhabit-
ing Fish—Stormy Weather—Waterspout—Aspect of Labuan—Vegetation
—The Jungle—Camphor Trees—The Coal Mines—Workings—Quality
of the Coal—Geological Considerations—Petroleum.

AFTER a rapid passage back through some of the spots
where we had so lately lingered, and which had become so

familiar—and a few days’ preparation in the Anglo-Chinese
colony, we once more quitted Hong Kong, on the 28rd July,
and this time for the south. It being the middle of the
typhoon season, we made the best of our way across the
region in which they might be looked for; and, after a
most enjoyable cruise of nine days, reached the latitude

of 10° N., where we were safe from those scourges of the
L

146 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. X.

China seas. The weather was magnificent—calm and
bright—and although we crossed the path of the sun on the
25th, the heat was not oppressive. Nothing remarkable
occurred; but a succession of clear brilliant days, with
gently undulating seas, and grand piles of cumulus in the
sky, tier upon tier, down to the most distant horizon. At
night, too, the light of the full moon made it almost as
bright as day, and the constellations shone with a brilliancy
only to be seen in these latitudes, the brighter stars like
clear lamps, leaving a trail of light over the smooth sea? I
will not dilate upon the beautiful atmospheric effects which
succeeded each other with never-failing variety; but will
only allude to one circumstance, which struck me as unu-
sual. The sun was going down almost cloudlessly in the
west, when I observed arising from a point in the eastern
horizon, directly opposite the sun, those beautiful radiating
bands of light so commonly noticed around the sun itself,
and popularly known under the expression of the ‘‘sun draw-
ing water.” Their occurrence opposite the sun, however,
struck all whose attention I directed to the phenomenon, as
something novel and unusual.

On the 1st August we anchored at the edge of an ex-
tensive coral reef, marked on the charts as Fiery Cross Reef,
from the circumstance of the ship ‘‘ Fiery Cross” having
been wrecked thereon. The surface of the sea was per-
fectly smooth and glass-like, so that at the depth of 60 or 70
feet we could see the anchor lying at the bottom among
blocks of coral as distinctly as if it had been but six feet from
the surface. Never to be forgotten is my first ramble over
this coral reef on such an afternoon. Taking a boat, with a
couple of rowers, I left the ship and steered in search of the
shallowest portions of the coral-strewn sea. A short row

Cu. X.] THE CORAL REEF. 147

brought us upon a two-fathom patch, over which I allowed
the boat to drift slowly ; and leaning over the side and look-
ing down into the mirror-like sea I could admire at leisure
the wonderful sight, undistorted as it was by the slightest
ripple. Glorious masses of living coral strewed the bot-
tom: immense globular madrepores—vast overhanging mush-
room-shaped expansions, complicated ramifications of inter-
weaving branches, mingled with smaller and more delicate
species—round, finger-shaped, horn-like and umbrella-form—
lay in wondrous confusion; and these painted with every
shade of delicate and brilliant colouring—grass-green, deep
blue, bright yellow, pure white, rich buff, and more sober
brown—altogether forming a kaleidoscopic effect of form and
colour unequalled by anything I had ever beheld. Here and
there was a large clam shell (Chama) wedged in between
masses of coral, the gaping, zigzag mouth covered with the
projecting mantle of the deepest prussian blue; beds of
dark purple, long-spined Echini, and the thick black bodies
_ of sea-cucumbers (Holothuriz) varied the aspect of the sea
bottom. In and out of these coral groves, like gorgeous
birds in a forest of trees, swarm the most beautifully-coloured
and grotesque fishes, some of an intense blue, others bright
red, others yellow, black, salmon-coloured, and every colour
of the rainbow, curiously barred and banded and bearded,
swarming everywhere in little shoals which usually included
the same species, though every moment new species, more
striking than the last, came into view.* Some, like the

* A very distinguished zoological writer, when speaking of a somewhat
similar scene, remarks, ‘‘It is excusable to grow enthusiastic over the infinite
numbers of organic beings with which the sea of the tropics, so prodigal of
life, teems: yet I must confess I think those naturalists who have described,
in well-known words, the submarine grottoes decked with a thousand beauties,
have indulged in rather exuberant language.” ‘With these lines before me, I

L2

148 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. X.

little yellow chetodons, roamed about singly; others, in
large shoals ; some were of considerable size, and seemed to
suck in the little ones like motes in the water; and in an
interval a small shark, about ten feet long, swam leisurely
past. A baited hook hanging over the stern attracted several
species, which nibbled harmlessly at it; while many others
paid no attention to it; and it is somewhat singular that
although I took several, they were all of one out of the
numerous species which were gliding in and out of the
sheltering branches of coral. At the same time, from the
ship, several large fishes, known to the sailors as snappers,
were taken—bright red, with large scales, hard fins, and
several sharp teeth; but, according to usual experience,
these could only be captured in the first half hour or so
after the ship had come to an anchor.

On subsequent occasions a ripple upon the surface of the
water destroyed the great charm of the reef as I have thus
faintly described it. With the aid of the water-glass, however
(a long tube with a thick piece of glass let into the lower end),
this difficulty was in a great measure obviated. The reef
proved to be very extensive; but in most parts not less than
two fathoms under water, and in no part awash. On one of
the shallowest patches, three miles from our anchorage, were
the timbers of a wrecked ship, the ‘‘ Meerschaum,” her iron
stanchions sticking several feet out of the water, and visible
as a landmark for a considerable distance.

Before leaving Fiery Cross Reef, however, I found a tract
ewhich was not more than three or four feet under water, and
cannot alter one word of what I have written. IJ can only say, that although
I do not deny a certain amount of enthusiasm, the scene I witnessed on this
reef fully justifies the language I have used in an attempt to describe it. An

officer of the ship who was with me, but no naturalist, was equally warm in
his expressions of surprise and admiration.

Cu. X.] A WADE ON THE REEF. 149

only sparsely covered with coral. Here, accordingly, having
taken a boat with a couple of Malays, I jumped over-
board, and, in spite of sharks, waded about breast, and
even neck, high. Under the coral blocks were numer-
ous Ricinule, Turbones, Turbonilli, and a few cowries
and small cones, mostly encrusted with Nullipores ; but
nothing remarkable in the way of shells rewarded my
search upon this occasion. Numerous small Tunicates ad-
hered to the stones ; and upon them I also found two species
of Nudibranchiata which I had not previously met with.
One of these was new, perhaps a species of Chromodoris,
and which occurred on no other occasion ; the other, a re-
markably tuberculated animal, having but little of that beauty
of form and colour which distinguishes the family, was per-
haps a variety of the Doris exanthemata of Kelaart, found by
him upon the coasts of Ceylon. I afterwards met with other
specimens of this Doris on the coast of Borneo, where it
attained a magnitude and degree of unsightliness which
astonished me. It was there nearly eight inches long, of an
olive-green colour, adorned with bosses and tubercles, which
rendered it anything but a pleasing object. It was also ex-
tremely slimy; and Kelaart remarks that it is impossible to
preserve this species in spirits, owing to its being semi-
gelatinous and rapidly dissolving when dead. I did not find
this to be the case, however, for all the specimens I found
were readily preserved, and hardened in the spirit. This is
one of the largest Nudibranchs recorded ; but the specimen I
found upon Fiery Cross Reef was only three inches long.
The Malays at once commenced wrenching out the great
clams, which they called chama, avowing that they would
make excellent curry; but when I directed their attention
to the numerous black Holothuriz which lay scattered about

150 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. X.

in profusion, they replied, “‘Chinéman eat Trepang, Ma-
layu no.” I collected some, however, and found upon them
numerous Stilifers. Echinoderms were, however, few. There
were no starfishes; but a delicate, long-spined Echinus
(Calamaris annulata), which moved very nimbly by means
of attenuated suckers, so as to elude capture by creeping
into crevices from which it was impossible to dislodge it
without breaking the tender, barred spines. It was not easy
to touch the spines of this species ever so lightly without
being wounded. Even when carefully approaching them I
have found the spines sticking into my hand; and I was
almost persuaded that they had the power of ejecting some
portion of the spine as a means of defence—a persuasion
which I afterwards found amounted to a belief in the minds
of some who had met with this species upon the reefs at
Labuan, where it also occurs.

There were but few crustacea, and the most interesting
was a new species of the elegant genus Melia, small in size,
and having the carapace tesselated, and delicately painted
with black, red, and yellow. Mr. Spence Bate has named it
M. grossimana.

But by far the most remarkable circumstance I met with
on the Fiery Cross Reef was the discovery of some Actinie of
enormous size, and of habits no less novel than striking.
I observed in a shallow spot a large and beautiful convo-
luted mass, of a deep blue colour, which, situated as it was
in the midst of coloured corals, I at first supposed to be also
a coral. Its singular appearance, however, induced me to
feel it, when the peculiar tenacious touch of a sea-anemone
made me rapidly withdraw my hand, to which adhered some
shreds of its blue tentacles. I then perceived that it was an
immense Actinia, which, when expanded, measured fully

Cx. X.]J FISH-SHELTERING ANEMONE. 151

two feet in diameter. The tentacles were small, simple, and
very numerous, of a deep blue colour; and the margin of
the tentacular ridge was broad and rounded, and folded in
thick convolutions, which concealed the entrance to the
digestive cavity.

While standing in the water, breast high, admiring this
splendid zoophyte, I noticed a very pretty little fish which
hovered in the water close by, and nearly over the anemone.
This fish was six inches long, the head bright orange, and
the body vertically banded with broad rings of opaque white
and orange alternately, three bands of each. As the fish
remained stationary, and did not appear to be alarmed at
my.movements, I made several attempts to catch it; but
it always eluded my efforts—not darting away, however, as
might be expected, but always returning presently to the
same spot. Wandering about in search of shells and
animals, I visited from time to time the place where the
anemone was fixed, and each time, in spite of all my dis-
turbance of it, I found the little fish there also. This sin-
gular persistence of the fish to the same spot, and to the
close vicinity of the great anemone, aroused in me strong
suspicions of the existence of some connection between them.

These suspicions were subsequently verified ; for on the reefs
of Pulo Pappan, near the island of Labuan, in company with
Mr. Low, we met with more than one specimen of this gigantic
sea-anemone, and the fish, so unmistakeable in its appearance
when once seen, again in its neighbourhood. Raking about
with a stick in the body of the anemone, no less than six
fishes of the same species, and of various sizes, were by
degrees dislodged from the cavity of the zoophyte, not swim-
ming away and escaping immediately, but easily secured on
their exit by means of a small hand-net. Thus the con-

152 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. X.

nection existing between the fish and the anemone was
demonstrated, though what is the nature and object of that
connection yet remains to be proved.

There are at least two species of these anemone-inhabiting
fish ; and a second species of the same genus differs from
that just described in having black and cream-coloured
vertical bands, instead of orange and white. Such a fish I
have seen, evidently related to the first-mentioned, living
in a tub which did duty for an aquarium, in the possession
of Mr. Low, at Labuan, and which had been obtained
from what was probably a second species of fish-sheltering
anemone. This fish was remarkably lively and amusing,
and of a disposition I can only describe as knowing; and
lived in good health in this tub for several months—a proof
that the connection between these animals, whatever its
nature, is not absolutely essential for the fish at least.

But the fine weather which permitted such operations
on a submerged coral reef in the centre of the China sea
was not destined to endure much longer, and a strong south-
west monsoon now warned us away from this interesting
spot. For the next week we experienced a series of squalls,
accompanied by heavy rain and otherwise dirty weather;
which well illustrated the difficulty and vicissitudes of the
naturalist’s work on board ship. The living things I had
brought from the reef to draw and examine, move particularly
the more delicate species, were capsized from time to time
by a heavy lurch of the vessel, upsetting the salt water
among papers and drawings, as well as into the colour-box,
which the contracted limits of the cabin often necessarily

‘ brought into dangerous proximity. The rolling motion made
it necessary to suspend operations, and meanwhile the ani-
mals died, or were lost. To write, even, was almost im-

Cx. X.] . THE WATERSPOUT. 153

possible; and to draw or use the microscope quite so, even
if the lively movement of the ship had left the observer in
such a state of bodily comfort as to enable him to continue
work.. But the unstable equilibrium of every article in the
cabin kept the mind constantly in a state of alarm, and the
necessary operation of wearing ship from time to time was
fatal to minute animals and everything that could not be
securely fastened; and when this operation occurred in
the middle of the night, and I heard my glasses, saucers,
microscope, &c., rushing from side to side of the cabin, in
total darkness—every one too busy to attend to my cries for
a lantern—a deluge of rain pouring down outside, my con-
dition may be readily imagined. I gathered up the débris
of Fiery Cross animals; but for a week -all serious work,
even to writing up my diary, had to be suspended; and
every one who has been in similar circumstances knows how
difficult it is to recover time lost in this manner.

For three days and nights we ran through the dangers of
the China sea without sights, and were not sorry at the end
of that time to get a glimpse of the sun and stars, and once
more to verify our position. On the 7th August a succes-
sion of rapid orders upon deck made me look out of my
cabin windows, when the cause was‘visible in the form of a
waterspout, little more than a cable’s length from our
quarter. It had just formed at a distance of not more than
two ships’ lengths astern, and had slowly crossed the vessel’s
wake. The long, black, flexible pipe was clearly defined
upon the murky background, slightly undulating—now
straight, now somewhat serpentine—the broad, funnel-shaped
top descending from a dense cloud, and the terminating point
partially concealed in a whirlpool below. From the upper

‘part, and from the edges of the spout, could be seen the

154 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. X.

water streaming down in torrents; while the sea below was
lashed into foam, and a spiral eddy of turbulent and foaming
water, rising above the level of the sea in the form of an
inverted basket, received the point of the spout.. Ou
the outside of this vortex the waters could be distinctly
seen whirling madly round from left to right, with great
rapidity ; and the whole phenomenon—cloud, spout, vortex,
and all—moved majestically onward, and, having lasted
about five minutes, gradually faded away—a grave and im-
pressive sight, which will not soon be erased from my
memory.*

On the 10th August we approached the low, jungle-covered
shores of the island of Labuan, by no means prepossessing
in appearance. The harbour of Victoria, in the south-east
corner of the island, is thé entrance of a river running a
short course into the interior; and at the anchorage is
situated the Bazaar, a collection of native shops—Malay,
Kling, and Chinese, but chiefly the two latter—and also the
Government offices, wooden shed-like buildings, but little
ornamental, although sufficiently commodious in their in-
ternal arrangements. These, and all the houses of the
European residents, are built upon piles raised five or six
feet above the soil, which is damp and malarious. They
are scattered at intervals over this south-east portion, which
is free from jungle, and in many parts planted with cocoa-
nuts, betels, and other useful trees; while the parts not so
cultivated ‘are swampy, and covered with low bushes of
Melastoma, and fern of a species of Pteris, much resembling
our common Bracken.

“ The engraving at the head of this chapter is from a careful drawing I
made immediately afterwards, from a sketch and memoranda jotted down at
the time,

Cu. X.] JUNGLE-TREES OF LABUAN. 155

Where the ground is most moist two species of Nepenthes
(pitcher plants) occur in abundance—one having a large
mottled cup and lid, and the other a slender pitcher, of a
green colour. In all the drier parts a species of grass
abounds, which becomes a perfect nuisance to the pedestrian,
from the fact that its barbed seeds detach themselves at the
slightest touch and stick into the clothes, particularly if they
be of woollen or flannel, in such profusion as to be very
irritating to the skin. After a walk the feet and legs bristle
like a hedgehog from the innumerable little spears, which,
from some textures, can be best removed by scraping with
the back of a knife; while from other materials they require
to be laboriously extracted one by one, at a great exercise
of patience. The English ladies call it love grass, from its
sticking qualities.

No portion of the island is very elevated; and fhe coun-
try has a desolate appearance, the soil being sandy and
very loose, and the vegetation heath-like. In other parts,
where the jungle has been cleared, a thick tangled under-
growth flourishes; but the few trees left here and there,
having lost the shelter of the jungle, have died, and rear
their naked and giant arms into the air, only adding to the
dreary effect of the scene. In this part of the island the
most agreeable features are the cocoa-nut plantations, and
the Casuarinas which grow by the roadside; but the real
untouched portions of the jungle have a peculiar charm of
their own. The trees in these situations attain truly mag-
nificent proportions; and no more splendid sight of the
kind ever met my eyes than in the midst of the clearance at
the coal workings on the north end of the island. Standing
upon a slight eminence, whichever way we turned our eyes
they were met by an almost impenetrable wall of lofty and

156 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. X.

well-proportioned trees, on the verge of which the axes of
the woodcutters reverberated most musically in the dark
forest depths ; the loud chirp of the cicadas, and the pro-
longed hum or whistle of numerous beetles and other insects,
formed a pleasing accompaniment. Giant camphor trees
(Dryobalanops camphora), Dammar, and other trees, rose
straight and erect to the height of from 150 to 200 feet,
clothed with foliage, or standing dead and dry in the cleared
spots, or sometimes stretched at length upon the ground in
wild confusion. The mere stumps were objects of wonder
for their massiveness, with enormous wings or buttresses,
which required long days of hewing to separate them from
their iron-hard roots, which could be traced tortuously
winding through the soil for sixty yards from the tree, and
even at that distance were as thick as a man’s thigh. Hard,
close-grained, solid timber lay there in profusion, piled trunk
over trunk, the greater part requiring to be slowly and
laboriously burned before it could be finally removed ; while
the tall standing trunks all round towered up sombre and
solemn, awaiting the doom of the axe. Nowhere have I
seen such glorious jungle as in this part of the island of
Labuan.

Many trees of the jungle belong to the natural family of
the Dipterocarpe, a family remarkable for beautiful flowers
no less than for their majestic size, erect trunks, and fine
dense foliage; and not a few yield some kind of balsamic
resin. The form it assumes in the Dryobalanops, or Su-
matra camphor tree, is that of concretions in the crevices
and fissures of the wood, so that it can only be obtained by
cutting down the tree, which, inasmuch as they are often
90 feet high, without a branch, is no small labour. When
felled, the trunk is hewn in pieces, and the camphor found

Cu. X.] , COAL-FIELD OF LABUAN. 157

in clear crystalline masses, and with it an essential oil
known as camphor oil, which is believed by some to be
camphor in an imperfectly formed condition. Although,
however, the oil is artificially crystallised, it does not pro-.
duce camphor of so good a quality as that which is found
already solidified in the cavities of the wood. The camphor
which has already been alluded to as obtained from For-
mosa, has a different source, viz..the Laurus camphora, or.
Camphora officinarum, a tree of the laurel family, in which
wood, branches, and leaves, alike yield camphor by dry dis-
tillation—as it were, a solid evaporable oil. This commer-.
cial camphor is, however, more volatile than the hard
camphor obtained from the Dryobalanops, and its presence
as a vegetable secretion is not confined to the true camphor
laurel, it being also found in other lauraceous plants, espe-
cially cinnamon.

The Dammar trees are Conifere, of the genus Dammara,
yielding a hard and brittle resin, like copal, which is itself
a Dipterocarpous product. A substance similar to Dam-
mar, however, appears to be produced by several kinds of
trees in these forests.

It is in this dense jungle that the mineral wealth of
Labuan so long lay concealed; but the coal crops out so
conspicuously, Jess than half a mile from the sea-shore,
that it is no matter of surprise that it attracted notice. The
district containing the coal-beds is composed for the most.
part of a soft yellow sandstone, which dips 33° N, by E.,
and the coal exists in several seams, of which the largest is
no less than 11 ft. 4 in. in thickness, though the quality of
this seam is by no means so good as that of some thinner.
ones. The coal roof is a stiff blue clay (not a fire-clay), and
beds of shale alternate with the seams. The uppermost,

.

158 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. X.

seam, called No. 1, is 4 ft. 6in. in thickness; the next is
2 ft. 9in.; the third, 3 ft. 9 in.; and the fourth is the
thick seam of 11 ft. 4in. Between the third and fourth
seams are 8 fathoms of grey shale, in which fossil shells are
occasionally found. I had great difficulty, however, in pro-
curing any fossils. I could not learn that any had been
kept while the excavations were going on; and only suc-
ceeded in obtaining two bivalves from the 8-fathom bed of
grey shale.

The Labuan coal mines are worked in a way which offers
a striking contrast to the mode of working the Ke-lung mine
in Formosa. There are here two shafts at present con-
structed ; one of these (called the Shallow Pit) enters the
uppermost seam, while the other penetrates to 45 fathoms
depth ; a third also is in course of construction, which will
reach to the depth of 100 fathoms. Besides this, there are
seven or eight level workings. The great difficulty here is
to obtain labour sufficient to develop the resources of the
mines ; for although 600 men were on the books, including
Chinese, Malays, Klings, &c., with European departmental
superintendents, only 300 were at work at a time. At the
time of my visit 80 tons per diem were produced, and con-
veyed down a tramway which descends to the coaling pier ;
but, with more labour, I was assured by the manager that
the same machinery would produce 200 tons per diem with
ease; although that, of course, is not a large quantity com-
pared with the diurnal supply from mines at home.

The quality of the Labuan coal is superior to that of
Ke-lung. It is a heavier, closer-grained, though not very
clean coal, is very free from sulphur, and forms but little
clinker, in this respect having a conspicuous advantage. It
burns, however, very fast, and generates steam very readily

Cu. X.] QUALITY OF LABUAN COAL, 159

as long as the tubes and the fires are clear; but the former
require cleaning every 24 hours, and the latter every eight
hours. Owing to its rapid combustion, it gives out a very
considerable amount of heat, so that it is necessary to be
careful that the red-hot flues are protected and watched,
while the flames issuing from the funnel extend sometimes
six or eight feet, and endanger the rigging. In burning it
produces a large quantity of soot and imperfectly consumed
fragments, which render everything gritty and dirty. Still
it is better than Ke-lung coal; and I have heard several
engineers assert that a mixture of half Labuan and half
Welsh coal forms a fuel which is excellent for all practical
purposes. But being a much inferior coal to Welsh, it
naturally requires more room for stowage, the difference
being well expressed by the fact that Her Majesty’s ship
“* Scylla” consumed in 24 hours 874 tons of Labuan coal
instead of 27 tons of Welsh; and again, the average quan-
tity of water distilled in the condensers by one ton of Welsh
coal was 7°2 tons, while Labuan coal, although mixed with
one-third of Welsh, only condensed 6°25 tons. There are
various qualities of Labuan coal, however; the best is far
inferior to Welsh; and though the quantity of ash is small
compared with that left by Ke-lung coal, the amount of soot
and unconsumed carbon is very large.

Labuan coal is supplied by the Company to ships of war
by contract with Her Majesty’s Government, at the rate of
1l. per ton, and to merchant vessels for 11. 5s. The Labuan
Coal Company have depots in Shanghai, Hong Kong (where
it fetches 2M 2s. per ton), Singapore, &c.; and they are
anxious to extend their operations.* But it must be con:

* At the time I was at Labuan the prospects of the China Steam-ship and
Labuan Coal Company looked rather dark, and they have, since the above was

160 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. X:

fessed that merchant ships prefer to purchase British to
Labuan coal, although the former is much dearer.

The physical characters and geological relations of Labuan
coal seem to point out that it, like the Ke-lung coal, is a
recent formation ; in fact, a lignite. In the stiff clay roof.
of certain seams, Mr. Low assures me he has found many
impressions of leaves in very perfect preservation, identical
with those of trees growing in the jungle at the present day.
In the coal there are very frequently found tears of pure
dammar resin, and the Dammar trees are still common in
the jungle. This resin has also a great tendency to occur
in veins; and I was informed that on one occasion a mass
of pure dammar 6 Ibs. in weight was found. It was in-
tended that this unique specimen should be deposited in an
English museum, but a careless workman unfortunately let
it fall, and it was broken to fragments. The Dammar trees’
will exude resin while in a state of decay, and so long as a
particle remains undecayed, that particle will continue to
produce its quantum of resin. Mr. Low informed me that
he knew of trees which for 12 years have been undergoing
a slow process of decay, and that the resin is yet distilled
from the small particles which remain.

Two or three miles south-west of the coal mines, in a
deep nullah of the jungle, a petroleum spring has been dis-.
covered, and a path has been cleared through the forest to
the spot, which I visited. This path runs along a high
ridge, from which a grand view is obtained of the majestic
trees whose lofty stems ascend from the deep valley on
either side. Among the branches of these trées, monkeys

written, wound up their affairs. I understand, however, that a new Com-
pany has been formed, and that the coal continues to be worked ; and there
seems to be no reason to doubt that with judicious management, the work
will be carried on advantageously and successfully.

Cu, X.] PETROLEUM. 161

sported, birds sang, and shrill cicadas made the forest re-
echo ; beautiful butterflies flitted across the open glades ;
scarlet-bodied dragon-flies shot hither and thither like
painted arrows; and now and then curious green mantises,
and walking-stick insects (Phasma), scarcely distinguishable
from the green and brown twigs, arrested my attention.*
No workings have yet, however, been undertaken at the
petroleum spring; but as I have learned that others exist
in the neighbourhood, no doubt they will one day form
important sources of material and revenue.

* I was rewarded in this walk by the capture of a handsome new species of
Phasma.

CHAPTER XI.
LABUAN.

Bruni, the Capital of Borneo—Piracy—Establishment of the Colony of Labuan
—Its Objects—Natural Productions—Pigs—Monkeys—Kahau, or Pro-
boscis Monkey — Birds — Megapode — Chick-chack— Barking Lizard —
Iguanas —Cobra— Pythons— Electric Snake—Scorpions— Centipedes—
Cicadas—Beetles—Hemiptera—Desecration of European Graves—lIso-
lated Position of the Residents of Labuan.

Tur island of Labuan was ceded to the English Govern-
ment in 1846 by the Sultan of Bruni, the nominal ruler of
Borneo. Bruni, the capital of Borneo, and from which the
whole island takes its European name, situated a short
distance south of Labuan, is a town of some 25,000 inhabit-
ants, governed, or rather misgoverned, by a Rajah and sub-
ordinate chiefs, whose sole aim is their own aggrandisement,
and the increase, by fair or foul means, of their own revenues.
By a system of peculation and persecution, which is for the
most part delegated from the chiefs to certain inferior de-
pendents, the ill effects of their rapacity are spread through
the population in such a way that few escape, and justice is
a commodity almost unknown, unless it happens to side
with self-interest. Were it not that the nobles themselves
find it impossible to agree, and therefore do not unite largely
in their avaricious projects, the country would almost be re-
duced to a state of savagery and unproductiveness ; as it is,
it is only saved by a kind of patriarchal feeling, which keeps

Cx, XI.] CESSION OF LABUAN, 163

each section of the city together, and unites family connec-
tions especially, by a strong esprit de corps.

The terrible prevalence of piracy upon these coasts at-
tracted the attention of philanthropists no less than of
merchants, from the destruction of life and property, and
the insecurity of ships trading in those seas; and although
the Sultan of Borneo had no doubt a direct interest in the
success of piratical operations, he was forced by cogent
arguments to listen to reason, and to enter into a treaty with
the British Government, the basis of which was the sup-
pression of this scourge. In 1849 a similar treaty was
concluded with the Sultan of Sooloo; and these treaties,
backed by some severe practical lessons, in which fleets of
piratical prahus were dispersed or destroyed, have by degrees
very considerably mitigated this terrible and lawless trade,
for which benefit the world is in the first instance indebted
to Sir James Brooke, Rajah of Sarawak.

It seemed desirable that a British colony should be es-
tablished somewhere upon these coasts, which might be used
as a naval station such as might hold some check upon these
lawless proceedings, and keep a wholesome fear before the
minds of an island population in whose eyes piracy and
murder were profitable trades, and no crime; while at the
same time an advantageous result would ensue in the open-
ing up and development of the commerce of a vast country
whose resources were very imperfectly known, but must of
necessity, from its magnitude and geographical position, be
enormous. Added to this, the existence of coal in unknown
quantities upon the island of Labuan pointed out that spot
as most suitable for the proposed settlement, and a treaty
was accordingly made, by virtue of which Labuan became at

once an appanage of the British crown, a harbour of refuge
M 2

164 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cx. XI.

in the China sea, a basis of operations for the suppression of
piracy, a centre of development for British commerce with
Borneo, and a great and almost boundless source of fuel for
the supply of ships trading in the East.

These great ends, which appeared to be promised by the
colonisation of Labuan, have not perhaps all been accom-
plished ; nor has the settlement flourished to that extent
which this enumeration of its advantages would appear to
have warranted. Trade has not increased with Borneo at
the rate which sanguine persons hoped; and the coal re-
sources are perhaps scarcely of that quality which it was at
one time hoped they would prove to be; while the climate
of the island is insalubrious, and ill-suited to Europeans.
The proof that the island is not attractive either to com-
merce or to adventurers is to be found in the fact that there
are no European residents, except the Government officers
and those directly employed in the working of the coal
mines, and these with one accord would be glad to leave it.
And if report indeed speaks truly, the advantages of the
colony are so little preponderant, that it is a question in the
minds of those in authority whether or no the colonial esta-
blishment should be abandoned.

But however these questions may agitate the minds of
legislators, of one thing I became satisfied, viz., that, for a
short residence, the island of Labuan was a place of extreme
interest to the naturalist; and as I had the opportunity of
spending some weeks here ashore I shall devote some space
to an account of its leading natural-history features as they
presented themselves under my observation. Although very
low and flat, as a rule, the island is by no means devoid of
diversity, owing to the prevalence of jungle and the proximity
of. most points to the sea; and indeed there are pleasant

Cu. XI] QUADRUPEDS OF LABUAN. 165

undulations in certain parts, as in the neighbourhood of
Government House, and at the north part of the island,
which redeem the general tameness of its surface. One
circumstance, which is not without its advantages, is, that
there are no wild animals which are liable to pounce upon
the unwary wanderer in the woods, armed perhaps with no
more deadly weapon than a butterfly-net. The largest
quadruped here is a pig, wild and black, but harmless, and
keeping as much as may be out of sight. I rarely indeed
met with them, although they no doubt abound, and on the
mainland attain a very considerable size, standing from 3
feet to 8 feet 6 inches high, and, when wounded, being very
savage and highly dangerous.

The jungle of Labuan abounds also in monkeys, which
are all, however, of small size, and ornamented with long
tails. A walk can scarcely be taken in the woods without
meeting some of these animals leaping about in the trees,
and chattering at the intruder. Not unfrequently they boldly
leave the jungle and approach the houses, probably for the
sake of finding something edible in the gardens; and the
first I saw was from a verandah, looking across a plot of
grass which overhung the sea-beach. The Klings pay them
religious honours; and one belonging to an officer of the
garrison, having escaped, and defied every effort at capture,
it became necessary to shoot it, as it amused itself by de-
stroying the attap roof of the house. The Sepoys begged the
body, and having received it, they dressed it up, and having
paid it burial honours, concluded the farce by burning the
carcass upon a funeral pile.

None of the larger, or tailless species, occur upon the
island, although upon the adjacent mainland some species
are not uncommon. The red orang or Mias (Simia satyrus)

166 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cx. XT.

is the most remarkable of these; but appears to be local in
its distribution, and in a manner difficult to account for. I
was somewhat disappointed at seeing no sign of them up
the Sarawak river; and afterwards learned that they never
frequent that river, though they descend the neighbouring
Sadong river in the fruit season ; and I met with those who
had frequently seen them there, and who assured me that
they measured fully five feet in height. Fortunately, how-
ever, they do not attack man without provocation ; though,
if molested, they will show fight, and hand to hand
encounters not unfrequently take place between them and the
owners of the fields which they invade. Their teeth are then
their chief weapons of defence, and it is no uncommon thing
to see a man who has lost a finger or two in these unequal
combats.

Within two miles of Labuan, and between it and the
mainland, is a small island, Pulo Daat, which, on the forma-
tion of the settlement was covered with jungle, in which
that very handsome and remarkable species the Kahau, or
Proboscis Monkey (Nasalis larvatus) at one time abounded.
It is called Bangkdtan by the Malays, and is well known
upon the adjacent coast. This beautiful species has never
been seen alive in England, and the specimens of it which
are found in our museums give but a faint idea of the richly-
coloured and glossy coat of which the living animal boasts.
They are very shy and difficult of approach, and when
disturbed are very fierce, being armed with remarkably large
canine teeth. Several attempts have been made by the
officials resident at Labuan to keep the Kahau in confine-
ment. It has not been difficult to procure young animals,
and unless taken very young, they never live more than two
or three days in captivity. At the present time, although the

Cu. XI.] BIRDS OF THE JUNGLE. 167

island of Daat has been cleared of by far the greater portion
of its jungle for the purpose of transforming it into a cocoa-
nut plantation, and only a small corner of it is left in a state
of nature, there: can be little doubt that the Kahau still
haunts it. I was unable to get a sight of it, owing to the
dense and impenetrable nature of the thicket; but when
watching, gun in hand, in the midst of the jungle, I was not
unwilling to attribute a loud moaning sound, which was fre-
quently repeated, and evidently by some large animal, to
that of which I was in quest.

The birds of Labuan are numerous and interesting, though
for the most part small; but as I was unable to pay special
attention to them I will merely allude to them. The largest
are an osprey, a large crow or raven, and the hornbills.
Besides these there are numerous beautiful pigeons, and a
variety of little Cinnyride (sun-birds), flitting about like so
many butterflies. In this month (August), when the woods
of England are perfectly silent, several birds were singing in
Labuan. The commonest of these was a pied bird, as large
as a starling, which sang cheerfully in open places. Another
bird, only heard in the jungle, had a singular note with
intervals wider than usually occur in bird-music ; so that it
was long before I could persuade myself that this sound was
not produced by a man whistling in the jungle. At length
I heard two or three answering one another, and was satis-
fied that I was listening toa bird; but jap
I could never catch a sight of it in the rasaeee
shades of the forest. Another could be
often heard in the depth of the jungle uttering a loud and
deep note, ike boo, boo, boo, frequently repeated ; but I
never could get a view of the bird, or hear it otherwise than

at a distance. ¥

168 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. XT.

The egg-heaps of that curious bird, the megapode (Mega-
podius Cumingii), are not unfrequently found in the Labuan
jungle. These birds build mounds, in which they deposit
their eggs, several birds often uniting together to form a
joint nursery, in which as many as 50 or 60 eggs are accu-
mulated together and left to be hatched by the sun. This |
species of megapode is somewhat less than a guinea-fowl ;
but its eggs are fully as large as those of a turkey—long,
and pointed at both ends, and of a brownish-buff colour.
The birds themselves are more fully developed on leaving
the shell than falls to the lot of most of the feathered tribes,
running freely about immediately upon their large, strong
feet, and capable of using their wings within a few hours
after birth. Eleven of their eggs were brought in by a Malay,
who had stumbled upon one of their mounds; of them six
were perfectly fresh, while the remaining five were far ad-
vanced in incubation. Having placed them in a box for
safety, they were left till the following day, when I found one
hatched and fully feathered; but wishing to preserve the
remaining eggs, I pierced them and left them to the mercy
of the ants which freely roamed in and out the shell, but
within 24 hours a second little megapode appeared, prema-
turely hatched, smaller, weaker, and less feathered than the first.

The commonest of the lizards of this island, and indeed
of the whole region, is the little animal called Chick-chack
(Ptyodactylus gecko,) so named from the chirping noise it
makes from time to time, and which might at first be mis-
taken for the voice of abird. They are perfectly harmless, and
often very familiar. They live in considerable numbers
within doors, concealing themselves upon the roofs, and
among the attaps, or palm-coverings, or crawling about upon
the walls and ceilins. I have counted as many as two

Cu. X1.] THE CHICK-CHACK. 169

dozen overhead while I have been at dinner in a good-sized
room, some as long as my hand, and usually pale-coloured.
They vary, however, somewhat in colour, according to food
and locality. Ihave been informed by credible friends of
instances in which they would habitually come down upon
the table and take food offered to them, and it is equally
certain that they occasionally come down involuntarily, losing
their precarious footing overhead while in chase of an insect,
in which case they fall with a thump upon the floor or table,*
an accident which usually results in the loss of their tails,
which break off with the shock or the fright ; and it is by no
means unusual to see them with their short stumpy caudal
appendages in process of reproduction. Such an occurrence
happening in the night I have found rather startling. If a
moth or a butterfly flutters about near the ceiling, the chick-
chacks are all upon the alert, running at it as it passes near
them ; and although the reptile may succeed in catching it,
the insect is offen too unwieldy for them, and they have
considerable difficulty in securing it. They clear the house
of mosquitoes and flies, however, and are never molested,
but, on the other hand, always encouraged. A singular cir-
cumstance occurred to the colonial surgeon, who related it
to me: he was lying awake in bed when a chick-chack fell
from the ceiling upon the top of his mosquito-curtain ; at
the moment of touching it the lizard became brilliantly
luminous, illuminating the objects in the neighbourhood,
much to the astonishment of the doctor, who had never
’ before witnessed such an occurrence.

Another lizard of a larger size than the last is the barking
lizard (probably Gecko verus), which lives in trees and also

* A pretty little white-spotted lizard (Hemidactylus triedrus) fell on one
occasion upon my knees in this manner, while sitting in the verandah.

170 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XI.

about houses, from time to time betraying its whereabouts
by a sound resembling a short growl, followed by a short
sharp bark, not unlike that of a puppy at play. When I first
heard it in a tree I looked up for a monkey; but on many
subsequent occasions it appeared very much like the barking
of a small dog. They are very difficult to detect, however,
cunningly concealing themselves; and although I have
watched for one which was barking a few yards above my
head in a tree, I have looked in vain for a considerable time.
They are very fond of coming into houses, and are considered
by the Malays as reptiles of good omen. They feed upon
insects and moths, being particularly partial to Sphyngide.
The Iguana (Varanus Dumerilii ?) is a larger species, which
reaches a length of seven feet. Although in other respects
harmless, it does considerable mischief among domestic
fowls, frequenting the neighbourhood of houses for the pur-
pose of robbing the hen-roosts. For that reason they are
destroyed, and, moreover, by some they are considered
excellent eating. While drying some marine animals in the
sun one morning, an iguana appeared upon the scene, walk-
ing on tiptoe across the grass, and lifting its head as if
scenting something. On my driving it away it returned
again three times to the spot, although the bait was not
what I should have imagined to be very inviting. I was un-
willing to shoot it; but two or three days after, I fear it met
with such a fate in the neighbouring grounds, where it was
found near the hen-roost. It was about four feet long. I
believe these animals, however, do sometimes subsist upon
marine animals, which they pick up on the beach. I have
more than once observed them skulking among the roots of
the trees close to the margin of the shore; and on one
occasion, I passed and repassed the spot several times on

Cu. XI.] IGUANA. COBRA. 171

purpose to observe it. Each time I passed it retreated into
the jungle, but was always at its post when I came back.

On one occasion I disturbed a large Iguana in such a
situation, that in order to escape, it had to run some
distance across an open space in my full view; and it did run
tolerably quickly, but in a most ludicrous manner: the short
and peculiarly situated fore legs had an awkward waddling
motion, while the hind legs, seeming less encumbered, ran
more quickly, and threatened to overtake the head, while the
long tail followed behind, as if it scarcely belonged to it,
swaying from one side to the other according to the direction
the animal took. With all this, however, I should scarcely
have caught it in a flat race.

Chameleons of more than one species exist in Labuan.
The natives have a great prejudice against them, and will
not touch them, believing them to be deadly poisonous.

Although as an island, Labuan is undoubtedly more free
from serpents than the mainland, they are quite sufficient
in numbers, and occasionally venomous. The Cobra (Naja
tripudians) appears to be almost unknown in Labuan, only
one instance having occurred in which it was supposed
to have been met with. A gentleman (the Colonial Surveyor)
riding on horseback near Tanjong Tarras, was confronted
by a snake in the midst of the road, which raised itself,
head erect, and hood swelled out. Although he had never
seen a cobra, the snake immediately recalled to his mind
the figures and descriptions of them. He dismounted and
killed the reptile, and being then pressed for time, he
threw it among the grass at the roadside, intending to re-
turn and examine it at his leisure; but for some reason or
other, unfortunately neglected to do so. A reference after-
wards to figures of the cobra only served to convince him

172 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XI.

that he had seen one of these reptiles ; but it was unfortunate
that it was never examined, and Mr. Low, who looked for it
on hearing of the circumstance, could not discover it. The
snake was five or six feet long, and, if a cobra, probably came
over from the mainland in wood, or some cargo.

In Sarawak, however, the cobra is not uncommon, and
grows to a large size. The Bishop of Labuan informed me
that he had killed black cobras in his own house 9 ft. 6 in.
and 10 ft. 5 in. in length, respectively. The former of these
attacked a servant in one of the ground-floor rooms of the
house. The man was paralysed with terror, and unable to
defend himself; but being alarmed by his inarticulate cries,
the bishop entered and found the reptile erect, his head
broad and depressed, as large as the palm of the hand, and,
as he expressed it to me, “ barking like a dog.” He fortu-
nately succeeded in despatching it with a rattan.

Large Pythons (Python reticulatus) exist in Labuan,
usually making their lair in a deep nullah, sometimes near a
house, whence they probably derive the advantage of stray
fowls or other domestic animals, which serve as their food.
Mr. Low assured me he had seen one killed measuring
26 ft.; and I heard, on good authority, of one of 29 ft.
having been killed there. In Borneo they were said to attain
40 ft., but for this I cannot vouch.

But although there are numerous species of snakes in the
island, they are not often seen. I myself, during the space
of a month, only met with four or five species, the most
common of which were Dendrophis caudolineatus and Tro-
pidonotus stolatus. In one of my walks through the jungle
I was fortunate enough to secure a specimen of the rare
(venomous) Elaps (Callophis) intestinalis.*

* A circumstance was told me by the Colonial Chaplain, Rev. J. Moreton,

Cu. XI. SCORPIONS. 173

On one occasion, during my visit, the Governor was
sitting in his verandah conversing with the new Comman-
dant, and was assuring him that snakes were rarely met
with, and not to be feared, when they were disturbed by a
noise close by. On going out to see what had occasioned it,
they learned that the servants had just killed a python 12 ft.
long, in the verandah—a singular comment upon their con-
versation.

Scorpions and centipedes are creatures which always
excite the terror of those to whom they are unknown, and
they do not gain any good-will by a nearer acquaintance.
Persons who have not visited the tropics often imagine that
one is never safe from the fangs of these venomous crea-
tures ; but, although they are not unfrequently met with, a
sting is of rare occurrence,—and although painful, and fol-
lowed by acute symptoms, is perhaps never fatal. There
are two species of scorpion chiefly found about houses, one
of a reddish colour, the more common and active of the two ;
and the other, a large black species (probably Scorpio costi-
manus), which appears to be only driven in by the weather.
The latter is sluggish in its habits, and is freely and fear-
lessly handled by the natives, who even collect them, and
place them round their necks and in their turbans, somehow
escaping the penalty of their stings. Indeed these scorpions

which although it may seem apocryphal, I am unwilling to pass over alto-
gether in silence. He found on one occasion outside his verandah, a snake
about 5 feet long, of a reddish colour, but not mottled like a boa. It had had its
head crushed, that being the usual way in which the natives destroy snakes,
though it is not always immediately fatal to them, for they will crawl away
after such an injury. Mr. Moreton told me that he took the snake in ques-
tion by the tail with his thumb and finger, and instantly felt a strong electric
shock, which ran up his arms to both his shoulders, so that he dropped the
snake in alarm. Although much surprised at the circumstance, not being a
naturalist, he neglected to take any means to preserve the reptile.

174 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XT.

appear to listen to the voice of the charmer as readily as
certain serpents are said to do. On the occasion of making
a new road in Labuan, black scorpions were frequently
turned up from under the roots of trees, and a man was
always at hand who professed to charm them, and to act
with them as above described. About houses, damp places
—such as bath-rooms, and out-buildings—are particularly
liable to be haunted by both scorpions and centipedes. But
their more natural habitat is under stones, in sand, or
among the roots of trees, among decaying wood, &c., though
they are not unfrequently introduced into the interior of the
_ house by the carelessness of servants, who may bring in
clothes which have been laid outside to dry or to air, with-
out having previously well shaken them.

Of centipedes I have met with several kinds, and in all
the above situations. The small yellow species, similar to
that found in England, is not uncommon in houses and
gardens. It appears to bite, but not venomously, and with
no worse effects than a nip from the forceps of an ant. One
small species is luminous, like the Geophilus electricus of
this country. The common and dreaded species (Scolo-
pendra morsitans) varies very much in size; the largest I
have met with being about nine inches long, and as broad
as the middle finger. They have sometimes a green, and
sometimes a brown colour—the former being most feared.
Both these and scorpions not unfrequently occur on board
ship; but it is a general belief that life (probably diet)
aboard ship neutralises their venomous qualities, and that a
bite from one in that situation is far less severe in its effects
than from one of the same size upon land. When stung in
the dark, although the offender may escape unseen, it is
easy to discover to which animal the sting may be attributed

Cx. XI.] CICADAS. 175

—a single puncture betraying the point of a scorpion’s sting,
and a double one the formidable pair of nippers on the head -
of the centipede. The puncture is described by its victims
as similar to what might be produced by contact with a red-
hot iron, and the constitutional effects are often very severe
for some hours, consisting of considerable swelling, tender-
ness, throbbing pain, anxiety, and febrile symptoms. I
have known the symptoms, after having lasted 86 hours,
recur after three or four days’ intermission. Ammonia is the
best application.

Another species of centipede, of a large size, grey colour,
with numerous legs arranged in twos on each side, I met
with in the jungle on the east coast of Formosa, and also
on the banks of the Sarawak river, associated with large
Millepedes (Julus). It had, however, no venomous fangs.

Certainly the most remarkable insects for noise are the
Cicadas. There are several species in Labuan and Pulo
Daat, which make the woods resound. One of the most
extraordinary of these singing insects utters a sound by no
means unmusical. Just as the sun goes down, a loud,
ringing whistle strikes up among the fern, or in some spot
near the house, sometimes apparently almost in the veran-
dah, which I can best compare to one smartly rubbing on very
sounding musical glass, and keeping up for a long time a
very loud and uninterrupted musical note. You may search
in vain for the origin of the ringing sound, though it
appears to spring from the very spot on which you may
be standing, for a quiet approach will not disturb the
insect, which, sitting in the mouth of its hole in the
ground, whistles its monotonous and loud song, which
is probably intensified by reverberation in the cavity.
This insect seems to affect the neighbourhood of houses,

176 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XI.

and can only be seen bya patient and, withal, fortunate
watcher.

But there are two or three species of Cicada which are no
whit inferior in noisy powers to the insect just mentioned
(which I have been assured was a locust), though their notes
have a different character. One of these makes a simple
chirp, chirp, all night long, like our crickets. But there
are two others which I will designate respectively the
scissor-grinder and the saw-whetter. I shall never forget
the first time of hearing the scissor-grinder in the jungle at
Pappan when approaching the island in a boat, the noise
being distinctly audible for at least a quarter of an hour
before we reached the shore, and when there the resounding
whir-r-r—whir-r-r—whir-r-r of the insect awakening the
echoes of the forest was truly astonishing. After continuing
this deafening sound for some time, it winds up with a pro-
tracted whiz-z-z-z, which dies away just like the scissor-
grinder’s wheel when the treddle stops. Another which I
heard at Coal-point closely resembled the whetting of a
saw, but was not so common as the last; and a third
always began with a sort of warbling note, like a person
blowing in water with a bird-whistle, very loud and some-
what melodious withal. These sing all day, even during the
hottest hours.

The Cicadas are, however, very difficult to detect by the
sight. They often sing high up in the trees, and I should
still be doubtful of the real nature of the songsters had I
not once or twice, when peering curiously up into the tree,
seen a Cicada quit its retreat and fly from among the leaves
simultaneously with the discontinuance of the sound. But
when in a bush near at. hand, the ringing sound is of a
peculiarly deceptive and ventriloquous nature. The noise

Cx. XI.] CICADAS. BEETLES. 177

they make is so loud that it thrills through the ears in a
manner perfectly deafening. You approach the bush from
which it appears to issue, and you even appear to have
reached the very spot in which the animal is concealed, but,
nothing daunted, the insect continues its screeching, and
you may peer about and look for a glimpse of it in vain.
Your proximity does not disturb it, for it seems to think
that it is quite safe in its concealment, and even thrusting
a, stick into the bush will not dislodge it, nor in all cases
even stop the noise. At the same time one cannot be ab-
solutely certain that it is really in that particular bush, for
the mere intensity of the sound is not sufficient to fix its
exact locality, though the thrill it sends through the ears
proves it must be very near.

The various species of beetles are nearly as successful in
concealing themselves as the Cicadas, and while they are by
no means exceedingly numerous in Labuan, the commonest
are not in very great profusion, if we except a species of
Cicindela (C. aurulenta), which flies over sandy spots, as is
the habit of all Cicindelas, and could always be captured in
any quantities in such situations, and the orange-spotted
Dacne 4-maculata with its allies. A gentleman who had
been an insect-collector for a dozen years, assured me that
‘he had never succeeded in discovering where beetles harbour,
or how to collect them in quantities. The fact probably is,
that under the bark and in the decaying wood of recently-
felled trees, are the situations in which we should look for
them with most success. Of large species the very variable
Xylotrupes Gideon is not uncommon, and I captured
numerous small species which have great interest for the
coleopterist.

Hemipterous insects (the bugs of the entomologist)
N

178 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XI.

occur more gregariously, and were often found in abundance
upon particular plants. Upon a spreading, bushy Labiate
could always be taken Cyclopelta obscura; on another,
Agonoscelis nubila, or Migymonum cupreum; while the
curious Anisocelis with leaf-like tarsi, and large species of
Mutis, with immense thighs and spiked thorax, could be
taken on the wing. But when so taken it was necessary to
be careful in handling and disengaging them, for some of
these Hemiptera are provided with a hair-like proboscis at
the extremity of their elongated heads, with which they
have the power of penetrating the skin and inflicting a
painful sting. Such are the species of Sycanus and Eulyes,
which I learned by experience to handle as carefully as if
they were wasps or bees, although none that I met with
were more handsome than Eulyes melanoptera, the wing-
like expansions of whose body, as well as the legs, were of a
rich crimson blotched with jet black. Another very beautiful
species that may be mentioned as rather common is Callidra
dilaticollis, with wing-cases of the richest dark green spotted
with black ; and several of those I brought home appear to
be new to the hemipterist.

A remarkable and disagreeable circumstance, well known
to dwellers in this part of the world, is that the graves of
Europeans who have been buried in the island are pretty
certain, sooner or later, to be rifled and desecrated by the
natives ; not, be it understood, by the Malays proper, but
probably by the tribes of the interior. They never meddle
with the graves immediately after the interment, and even
years may elapse before they ultimately effect an entrance;
and when they do so, it is in such a manner that it is very
readily overlooked; for they do not roughly uncover the
grave, but having made a small and inconspicuous aperture,

On. XI.] DESECRATION OF EUROPEAN GRAVES. 179

they extract through it whatever the grave may contain
which excites their cupidity. They rarely remove the body,
though it appears the bones (simply as bones) have some-
times been found missing; but the cause of the desecration
is somewhat obscure. It has been suggested to me by some,
that having observed the luxurious modes of living to which
the Europeans are accustomed, they believe that we must
carry some valuables with us into the grave; more especially
as it is the custom of their own people to bury rings, jewels,
&c., with the body in their graves. But if this were the case,
it would seem strange that they have not, ere this, learned
the fallaciousness of the idea; for, notwithstanding that no
valuables are ever buried in European graves, the desecra-
tion of them sooner or later still seems an inevitable evil.
Another suggestion has some probability also, namely,
that the graves are robbed for the sake of the skull. It is
said that the Dyaks of Borneo are the offenders, with whom
it is a custom to collect heads, and among whom the man is
great according to the number of heads he possesses. It is
asserted that the heads thus taken from graves are treated
like other heads, and the fiction established that such heads
have been taken in fight. But there are difficulties on this
theory, for the heads of their victims are usually dried while
still fresh, whereas the graves are often undisturbed until
long after interment, and bare skulls only can remain. If it
be supposed, however, that the Dyaks, knowing the small-
ness of the European population in Labuan, make periodical
nocturnal incursions for the purpose of taking heads from
the graves, an explanation might be found in the supposition
that they would search all the graves filled since the last
visit, securing, however, only such heads as they might find

suitable for their purposes.
N2

180 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. XI.

Head-hunting, it is true, is now abolished in the Sarawak
territory ; but that part of Borneo which lies opposite to the
island of Labuan is peopled by tribes which have no such
scruples. Indeed the proximity of that side of Labuan
occupied by the half-dozen Europeans constituting the
government of the colony, to the lawless and half savage
tribes of the opposite coast, easily visible at four or five miles
distance, often struck me as offering singular advantages for
an exterminating raid; and I have sometimes, as I lay
awake on dark and stormy nights in a solitary bungalow on
the sea-shore, speculated what there might be to prevent a
prahu full of natives from landing on the beach, surprising
and murdering us without the chance of resistance, and
either getting back to the mainland without possibility of
pursuit, after rifling the house, or carrying their extermina-
tion to the next bungalow, and indeed to all the European
residences on that side. There really is nothing to prevent
such a catastrophe, nor has been for the last 20 years,
except the moral influence which European power has over
the native mind., There is usually, but by no means always,
a gun-boat in Victoria harbour,—in reality, a perfectly
ineffectual defence against a well-planned attack; but the
natives having seen the resistless power of these vessels
against their piratical prahus, have a wholesome fear of such
a force ; and even though no gun-boat may be in the harbour,
or within a thousand miles, they have a salutary belief that
one is always at hand, and within call; and, moreover, that
wherever they may be, vengeance will surely follow them,
and inevitably find them out.

ow www

CHAPTER XII.

LABUAN (Continued).

Butterflies of Labuan — Mode of Flight— Number of Species —— Dominant
Species—Butterflies of Pulo Daat—Hermit Crabs—Cocoa-nut Planting—
Dragon-Flies— Water Beetles—Jungle Spiders— Carpenter-Bee and
Mason-Wasp—Eulima and Stilifer—Alligators—Mollusca—Feather-Stars
—Nudibranchs — Mantle-cutting Doris — Land-Shells— Reef at Pulo
Pappan—Dendractinia— Weather at Labuan—Luminous Fungi.

AuruoucH the Lepidopterous insects of Labuan cannot
vie with those of South America, as a rule, either in size or
in beauty, there are a great number of considerable interest
and of striking appearance. They are, of course, derived
from the mainland, and less numerous than those of the
opposite Bornean coast; but inasmuch as the jungle of
Labuan is not only far more accessible than that of the oppo-
site coast, but is also remarkably fine and luxuriant, a large
number of handsome species may be obtained there with
comparative ease.

The only way to capture the best species is to follow them
into the jungle, although a considerable amount of skill is
necessary to overcome the difficulties. The net becomes an
awkward instrument in a tangled forest, and the only avail-
able method is to watch for them in small open spots, and
seize upon those which pass, for pursuit is next to impos-
sible. Many of the species fly with amazing rapidity and
strength of wing, and in some cases pursue a straight line

182 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XII.

through the maze of branches, eluding nearly every attempt
to capture them, except by stratagem. Others, often the
most handsome insects, fly habitually so high that they are
‘usually out of reach of the net. In all such cases the sacri-
fice of a single specimen will often secure others ; for butter-
flies are gregarious, and a dead specimen pinned upon a
conspicuous twig will often arrest an insect of the same
species in its headlong flight, and bring it down within easy
reach of the net, especially if it be of the opposite sex.
Sugaring the trees has not been tried by entomologists in
this part of the world; and the use of a lamp behind a sheet,
found so effectual for nocturnal captures by Mr. Wallace,
has not yet been seriously adopted.

The jungle-road, extending nearly across the island, and
the skirts of the jungle, always proved to me the most
prolific spots, the insects dashing out for a little distance
and pursuing their erratic flight through the open, in which
case, if near, there was a chance of a capture. But even
here it was often tantalizing to see a rare or beautiful
species, such as the swallow-tailed Papilio Gigon, fly out of
one side of the jungle, cross the road with the speed of a
race-horse, and irrecoverably disappear in the thicket on the
opposite side, almost before one could draw breath. The
swift flight, now over the tops of the trees, now down near
the ground, was characteristic of the Pieride, of which
Pieris andria and Callidryas alemeone were common ex-
amples; while the Papilionide distinguished themselves by
their strength of wing and straight headlong course. If
missed by the first throw of the net no second chance was
afforded, for the insects would whirl round and round the
instrument two or three times and then dash off out of sight.

Another source of disappointment arose from the fact that

Cx. XII.] BUTTERFLIES. 183

not unfrequently, when one thought oneself fortunate in
capturing a fine insect, after carefully disentangling it from
the net, its wings turned out to be so torn and rubbed as to
render it almost useless, except indeed as a decoy. This
circumstance is due, I imagine, partly to their frequent
battles with one another, in which they whirl round each
other with the greatest rapidity, and appear to be incited
by the greatest ferocity, and partly to their habit of flying
rapidly through the interlacing twigs and foliage of the
jungle.

Certain species could always be found in particular spots ;
the orange and pumilow trees in the plantations always
abounded with the handsome large red and black Papilio
Memnon ; grassy nullahs sheltered abundance of small ocel-
lated species; the variable Papilion Pammon floated over
every hedge-row, and certain bushes always harboured some
swift-flying pale yellow Pieris Namouna; even a patch of
sandy sea-shore generally produced a large buff insect
(Cynthia arsinde), which was fond of alighting upon it, so
that, although it matched the sand well in colour, it was not
difficult to secure it. But, without going into the jungle,
only about half a dozen common, though handsome species,
could be met with in a morning’s ramble, unless, as when,
by a fortunate accident, I captured a magnificent yellow satin
Ornithoptera, in a pleasure-garden. Some species, too, are
of crepuscular habits, and only make their appearance near
sunset, when, from their large size, they might be almost
mistaken for small bats. Such are Amathusia Philippus, and
its allies, remarkable for the angular form of their wings.

During a month I succeeded in taking upwards of 60
species of butterflies in Labuan, a very respectable number
for so brief a time, and showing considerable richness of the

184 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XII.

island in this respect. No complete collection has hitherto
been made, though I have seen about 150 species in one
cabinet; but a gentleman of the garrison, who has lately
arrived there, after a long apprenticeship among the Lepi-
doptera of Malacca, is now busy with his net, and will
doubtless soon make more species known. When the road
above mentioned was in process of formation through the
jungle, some years ago, butterflies were so abundant that °
they are described as having flown about in perfect clouds ;
and I am credibly informed, by Mr. Low, that he had taken
as many as two dozen in a single sweep of the net. For
the same reason, probably, cleared ground near the jungle is
always most productive of butterflies; and as it is well
known that wherever ground is newly cleared new plants
immediately spring up, so also, under similar circumstances,
a new species of butterfly is likely to occur in the first season
after a clearance ; but although it may be in profusion then,
it does not follow that it is so in succeeding seasons; and
the opportunity of securing specimens should not be lost on
account of the insect appearing to be so common. As an
example of this, it may be mentioned that when the com-
pound surrounding Mr. Low’s house was cleared, a beautiful
species of Apatura appeared in myriads, and was abundant
all that season ; but ever since that time not more than one
or two specimens have been observed each year.

The dominant species in Labuan are certainly Danais
juventa, abundant everywhere, and Neptis aceris, to which
may perhaps be added the little yellow Terias Hecabe.
Danais similis is also common here; but these species ap-
peared to be represented at Sarawak by Danais crocea.
Many beautiful Papilios are met with; but perhaps the most
striking and extraordinary of all the Lepidoptera are the mag-

Cu. XII] BUTTERFLIES OF PULO DAAT. 185

nificent though common moth, Nyctalemon Hector, and the
remarkable clear-winged or black-spotted Hestia Lynceus.
In the immediate neighbourhood of Labuan there are two
small islands : one entirely covered with jungle down to the
water’s edge; the other formerly jungle-grown, but now for
the most part cleared for cocoa-nut plantations, but still
retaining a small patch of the virgin forest. I paid a visit to
the latter, and soon discovered that it abounded in the most
magnificent of the jungle species; for the island, although
small, is nearer to the mainland than Labuan, and, in the
tangled jungle which has been allowed to remain, the most
exquisite dragon-flies vie with the butterflies in beauty.
Moreover, a walk under the boughs of the great trees which
overhang the beach, and sometimes impede the passage at
high water, gives ample employment for the net, the jungle
species coming constantly out and skirting this open space.
Here I was sure to meet with species, without difficulty,
which in Labuan I might have searched for all day in vain,
such as the beautiful species of Papilio with underwings as
though inlaid with mother-of-pearl—Papilio Bathycles, and
the variable P. Euripylus; or the brilliantly variegated
P. Agamemnon. Here, also, a not uncommon insect was
Certhosia Cyane, whose wings are elegantly scalloped and
richly coloured; or the handsome Iphias Glaucippe, a large,
orange-tipped species, not uncommon in China. Many long
rows and sails I made to this rich locality ; and thinking that
the other island, Pulo Pappan, might be equally rich, I
went with my net to visit it, but alas! I only saw, in all its
verdurous depths, two butterflies, both the commonest species
of Danais and Terias; and was the more vexed, on my
return, to learn that the morning had been remarked in
Labuan as one singularly favourable to Lepidoptera, which

186 RAMBLES OF A NATURANLIST. (Ca. XII.

had been flying about in unwonted abundance. Looking for
some cause for this difference between the two islands, I
imagine that the first-mentioned abounding in pools of water
gave it more favourable conditions for butterfly existence ;
while in the latter, as I could nowhere meet with a drop of
water, so also I could find no Lepidopterous insects.

The time which I found most favourable for capturing
these insects was from 7 a.m. to near 11; before 7 I have
found scarcely any stirring, and as noon approaches they
almost suddenly disappear. A few return in the afternoon,
but scarcely in sufficient numbers to make a walk profitable.
And, indeed, after four or five hours of such work, though
not without pleasant excitement, a rest had been well earned.
And then it was that a fresh cocoa-nut, added to the stores
brought with us, was thoroughly appreciated ; and no longer
enticed from our repose by the flying gems which had
hitherto allured us, I halted with my Malays on the sand
beneath the spreading branches of a Dolichos, or under
some shady tree festooned with epiphytic orchids. Here,
listening to the ripple on the shore, and the loud song of the
cicadas, and looking over the calm blue sea to the wooded
shores of Labuan or Borneo, the hours of high noon were
very agreeably passed, until the time arrived for resuming
the net, or for a hunt upon the beach, or perhaps a sail back
from whence we came.

It was at such times that I have often watched the nume-
rous hermit crabs (Paguri and Ceenobite), which abound on
all these sandy beaches; and where these border the jungle,
they creep up among the dead leaves for a considerable
distance, so that I have not unfrequently, when standing in
the skirts of the jungle watching for insects, been startled
by a rustle at my feet, which at first I mistook for a snake

Cu. XII.] HABITS OF HERMIT CRABS. 187

or a lizard, but on looking down I have seen nothing more
dangerous than a wandering hermit among the leaves. That
they eat vegetable as well as animal food I am certain, for at
Enoe I saw them clustered upon mangrove shoots which
had been borne there by the waves. I have often taken up
one of these, to which a number of hermits clung, and even
in my hands they have eagerly nibbled off the dark skin of
the tender shoot. So also in breaking into old decayed
trees in search of beetles, I have often been surprised to
find hermits (Ccenobite) concealed within the heart of the
decaying wood, and feeding upon it. The variety of shells
which these little crabs occupy is very great, and by no
means confined to the turbinated Gasteropods, as Trochus,
Turbo, Natica, Neritina, &c., but Cones, Mitras, Seraphs,
Tuwrritelle, &c., have also their tenants, in which they often
appear very awkwardly and grotesquely situated. On one
part of the coast of Johore, I remarked that they chiefly
inhabited the shells of the thorny woodcock (Murex), which
were strewed about, of all ages and sizes—some very minute
and young, and in good preservation.

Lying down upon the beach, I have watched the shore-
crabs leisurely crawling up the sand, and often been struck
by their quicksightedness and wariness. Although perhaps
a dozen yards off, if I raised myself into a sitting posture,
they would instantly retrace their steps, and scuttle back;
and even if I but raised my head, the gesture was not lost
upon them, but they would immediately stop, and await a
further demonstration on my part; but if pursued, their
swiftness was such as often to elude my utmost endeavours
to capture them.

The island I have alluded to as being so rich in Lepi-
dopterous insects, is called Pulo Daat or Daat, Pulo mean-

188 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XII.

ing simply island, in the Malay language. Nor is its inte-
rest solely connected with its abundant butterflies. It is
about a mile long, and contains about 600 acres. Fifteen
years ago, this island was covered with virgin jungle, and
was to a great extent cleared for the purpose of growing
cocoa-nut palms, of which there are about 10,000 now
upon it. This is a very remunerative crop; the cocoa-nuts
are allowed to sprout through the husk, until the shoots are
about two feet in length, they are then placed upon the soil,
in which they readily take root, and grow with little trouble ;
but it requires a considerable period of time before an ade-
quate, or indeed any, return can be derived from the capital
invested. Daat has been planted 10 or 12 years, and as many
thousands of pounds have been sunk in its cultivation ; but
it is only just beginning to yield what will probably turn out
eventually to be a satisfactory profit. I have already stated
that the proboscis monkey (Nasalis) still exists in the small
jungle which remains uncleared—which is very dense,
abounding in pools of fresh water, and rendered almost im-
penetrable by the numerous fallen stems of the Nibong Palm,
upon which are dangerous long spines, arranged in close
whorls, which tear the clothes and pierce the feet of the
incautious rambler. The only other large animal is the wild
black pig, which is pretty numerous, although very shy.
Hovering over these freshwater pools, as well as over the
swampy ponds of Labuan, were always numerous very hand-
some dragon-flies, the most abundant of which has a bright
scarlet body, and is common also at Singapore. They were
all very strong and active flyers; but one very large species,
with a light blue body, exceeded them all in strength and
agility. These insects are remarkably wary ; their habit is
to fly with great rapidity over a pool of water from end to

Cu. XII.] WATER BEETLES. LARGE SPIDERS. 189

end, diverging a little from time to time, but passing over
the same spot again and again. Whenever I posted myself,
however, near one of these spots with my net, it almost
invariably avoided coming within reach ; but if I did get a
cast, and partially entangled it, with a mighty struggle it
freed itself, and was off like the wind; nor would it return
to the same spot as long as I might wait, although I should
probably find it there next day. All the other Libellule,
however active, were to be caught, but this one evaded all
my attempts.

In these pools water-beetles were not uncommon; the
largest a species of Hydaticus, which were in about equal
numbers with a smaller species of Dytiscus. But by far
the most curious was an elegantly-shaped species pointed
anteriorly, and with the borders of the wing-cases beautifully
sculptured, which appears to be the Porrorhynchus margina-
tus of Java. ,

Within the jungle, one is often brought up suddenly by
an immense web which entirely blocks up the way between
two trees, and in which a large spider (Nephila) has its
abode. This species has a rectangular body, 14 to 2 inches
long, and very long legs, stretching 54 inches across, and
presenting the appearance of a Longicorn beetle, its two
anterior legs looking like antenne. In most of their webs
I observed small spiders, which appeared to be at home
there, and probably fed upon the remnants of the larger
spider’s repast. One of these had a remarkable mode of
feigning death when disturbed. Uniting four legs in front
and four behind, they presented with the body a uniform
curve, and the spider might, in this condition, be readily
mistaken for a little bit of curved twig or bark.

A very large carpenter bee (Xylocopa latipes) flies about

190 .RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XT.

commonly in Labuan with considerable rapidity for its heavy
body, and a loud, droning hum. It is black, with a rich me-
tallic gloss, which on the wings is of a fine purple, and the
posterior legs are thickly coated with hairs. They tunnel
into posts and other wooden substances, where they con-
struct cells in which they deposit their larve, supplying them
with a farinaceous paste of pollen, which they brush off and
collect by means of their hairy legs. Another Hymenop-
terous insect of large size, and whose habits were very in-
teresting, was a species of Sphex. I watched this insect
construct its clay cell upon the back of a window-shutter
in the verandah. Having brought some moist clay in its
mouth, it daubed it in a circular form upon the wood, and
returning frequently with fresh mud, it completed the cell in
about two hours. When finished this clay cradle was about
14 inch in diameter, and about 1} high. As it came back
repeatedly with a fresh stock of clay, it was amusing to see
it search for its chosen site. There were several shutters
in the verandah, all very much alike, and which should pro-
perly have been close back against the wall, but some of them
were about a foot or eighteen inches from the wall, and this
one was so placed. The Sphex would fly into the verandah
after an absence of a few minutes, and try several shutters
before he came to the right one upon which the cell was
building. It is the habit of these insects to deposit their
eggs in this cell, placing therein also some disabled cater-
pillars or grubs which cannot escape, so that the larve,
when hatched, at once find a ready supply of food. The
wasp most frequently met with in the jungle was a moderate-
sized species (Bembex melancholia), with the abdomen
banded with a metallic blue and black. In sandy spots a
large and very long-waisted insect, of very venomous aspect,

Cu. XII.] EULIMAS ON STAR-FISH. 191

scooped holes in the ground, and warned the entomologist
to be careful in walking over a mine of stinging wasps. This
was Eumenes circinalis, and a true wasp (Vespa cincta) also
commonly occurred. A little Trigona was often caught in
the net, but in the jungle these Hymenopterous insects are
rather dreaded, as it is not an uncommon thing to disturb
a nest of bees or wasps, which, thus alarmed, sting ad
libitum ; nor is it easy to avoid their weapons, a hasty re-
treat being of little avail, unless a pool is near, an immer-
sion in which is the best protection.

Many other interesting species of insects were met with
here, such as Mantises, which might be usually obtained by
sweeping the long grass with the net; or the curious walking-
stick insects (Phasma), and among the various locusts the
large leaf-winged Platyphyllum.

Upon a common species of Asterias (star-fish) lying half-
buried in the sand of the Labuan shore, I found numerous
minute shells, which I supposed at the time to be Stilifers.
They were of two species, and of the numerous individual
star-fishes nearly every one had some of these little mollusks
upon it. One was a slender, dark-coloured species, and
usually made its appearance upon the dorsal surface of the
Asterias; and the second was a stouter and larger pale
species, principally found in the angles of the arms or
rays, or upon the under surface. ‘Few star-fishes were
entirely free from them; such were, in fact, the exceptions.
Some had three or four dark, and four or five pale specimens
upon them, while others had only one or perhaps two.
Maimed star-fishes, of which there were many, having lost
one or more of their rays, usually had no shells upon
them; but young, small-sized specimens in nearly every
case possessed good specimens of the pale species. On

192 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Ca. XII.

examination of these little mollusks, however, they proved
to be species of Eulima. The shells were very transparent
and delicate, and the body of the animal could be dis-
tinctly seen through them with a lens; the black eyes also,
surrounded with yellow irides, were easily seen through the
shell.

The star-fishes, when taken up for examination, usually
ejected a jet of water from the centre of the dorsal surface,
the serrated edges of the plates of which opened beside the
tubercle ; little jets of water also spurted out from the
extremities of each of the rays.

Two or three species of Holothuria were met with; but
one, a large black one, abounds here and in most other
places. This is the Trepang of commerce, and is collected
largely by the Chinese, and dried and eaten by them. Upon
them I usually found Stilifers in the neighbourhood of the
gill-tufts. On being touched they emit, with great violence,
a large mass of tenacious, bluish threads, which stick to the
hand with such adhesive force that it is difficult to rub them
off, but no irritation ensues. Holothurie of any species are
difficult to preserve alive, since they usually eviscerate them-
selves on the first night after their capture. The Stilifers,
however, are more readily discovered when the animal is
dead, as, during life, the contraction of the orifice draws
them in out of sight.

With regard to the other marine productions of Labuan,
two or three rocky reefs running out on the east side of the
island gave me many opportunities of searching for littoral
animals at low tide; and although my searches failed to
discover some species which I was particularly anxious to
meet with, there was plenty to reward patient investigation.
One could not help feeling that there was a certain amount

Cx. XII] ALLIGATORS. 193

of risk in wading nearly up to the neck in these waters, and.
_ the information I received concerning alligators did not
make me feel more secure. One of the residents assured
me he had frequently seen alligators in the bay as he rode
by on horseback, their noses just appearing above water;
and it is in the records of the place, that not long since a
man, who went down at night to wash his rice-tin at the
water’s edge, was carried off by one of these monsters. On
another occasion an alligator seized a woman near this spot,
but her dress getting round its head impeded its move-
ments, so that the cries of the woman bringing assistance,
it was seized and killed. The long extremity of its nose
had been broken off in a former encounter. Another alli-
gator killed here was found to have a digested ball in his
stomach, consisting of the body of a man, the bones all
broken, and the clothes all rolled up with the flesh in a
scarcely distinguishable mass. Happily I never was troubled
by a visit from these unceremonious gentry, though the
thoughts of them seldom left my mind quite free.

The Mollusca found on these reefs are not numerous,
although a great many species may be obtained by making
excursions from Labuan, as a central point, to the various
small islands within reach. These include no less than 37
Cones and 86 species of the beautiful genus Cyprea. None,
however, of the more rare and valuable species are included
in this list, though several are highly interesting. Olives
crawl about the sand, leaving tracks by which it is easy to
discover their hiding-places ; they are of several species, the
most common being Oliva acuminata and O. maura. In a
part of the coast where a small stream runs out, a black,
muddy patch is formed, occupied by hundreds of holes of

Gelasimi. It is an uninviting-looking spot, but a number
0

194 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XII.

of Olives are produced here of a very rich dark brown ap-
proaching to black. This is probably a local variety.

Every stone is covered with tunicates and sponges of
various forms and colours, and beautiful silky worms occur,
whose delicate lateral fringes run into the skin upon the
slightest contact, causing considerable and disagreeable
irritation. Echinoderms, however, did not appear to be
abundant either here or in any other of the places which
I visited.

Some magnificent Feather-stars (Comatule) presented
themselves, which I much regretted could not be preserved
in some way. Their forms were so complicated, however,
that time did not permit of my drawing them with such
accuracy as to be useful for scientific purposes, and I was
not successful in preserving them entire. One of them was
of a rich carmine, and 6} inches in diameter, breaking very
easily; and even in the fresh sea-water it discharged its
colour very rapidly, pouring it out like blood, staining the
hand, and strongly tinging the water; and itself passing
from carmine to a rich yellow, and thence to crimson, until
nothing was left but a quantity of dingy fragments, which
gave no indication of what it had been. A second species
was of a rich olive green, with the distal ends of the
arms white for 1} inch, the whole diameter being 9
inches. This splendid specimen did not show any special
inclination to break up, but discharged its colour to some
extent into the water; and in the attempt to dry it, lost
it all.

I have found the directions given for killing these animals
entire quite ineffectual. In the case of a Comatula which
came up on the anchor in Haitan Straits, I was successful in
preserving a record of it, by drawing and description; but

tin lM
4 | i

Group of Nudibranchs from the China Sea.
Localities (from left to right): 1. Ke-lung; 2. Haitan Straits; 3. Ma-kung; 4 Labuan; 5. Raleigh Rock ;.6. Fiery Cross Reef.

To face Page 195.

Cx. XII.) COMATULA. NUDIBRANCHS. 195

upon adding the minute quantity of corrosive sublimate, the
animal rapidly discharged its colour, and broke up into
minute fragments. This species also showed no inclination
to break itself up while in health, even when handled; and,
indeed, this peculiarity, usually supposed so characteristic
of the feather-stars, is by no means universal. Two large-
sized and remarkably beautiful specimens of different species,
obtained at Singapore, I handled with impunity without
breaking the smallest portion of them; but, unfortunately
(and this well illustrates the difficulty of doing all one would
wish, even under apparently advantageous circumstances),
these specimens were obtained so late in the day that it was
impossible to do anything with them till daylight reappeared.
But, alas! the bucket which in the evening contained two
healthy and splendid feather-stars, held in the morning only
an offensive mass of small fragments, the colour of the water
and of the remains being equally unattractive.

Nudibranchs here appeared to be few, or my ill-fortune
prevented me from discovering them. Mr. Low told me that
he had frequently seen very beautiful species, of which,
however, he had not taken any particular note, and kindly
took me to where he thought I should find them, but we
both were equally unsuccessful. The first I met with I
at once recognised as the blue Doris (D. Barnardii) of
Makung Harbour. Next time I obtained the crimson-spotted
one already obtained at Slut Island in Haitan Straits. I
was ultimately successful in getting a very elegant species,
striated along the back with delicate alternate lines of deep
brown and yellow. This appeared to be a not uncommon
species on these shores, and I have met with it nowhere else.
Some very beautiful Planarian worms, which at first had the

appearance of nudibranchs, and were not less interesting,
02

\

196 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. XII.

occurred from time to time under the stones; but these
were not numerous in species.

Besides the reefs of Labuan itself, each of the three small
islands between it and the mainland had their special points
of interest. At Daat several specimens of a large Dorid
occurred which was not found elsewhere. They were about
four inches long, and two inches wide, with expansive gill-
tufts and large tentacles ; but not such beautiful animals as
most of their tribe. They had something of the appearance
of Doris tuberculata, though less variously coloured, being
usually grey and studded with tubercles above, the whole
under-surface smooth and blotched with iregular black
spots of various sizes upon a grey ground. I carried home
specimens of this animal for drawing and examination; but
on looking at them the following morning, I found the wide
projecting margin of the mantle cut off close to the foot, as
though with a sharp scissors, leaving the thick slug-like body,
which rapidly decayed. At first I could not understand what
had done this, but immediately afterward a second specimen
performed the same feat. Attributing this spontaneous am-
putation to a suicidal act, arising from the fouling of the
water in which they were placed with some other animals,
and wishing to preserve the last specimen, I placed it by
itself in a large vessel with fresh salt-water; but next
morning I found it severed like the others.

The adjoining island (Pulo Pappan), though barren in
Lepidoptera, offered features of great interest in other
respects. In the thick jungle land-shells were tolerably
abundant ; two or three elegant Cyclostomas being found on
the under sides of the leaves, and two species of Helix
of great beauty, tolerably common. One of these, Helix
atrofusca, of various delicate shades of light brown, was in

Cu. XIT.4 REEF AT PULO PAPPAN. 197

considerable numbers, while the other, Helix leta, of a
pale straw-colour, was less numerous. The magnificent
land-shell, Helix Brookei, only equalled by a species in
Cambodia (which indeed surpasses it), is pretty frequent not
only in Borneo, but in Labuan, as may be estimated by the
fact that, although once a high-priced shell, the natives who
are employed to collect, only ask ten cents (5d.) each for
them at the present time.

It was on this reef of Pappan that, in company with
Mr. Low, we found the great Anemones which sheltered
fish, and which I had previously observed on Fiery Cross
Reef. It has long been known that a sea-cucumber
(Holothuria ananas) shelters a fish in a similar manner, and
a figure of this fish is given in the ‘‘ Voyage of the Astrolabe.”
It is not a little remarkable that a Holothuria of the same
habit exists on this reef, as has been discovered by Dr.
Coulthard of Coal Point; but whether it is the Holothuria
ananas or another species I am not aware. Beautiful living
corals strew this corner of Pappan; Fungie, with large
bright green club-shaped tentacles, looking like magnificent
anemones; patches of large dark purple Echini, containing
from 50 to 100 individuals, so closely packed as completely
to conceal the sea bottom ; their spines six inches long, and
rows of brilliant metallic blue spots glistening in the ambu-
lacra; little Asterinas (A. minuta ?), and numerous shells of
Murex and Cyprea. Elegant little Gorgonie grew up here
and there, inviting a hand to pluck them; but woe to the
hand that accepted the invitation, as one of our Malays did,
for the ramifying stem was covered with a transparent
gelatinous substance which stung him just as the threads of
a jelly-fish or sea-nettle would have done, much to his
astonishment and. discomfiture. I was somewhat surprised

198 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XII.

to find under the stones in the water some Peroniz, those
erratic slug-like creatures which usually creep about on the
rocks above high-water mark; and lastly, the peacock-tailed
seaweed (Padina), which I had found in the Pescadores, in
North Formosa, in the adjacent islands, and in many other
places, was here growing in great profusion.

A third island was Pulo Enoe, the most southerly of the
group, and a mere clump of trees, connected to Labuan by a
reef, upon which were numerous hammer-muscles (Malleus),
Pinne, and other shells. But one animal from the reef was
of far more interest than all the rest. This was a magnifi-
cent species of anemone, which has its abode in crevices of
the rock, just below low-water mark. I succeeded in re-
moving one entire, which gave me an opportunity of record-
ing this beautiful new genus. The tentacles instead of being
simple or club-shaped, as usual in most species, were singu-
larly ramified, each tentacle giving origin to several branches,
and each branch terminating in a fine curved tendril-like
branchlet. This beautiful sea-flower was seated upon a thick
corrugated yellow column, and measured, when expanded,
nearly five inches across, the ramifications of the tentacles
being picked out with a bright yellow line, and the central
part of the disk brownish pmk. The Actinia, described by
Quoy and Gaimard under the name of Actinodendron, bears
no resemblance to this species, and yet no fitter name could
be given to the genus than Dendractinia. I afterwards
found a similar individual on the beach west of Singapore,
but was unable to secure it.

Nearly every evening (in August—September) during my
stay in Labuan, the sky clouded over a little before sunset, and
became gloomy, and during the night it often rained heavily.
It is said that 160 inches of rain per ann. fall in the island,

Cu, XIT.] LUMINOUS FUNGUS. — * 199

and I was assured by an old resident that he had known
seven inches fall in a single night. There was also thunder
and lightning nearly every evening, seldom however coming
quite close, but usually hanging over the mainland, though
Pulo Daat seemed to come in for a good share of rain and
storm. But, however gloomy and wet the night may have
been, the mornings, as a rule, were beautifully fine, and the
air from 6 to 9 a.m. delightfully cool and pleasant. After
that the sun gained power very rapidly. On the 28th of
August, a little before sunset, the sky having its character-
istic hazy appearance, I observed very distinctly the pheno-
menon of parhelia, or mock-suns—a mock-sun being on
either side of the real luminary, and indistinguishable from
it in point of brightness.

With so much wet it might have been expected that
fungi should abound in the jungle. They were not nume-
rous, however, though there was one of considerable interest.
I had observed, on passing a plantation late in the evening,
numerous patches of faint light scattered over the ground
and upon the grass; and picking my way cautiously over
stumps and ditches towards it, I found that the light pro-
ceeded from a fungus growing upon the tree roots, generally,
but not always, on old and decaying ones. The fungus is a
species of Agaricus, and is pronounced indeed to be the
A. Gardneri which grows in Brazil. -It shone with a dis-
tinct but pale light, very soft, and of a pale greenish colour,
the young specimens appearing to give a more intense light
than the older ones. It was of a cream-colour, thin, soft,
and fragile, with the texture of a Helvella, and with white
spores. On visiting the spot next day those which had
appeared to be fresh and young on the preceding evening
were becoming brown, and apparently decaying; so that

200 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XII.

they are probably very short lived, perhaps only lasting in
perfection one single night, and then replaced by others.
They seem, moreover, to be variable in quantities and bril-
liancy ; and the following night I could only meet with one
or two small spécimens in the same plantation.

Malay Houses at the Anchorage, Sarawak

CHAPTER XIII.
SARAWAK.

Entrance to River—Antimony Anchorage —Tarnuh-puti—Drift-wood—Town
of Kuching—Former condition of Sarawak—Sir James Brooke—Prospects
of the Settlement—The Tuan Muda—The Dyaks; their Superstitions—Miss
Burdett Coutts’ Estate Gambier planting — Flying Squirrel — Flying
Lizard—Flying Foxes—Vegetable Productions—Rain—Italian Naturalists
—Quadrupeds—Domestic Animals—Dyed Fowls— Reef at Pulo Barun-
dum.

On the 17th September my jungle rambles came to an
end, and we set sail for the Sarawak River, which we began
to approach on the 21st. The entrance is marked by the
bold promontory of Tanjong Po, a wooded limestone head-
land with sandy bays at its foot; while further westward
rises a yet higher point, Tanjong Sipang,—the two including
a mountainous peninsula, upon which Mount Santubon, 2712

202 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. XIII.

feet high, forms a landmark for the westerly entrance of the
river. To the eastward the land is low, consisting of man-
grove swamps and low jungle, the tops of the trees only
being visible. Guided by a buoy placed by the Sarawak
Government, the bar is crossed, and having rounded Tan-
jong Po, the river’s banks assume for the remainder of the
way to Sarawak a uniform and somewhat tame appearance.
The shores are low and muddy, clothed with a beautiful
vegetation, consisting of a fringe of Nipa palm-trees (Nipa
fruticans), with pinnate feathery leaves, 20 feet long, arising
from the ground without any stem; and these are inter-
mingled with low jungle trees and bushes, washed at the
base by the flowing stream, and affording in their muddy
creeks and hollows appropriate lairs for alligators. With
the exception of a Malay hut here and there, there is scarcely
any variation in the scenery, nor much life visible, except
now and then a large kingfisher, or hornbill, or some long-
tailed monkeys chasing one another in the trees.

At the distance of 17 miles from Tanjong Po the river
divides, and beyond this ships of any considerable draft
seldom pass. This is the Antimony Anchorage, so called
from the antimony stores of the Borneo Company, which are
located here. Here were several square-rigged vessels; and
as we proceeded we met many canoes, containing two or
more Malays, who rested on their paddles to watch us as we
passed. Some larger craft also there were, having an Euro-
pean build (lorchas), and flying the Rajah’s flag—a broad
cross, half red and half black, upon a buff ground. As we
neared Sarawak, houses became somewhat more frequent in
gaps or clearances by the river side, built. upon piles over
the mud, and covered with attaps. Notices posted up at
intervals, such as ‘‘ Rocks, hug this shore,” indicate the

*

Cx. XIII. ARRIVAL AT SARAWAK. 203:

difficulties and intricacies of this navigation, and the leads-
man sometimes called seven fathoms although only about
a boat’s length from the bank. It was here that the
“Samarang”’ touched the rocks and was thrown on her
beam-ends, only recovering her position after incredible
labour and considerable time had been spent upon this ap-
parently hopeless task.

Near Sarawak is the straggling village of Tarnuh-puti
(white earth), a brick-making place; and it was not a little
amusing to see the groups of men, women, and children
squatting on their hams, or gathered together in knots,
discussing the unusual sight of a large ship so high up the
river,—women with the sarong fastened under the breasts,
the children for the most part unencumbered with any
clothing whatever, their round and open eyes expressing not
a little bewilderment. The weather was cool, and the useful
sarong was turned into a cloak, a hood, a comforter, or what
not, as occasion required or caprice suggested; and the
groups of curious faces, and swarthy forms, would each have
well repaid the trouble of a separate photograph.

Immediately afterwards Sarawak appears in sight, the
Malay houses extend along the river’s banks for a con-
siderable distance; and opposite these houses we cast anchor
in 10 fathoms’ water, although there was but just width for
the ship to swing. An immense collection of drift is brought
down by the muddy waters; and when the tide turned we
were surrounded by a quantity of broken trunks, old logs,
long leaves, and sometimes whole trees of the Nipa palm,
seeds of screw-pines (Pandanus), and débris of all kinds,
which oscillated backwards and forwards all day, and often
caused some inconvenience by getting entangled in the
tackle of the ship. *

204 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XIII.

Sarawak consists of a long line of Malay huts, built on
piles on the left bank of the river, broken midway by some
rising ground, upon which the houses of the Rajah and
residents, with their compounds, are situated, and occu-
pying a bend of the river. On the right side are the Chinese
town and bazaar, Kling quarters, barracks, the fort with a
six-gun battery, Government offices, a sago manufactory,
the Borneo Company’s establishment, and some few Euro-

. pean residences on the hilly ground behind. In the Chinese
bazaar may be purchased many European articles, such as
Rimmel’s scent, eau de Cologne, dolls, &c., as well as many
common articles of crockery,* and ornamental ware, similar
to those which may be found in cottages in England. It is
a busy, lively quarter on the river side, where numerous
boats are constantly passing and repassing, and passengers
landing and embarking; while a miscellaneous throng of
Chinese, Madrasees, Malays, may generally be seen, to
which is added sometimes a small party of Dyaks. Behind
the town at some miles distance rise several lofty peaks,
which form a picturesque background, of which the chief
are Matang, Singhi, and Peninjau.

A visitor to this town of Sarawak, or, as it is called by
the Malays, Kuching (a cat), who may have chanced to know
anything of its state a quarter of a century back, may well
be struck with its flourishing condition, and with the aspect
of peace, plenty, and security, which now pervades a place
so short a time back a prey to lawlessness, rapine, and
bloodshed. No portion of the globe could have been more

* It is not a little curious that I saw here some plates on which the time-
honoured willow-pattern was Anglicised. There were the bridge, the men, the
birds and the trees, but all stripped of their Chinese features and rendered in
English. Where they were made. I do not know, but I never saw them in
England.

Cu, XTII.] REGENERATION OF SARAWAK. 205

wretched than this territory thirty years ago, when pirates
and robbers swept the country with fire and sword; when
murderous head-hunters sought for their bleeding trophies
far and near; when savage tribes sought opportunities of
making a raid upon the least protected of their neighbours,
murdering all the males, and leading the women into cap-
tivity. Such was the reign of terror, and worse than civil
war, which Sir James Brooke found existing in this part of
Borneo. Far from the seat of even nominal government,
the strong hand kept down the weak with the ferocity of the
savage, and without appeal; and as a necessary result, the
country was rapidly becoming depopulated; for those who
escaped the kris of the enemy could only look to die of
starvation. But the philanthropy of Brooke was not con-
tent to pity the unfortunates, in whom his penetration saw
traits of character and capabilities of improvement, which
events have fully borne out. | First, having with a super-
human effort given such a blow to piracy that it has never
been able to lift up its head since, and having fairly scotched,
if not killed, the snake, he thus essentially mitigated the
great crying evil of that part of the world, and paved the
way for negotiations, which the natives readily appreciated
and soon sensibly adopted. Having shown himself fortis in
ve, he next exhibited his character of suavis in modo, and
easily succeeded in winning the entire confidence of the
population, and by his own indomitable will and enthusiastic
nature, backed by no state support or military force, he has
changed the desolated district into a thriving settlement,
well governed and secure, where every man sits under his
own vine and under his own fig-tree, none daring to make
him afraid. Associating with him the hereditary native
chiefs, he has banished all jealousy of foreign rule, and has

206 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Ca. XIII.

endeared himself and his name, and the English nation, to
the people he has so worthily governed.

The territory of Sarawak is magnificently watered and
very fertile; and that a flourishing trade of any description
should so speedily occupy the place of lawlessness and
plunder is a surprising phenomenon. Upwards of a quarter
of a million sterling of exports and imports now pass along
the river annually, and that they are not more valuable can
hardly be wondered at, when we consider that up to the
present time the territory has been, as it were, a private
appanage, and unprotected and unrecognised by any western
power. That it is not is no fault of Sir James Brooke;
and it may be hoped that our Government will not permit
a ready-made and valuable colony to pass into the hands of
any foreign power, however desirous such foreign power may
be of making so desirable an acquisition.

It is to be feared that Sir James Brooke’s career of use-
fulness is over, and that he will be physically incapacitated
from returning to the scene of his labours and peaceful con-
quests. He leaves, however, as his recognised successor,
his nephew and adopted son, Charles Johnson Brooke, who
is styled Tuan Muda, and who has completely gained the
confidence of the people over whom he is placed. This
gentleman lately published a work entitled, ‘‘ Ten Years in
Sarawak,” in which he tells, with simplicity and straight-
forwardness, of the expeditions he has made at various
times for the establishment of peace and security within the
territory. By the coolness and determination exhibited in
these expeditions, and by other means, he has acquired an
extraordinary influence over the Sea Dyaks, who universally
regard him as their ruler and head.

The Dyaks or aboriginal tribes are divided into Sea

Cu. XIII.) THE DYAKS. 207

Dyaks and Land Dyaks, but the former derive their name
solely from. the fact that they are accustomed to the sea,
and to marine expeditions, and it does not imply that they
all live upon the coast. Indeed they penetrate into the
interior equally with the others; but from their enterprising
and wandering habits they have naturally more force of
character than the more stay-at-home section. The Sea
Dyaks were formerly the great pirates and head-hunters,
as might be expected, and are now a reformed class, who
possess qualities which are at once of a fiery and impressible
nature. The Land Dyaks are those which inhabit the upper
part of the Sadong, Sarawak, and Samarahan rivers, but
are fewer in number, and less warlike than the others.
These two races, however, differ radically in their language
from each other; and indeed the Dyaks of different tribes
are often unable to understand one another, although there
is doubtless an affinity between them. They have, however,
no written language, as I was assured by the Bishop, of
Labuan, who told me he had searched diligently without
finding any trace of such.

I must leave for others, however, a history of the Dyaks
of Sarawak. Some account of a visit to their homes will be
found in the following chapter, and I will only now mention
one circumstance which occurred while I was there. Like
other uncivilised natiogs they are very superstitious, and
their superstitions are often of a very childish nature. One
day when I was dining with the Tuan Muda, a Dyak came
over from Sadong expressly to inform him that they had
discovered a Hantu or bogey, in which, they conceived, he
would be greatly interested. They said that the Hantu
had taken up his abode in a Dyak-house, and described
him as sitting down, his legs very long, and his knees

208 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XIII.

reaching above his head, which was covered with long,
white hair. The Dyaks fed him, and the Hantu greedily
devoured all that was offered to him; but in return for
their good treatment, the only words he could be brought
to utter were those equivalent to ‘‘ You are a fool!” The
description sounds like that of a harmless lunatic, it must
be confessed, and was not sufficiently interesting to induce
a visit to the spot.

When relating the circumstance, Mr. Brooke told me
that three years ago some Dyaks came from a considerable
distance, bringing with them for his inspection what they
were pleased to designate a Hantu, carefully wrapped up
in a piece of cloth. They had walked for three days through
the jungle, and had abstained from speaking to any one by
the way, full of the importance of their mission. When
they had arrived, they ceremoniously laid their treasure
before him, when lo! the mysterious wonder disclosed to
the Tuan Muda’s eyes was—a pumpkin or gourd, dried
and blackened with smoke, and having on the top the half
of a cocoa-nut shell, with some of the fibres hanging like
scanty hair upon it. It had beew in the possession of the
Dyaks for many generations, and they regarded it as a
charm of the greatest potency, and in bringing it for the
inspection of their chief, they exhibited to him the highest
feelings of respect and regard. The Tuan Muda, however,
unwilling to hurt their feelings, and respecting their motives,
examined it gravely, and pronounced it to be truly a great
curiosity, dismissing them with a dollar or two for their
trouble, whereupon they packed up their Hantu and re-
turned with it whence they came. Had he wished to
purchase it, they would have demanded an enormous
price, as they set great store by it as one of their most

Cx. XTII.] MISS COUTTS’ PLANTATION. 209

précious valuables. What would they have said to a man-
drake ?

Near Tarnuh Putih is a plantation belonging to Miss
Burdett Coutts, who, it is well known, has spent a con-
siderable sum of money in the settlement. Among other
benevolent schemes she was anxious to give employment
to a number of natives in cultivating the soil, and for that
purpose engaged an agent to purchase a piece of land from
the Government. It was doubtless her intention to have
benefited the Dyaks, and for that end the plantation should
have been at some considerable distance on the landward
side of Sarawak. But by some strange mismanagement the
land was taken on the side of Sarawak most distant from the
aboriginal tribes, and where it could by no possibility be of
any advantage to the Dyak population. Added to this, the
spot selected is most unfavourable for cultivation, the soil
being nothing better than a poor and unproductive sand.
A new agent succeeded to the management as soon as the
location was fairly and irrevocably fixed, and to him was
left the unremunerative duty of making the most of a bad
bargain. This gentleman, Mr. Martin, long a resident in
Java, has gone to the work with a good will, and has un-
doubtedly done all that could be effected under such dis-
advantages. During the two years of his management this
spot has been cleared; and finding that Bananas were scarce
and high-priced in the Bazaar, he determined to plant that
tree. It has succeeded well; but the cunning natives im-
mediately followed suit, and Bananas at once became as
abundant and cheap as they were previously scarce and
costly. The success of the Banana crop, however, has
encouraged Mr. Martin to try others, and he is now cul-
tivating pepper plants.

210 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu, XIII.

In the neighbourhood of this estate is a Gambier planta-
tion, the only one in Sarawak, which I visited with Mr.
Martin. At that gentleman’s instance a Chinese planter
came forward, and he also induced the Rajah to offer encou-
ragement to such as would promote the interest and industry
of the settlement in that manner, for hitherto no attempt
has been made on the part of the Sarawak Government to
improve the land, or to encourage enterprise of that kind,
by which the resources of the territory or its exports might
be increased. The planter in this instance had the land
free of charge, with the proviso that he should clear it, and
plant it with Gambier (Uncaria Gambir). In the midst of
the clearing, a lofty building was in course of erection, in
which the processes of boiling the leaves and preparing the
extract were to be carried on; and the Gambier plants were
springing up healthily among the stumps of the forest-
trees—some in flower and some in seed; in ‘the latter case,
resembling in appearance and contents the long pod and
feathery seed of Epilobium. The process of clearing the
jungle is a gradual one—all the wood being valuable for the
purposes of fuel in boiling the gambier—and as it is con-
sumed in proportion to the quantity of the latter produced,
year by year the cleared space increases in extent. Gam-
bier is a native production of the place.

Sitting in the verandah of Mr. Martin’s house about sun-
set, I had an opportunity of observing the habits of the
flying squirrel (Galeopithecus), the Kubong of the Malays.
The animal came streaming through the air from a distant
clump of trees, its flank membranes extended, and its long
tail stretched out behind, and with a graceful sailing motion
at length arrived at a tall tree trunk which had been left in
the midst of the cleared jungle, on the lower part of which

Cx, XTIT.] FLYING SQUIRRELS. 211

it alighted. The animal then began to ascend the trunk in
a spiral direction, running a little way at a time, and then
stopping. Having reached the branches, it selected one,
along which it crept until it had reached the extremity,
when it suddenly launched itself into the air, and glided
away on outstretched wings, in the direction of another tall
tree about 150 yards distant, gradually descending as it pro-
ceeded, and finally alighting upon the lower third of the
trunk. Again it crept up to the branches, and again it cast
itself off—making this time for a more distant tree, when it
was lost to view in the jungle. At the same moment, an-
other Galeopithecus arrived at the first-mentioned tree,
which, standing alone, offered a good mark, and a conve-
nient resting-place for these singular animals. This one
repeated the same process, only going in the opposite direc-
tion. Every evening at the same hour these animals,
probably the same individuals, might be seen making use
of the same trees in their flight, so that it was easy to say
when they had alighted anywhere, what would be their next
flight. Having reached the highest part of the tree, they
sailed steadily away to the next with grace and swiftness,
in a gradually falling line, with no apparent movement of
their flank-membranes, but with the evident power of accu-
rately guiding their flight to the next stage in their progress,
which may thus be described as a vertical zig-zag. The
skins of these animals are much valued, and they are very
abundant in many places. Coal Point, in Labuan, is called
by the Malays Tanjong Kubong, or the Cape of Flying Squir-
rels, from the number of them which formerly existed
there; but since the cutting down of the jungle in the pro-
gress of the works, they have very materially diminished in

numbers.
P2

212 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XIII.

Near’ the same spot, in the heat of the day, I saw the
little flying lizard (Draco volans) alight upon a tree by the
road-side. It flew quickly along, and straight, like a bird,
without any butterfly-like fluttering, and suddenly settled
upon the bark just as a creeper (Certhia) would do, for
which at the first moment I mistook it. Then it ran.a
little way up the trunk in a spiral direction, and presently
stopped to look at me. JI approached in order to watch it,
when the little creature stood still, and twisting its head
completely round, regarded me with a stare, while its little
conical pouch, which hung flaccid beneath the throat, was
from time to time momentarily distended, assuming a semi-
crescentic form, pointing forward in a menacing manner,
and then falling again. I clapped my hands, and tried to
make it fly, that I might observe its movements, but it
remained looking at me imperturbably ; and although I
threw sticks and stones up, it only ran a little higher up,
and then stopped and watched me again. The heat was so
intense, that I was fain to go on my way—and none too
soon—for I found afterwards,-to my cost, that I was at that
moment qualifying myself for an attack of fever. I saw
the little Draco again in the interior, and afterwards in the
neighbourhood of Singapore.

Every evening, about sunset, on the Sarawak River, the
ais was alive with large bats or flying foxes (Pteropus),
called by the natives Kalongs. They began to appear as
nearly as possible at the same minute every evening—a few
stragglers first, gradually increasing in numbers, until, in
the course of a quarter of an hour or so, they might be
seen all over the sky, flying just out of gunshot range, but
all bound in the same direction, viz. from N. E. to S. W.
They flew with a heavy, slow, and steady flight, and might

Cu, XTIT.] FLYING FOXES. : 213

easily have been mistaken by a casual observer for rooks
returning to their nests. The body was heavier than that
of a rook, however, and there was a peculiar bat-like form
of wing which at once arrested attention when they were
directly over-head. They had all passed over before it
was too dark to see them, and returned again before the
sun had fairly risen next morning. These large bats are
all frugivorous, and were bound to the fruit districts, where
they spend the night in feasting. The distance which they
flew to their feeding-ground must have been considerable,
but they appear well calculated for long flights, having
none of the vacillating and fluttermg motion which charac-
terises the insectivorous bats (popularly called Flittermice)
of this country, which take their prey upon the wing.
They fly at varying heights, according to the season and
weather. If fine, they are usually out of gunshot range,
but at other times it is not difficult to wing them. When
thus brought down, they are very pugnacious, and bite
fiercely ; and in Java it is a common sport to match a
terrier against them, when brought to the ground.

In the Straits of Banca, a considerable number of Pteropi
flew across at sunset from the Island of Banca to the Island
of Sumatra (north to south). They were of a larger size
than the Sarawak specimens, and flew in many cases within
gunshot. The two legs projecting slightly behind, gave
them the appearance of having a forked tail. ,

The fertility of Sarawak is mainly due to an original
rich loamy soil, which has for ages supported a succession
of forests whose decay has produced a deep layer of vege-
table mould—so that in most parts it is easily cultivated,
and gives an ample return. The Dyaks, whose agricultural
operations are of a very primitive character, nevertheless

214 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. XIII.

cultivate extensive gardens—more particularly along the
river’s banks, in which fruit-trees are the principal pro-
duct. The sugar-cane is, however, frequently one of their
contents, inasmuch as it grows luxuriantly with little or no
attention, and is at the same time a very favourite article of
consumption, no less with the Dyaks than with the Chinese
—both of whom chew the raw cane for the sake of the
juice. The produce of these gardens, which is disposed of
in the Bazaar at Sarawak, is probably sufficient for the
maintenance of the Dyaks possessing them, for their wants
are few, and scarcely go beyond the means of subsistence ;
their chief food is rice, and 4l. or 51. sterling per annum
will supply rice enough for the consumption of a whole
family. The cocoa-nuts also, which abound, yield not only
plenty of food, but are useful for a hundred different pur-
poses. They are to these people what the date-palms are
to the inhabitants of the African coast. But perhaps the
bamboo (Bambusa arundinacea) exceeds all other trees in
economic value—for not only does it afford an article of
wholesome food in the young shoots, but a thousand things
are made from it—an enumeration of which would take up
too much space; but the traveller meets with it at every
turn, and the most ingenious adaptations are constantly
arresting his attention, in which the joints, or septa, often
play an important part. The cane itself is one of the
most ornamental trees of the tropics, and here reaches a
height of 60 feet, the strength and elasticity of its wood
being unsurpassed. In these uses also the rattan (Cala-
mus Rotang) shares in a minor degree.

Even the stemless Nipas (Nipa fruticans) have important
uses. From the leaves—often 20 feet long—are made those
useful and readily-applied attaps, which form the roofs for

Cu. XIII.) VEGETATION OF SARAWAK. 215

native houses ; a preserve is made of the fruit, and salt is
extracted from the burnt leaves; while the cylindrical and
shapely stems of the Nibong are turned into ready-made
posts, upon which their slight houses securely rest.

Many useful trees also grow in the jungle, the nature of
which is no secret to the natives; and dammar-resin, sago,
vegetable tallow, malacca-canes, rattans, ebony, camphor,
and rice, are among the substances which the territory of
Sarawak sends out in exchange for the silks, Javanese
handkerchiefs, European cloths, China-ware, brass wire,
and cooking vessels, salt, and opium, which are used or
consumed therein; while to these vegetable substances,
accumulated by the industry of the people, must be added
its mineral treasures—antimony, gold, and diamonds; and
certain animal productions, #s birds’-nests, sharks’-fins,
tortoise-shell, bees’-wax, and salt-fish.

In such a well-wooded country there is no lack of rain,
which pours down in incredible torrents—of which I was a
witness ; and where high land aids in its formation, I can
have little hesitation in accepting the estimate of one who
by long residence was qualified to judge, that as much as
800 inches of rain fall annually in some parts of Borneo.
This, with the aid of the freshets which come down the
river, produces a rich alluvial soil along the banks of the
Sarawak and other rivers, where the most beautiful flowers
may be seen—sweet-smelling Clerodendrons and Bignonias,
beautiful Cinchonaceous plants, such as richly-coloured
Ixoras, purple Hoyas, and long-stamened Combretums ;
and a wonderful variety of those singular botanical pheno-
mena, the pitchers of Nepenthes. Mr. Low, who has made
several interesting excursions into the interior, told me that
on the Limbang River, just north of the Sarawak country,

216 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XIII.

he met with a new Rhizanth, allied to Rafflesia, but smaller
than R. Arnoldi. He preserved and kept this plant for
some years, but did not I believe make it public, and ulti-
mately, but quite recently, hearing that an Italian botanist
was making collections at Sarawak, he sent him the spe-
cimen.

The gentleman alluded to, Signor Beccari, has been for
many months established upon the hill called Matang, near
the town of Kuching, which he makes his head-quarters
for botanical expeditions, conducted with great zeal and
diligence, and from which valuable results may be expected.
Another Italian naturalist, the Marquis Doria, has also
been residing some months at Sarawak, employing a staff
of assistants for collecting insects, birds, quadrupeds, and
land-shells, from all the country round. He had naturally
succeeded in amassing a considerable amount of material,
which will doubtless—as well as Beccari’s collections—
form interesting matter for the publications of the Floren-
tine Academy. The Marquis Doria had quitted Sarawak
just before my brief visit.

It has been remarked that large quadrupeds bear no pro-
portion to the luxuriance of vegetation of the tropics, and the
greatest herbivorous animals abound most where the soil
and climatal conditions do not encourage the greatest de-
velopment of vegetation. Thus it is in Borneo, where,
although the country is a vast forest under an equatorial sun,
large animals are rarely met with. For although it is said
that elephants are found in the north-west part, a general
and well-founded opinion prevails that they are not indigen-
ous to the island, but have been derived from animals
imported from India for purposes of luxury or display,
which have been allowed freedom to save their owners the

Cu, XII] BORNEAN QUADRUPEDS. 217

pains of caring for so huge a beast. There can be little
doubt, however, of their presence, although they may be
rare; but the country is well adapted for them, and, once
introduced, there does. not appear any reason why they
should not flourish. Deer and wild cattle are almost the
only other known quadrupeds of any considerable size; for,
although there are numerous small species, no large feline
animals exist in Borneo, the most considerable being a
species of arboreal panther (Felis macrocelis). Pigs mono-
polise the forest as far as the earth is concerned, and in
their passage across rivers form an abundant supply of food
to the alligators, which seem particularly partial to pork,
probably because most easily obtained.

But the animals which are most characteristic of this part
of the world are the Quadrumana (monkeys). Being essen-
tially arboreal in their habits, they have flourished freely,
and their species have multiplied indefinitely ; so that a vast
variety of them inhabit the Bornean jungles, many of which
are probably undescribed. Among them the largest are pro-
bably not inferior to the great equatorial African apes in size,
and of these orangs or mias there are two species, while most
other old-world families have their representatives here.

The only domesticated animals which the Dyaks keep are
dogs and fowls. The dogs are small, prick-eared, and sharp-
snouted. They do not bark like opr dogs; but at the same
time they cannot be said to be voiceless, for they howl most
musically. Their fowls are of a small breed, and have not
yet been improved by any admixture of races from Europe.
Geese and ducks do not trouble the Dyaks, though the
latter are kept by the Malays. In a street of Kuching I
observed a fowl which arrested my attention by its rich
light pink tint, very delicately shaded over the large feathers.

218 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (On. XIII.

Never having seen a fowl of this colour before, I stopped to
look at it, with some suspicion, prepared however to secure
it if it really was anything unusual. A Chinaman passing
at the time characteristically assumed ownership of the bird,
and wished to sell it to me, though I do not believe it be-
longed to him any more than it did to me. Looking more
closely at it, however, I perceived it was a white chicken
which had been dipped in aniline dye, and no better nor
worse than its neighbours. At Singapore I observed white
rabbits dyed with the same pink colour.

The only opportunity I had of searching for marine ani-
mals on the Sarawak coast was on a small island called Pulo
Marundum, south of Santubon, where I landed on October
7th, and spent some little time at low water. The island is
a long, low coral reef, covered with mangroves, among which
flew little sun-birds (Cinnyride). Small pools and little
shallow lagoons contained numerous fish, which the Malays
easily caught with their hands; but the perforated rocks
were all fixed, and there were very few loose stones which I
could take up and examine. A few interesting animals,
however, rewarded my search. Among them were those
remarkable specimens of Doris exanthemata to which I have
already alluded, as equalling in size the largest known
individuals of the Nudibranchiate family. Two delicate
Planarie, most difficult to dislodge from the rough coral,
occurred here only. One of these was most delicately
pencilled all over with little circlets of light brown colour ;
the other, a large rich velvety brown species, seems to ap-
proach the P. zeylonica of Kelaart. Sponges, and botrylli-
form Tunicates, like clusters of little coloured stars,
abounded. Red, tuberculated crabs, of the genus Calappa,
ran about, readily taking refuge in the honeycombs of the

Cu. XTIT.J] NEW SPECIES OF PHYLLIDIA. 219

coral; but, if caught, shutting themselves up as if in a box,
from the curious compact manner in which their legs all
fitted under the vault of their carapace. Large rough-rayed
starfishes (Ophiocomas) also lurked in holes; and I re-
marked as a fact worth noticing that, fragile as they are, I
could, by tugging at one arm or ray, pull one of these brittle-
stars by main force out from a hole scarcely large enough to
admit the passage of its body, and yet without breaking it ;
whereas, two minutes after, holding it suspended by one
arm, it broke short off, evidently amputated by the will of
the: animal. And, lastly, I found myself the possessor of
two new and very beautiful species of Phyllidia, animals
closely allied to the Doris, but having the gills arranged in
a lamellar form along the sides of the body, instead of on the
back, as in the Nudibranchs. One of these was richly
tuberculated with shades of green upon a jet-black ground ;
in the other, the tubercles were of a more simple character—
rose-pink in some examples, in others (evidently, however,
the same species) of a pale emerald green.

The Pangah, or Head-house, Bombok.

CHAPTER XIV.
THE SARAWAK RIVER.

Eclipse of the Moon—Boats and Rowers—First Halt—Reach the Rapids—
The Datu and Chief Hadji—Diamond-washing—Gold—The Last Rapid—
Dress of the Dyaks—The Council—Scenery of the River—Mode of
Producing Fire—Journey Continued—Incidents—Change Prahu for
Canoes—Return Down Rapids in the Dark—Bivouac —Malay Boat-songs
—Limestone Cavern—Berlidah—Ascent of Peninjau—Dyak Village of
Serambo—Rajah’s Summer Residence—Bombok— Return to Sarawak.

A suorT stay at Sarawak gave me a favourable opportu-
nity of penetrating a little into the interior, and afforded me
some interesting glimpses of Dyak life. The Tuan Muda
being just about to depute a government officer, Mr. Alfred
Houghton, up the river, for the purpose of settling some
questions relating to diamond-washing operations, as well as
for hearing and deciding some causes among the Malay and

Cu. XIV.] DRIVING AWAY AN ECLIPSE. 221

Dyak population, kindly proposed that I should accompany
him, a proposal with which Mr. Houghton most courteously
complied. °

We left Sarawak at midnight on the 24th September in
two long boats, or prahus, of the kind usual upon the river,
propelled by short and broad paddles at either end, while
the central part was strewn with mats, upon which the single
occupant could recline under the protecting shelter of an attap
covering of dried palm-leaves, which could be extended or
shortened at pleasure. It was the night of the total eclipse
of the moon; and during the whole evening a monotonous
noise of gongs and tom-toms, accompanied by shoutings,
had been going on, becoming more and more uproarious as
the eclipse approached totality. In this the Chinese popula-
tion were assisted by the Malays, with whom an excuse for
beating the tom-tom is always eagerly seized ; and the mys-
terious gloom of the unclouded sky was indeed sufficient to
attract the attention and arouse the superstitious fears of
the untutored population. As the earth’s shadow began to
show signs of clearing off, the beatings of gongs and tom-
toms became however less and less vehement; and a little
before midnight the moon shone out in unclouded serenity,
and Chinese and Malays alike retired from their task with
easy consciences and renewed confidence in the stability of
moonshine.

The peculiar and almost mysterious gloom which had
pervaded the air all the evening had certainly a depressing
effect ; and with the voyage in prospect, I was no less glad
than the natives to see the moon appear once more, although
the eclipse was succeeded by a sharp thunderstorm, in the
midst of which we started in our two boats. Owing to the
rapids which abound in the higher part of the river, it was

222 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XIV.

necessary that the boats should be small and light, and the
crews numerous and skilful. My friend was provided with
eight men ; I, owing to the short notice, only succeeded in
getting five, but these were strong fellows, who maintained
their ground creditably against double the number of slighter
lads. Their nationality was curiously varied—one was a
Javanese, a second from Macassar, a third a veritable Papuan,
with the luxuriant hair of the New Guinea race, the remain-
ing two were Bornean Malays. My companion had among
his crew two Loo-choo lads, taken as young boys from some
conquered junks after one of Mr. Brooke’s great piratical
engagements, and thus saved from destruction. They had
been brought up to honest service,‘and were very much at-
tached to their master. One of these lads, Sallee, attached
himself to me, and a more active and willing pair than this
and my Papuan I could not have wished for as attendants.

Once fairly in the stream, all our rowers, who sat with
their faces to the front, vigorously plied their paddles, and
our boats sped rapidly through the water, and I stretched
myself out on my mat for my night’s repose ; but no sooner
were we in motion than the men all began to sing a wild
air, keeping time with the strokes of their paddles. This
was amusing enough at first, and not without a spice of
savagery ; but as time passed on and they showed no signs
of fatigue in their lungs, it became rather tiresome, for it
appeared that they could not paddle without singing, and
as there was no reason to complain of the pace at which
the boat was going, I was fain to put up with the musical
accompaniment, but sleep was banished for the night.

At dawn I was aroused from a slight doze by a pattering
rain, and a confused sound of voices, and peeping out from
my attap covering, I found we were in the midst of a fleet

Cu. XIV.] SCENERY OF THE RIVER. 223

of boats similar to our own, all collected at a common
halting-place. Two or three wood-fires were making splut-
tering attempts to burn under a steady down-pour, and
around them were groups of Malay boatmen busily moving
about, or cooking little pannikins of rice for their morning
meal. These being despatched the boats went on their
ways, some up, some down the river; and in half an hour
we were alone. After our own boatmen had cooked their
rice, which they had well earned by six hours’ continuous
paddling, we proceeded on our way, the weather clearing as
we advanced.

The scenery of the river gradually increased in interest,
the low jungle-covered banks assuming a more rugged and
elevated character, and limestone hills here and there pic-
turesquely peeping from above the foliage, their steep faces
set off in a frame of bamboos and other trees which grew
upon the river side. The stream, too, now began rapidly
to increase in swiftness, and this was the signal for our
boatmen to step ashore for a few minutes in order to cut
some stout bamboo poles, the object of which was presently
apparent. The paddles soon became of little use in the
swift-flowing, shallow river, where the boat had to be skil-
fully piloted amid projecting rocks, and they were therefore
now laid aside, and our boatmen at once gave proof that
they were equal adepts in the art of poling. Their manage-
ment of the boats was perfect, and the rapids which we now
began to ascend afforded them ample scope, though it was
afterwards in descending them that their dexterity was
chiefly conspicuous.

As we proceeded we were joined by several other boats,
all bound for the same destination as ourselves; for it was
known up the river that Mr. Houghton was empowered by

224 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XTV.

the Sarawak government to make some arrangement for the
working of the diamond-washings, and many who were in-
terested in the subject jomed our procession. Among them
was the Datu, or first native chief of the district, and the
chief Hadji or Mahommedan priest. The Datu was a
pleasant-looking man of about fifty, who has supreme au-
thority in the native courts in petty cases, divorce suits,
etc., and was described to me as a man of considerable
intelligence and sagacity. He had with him his son, a
slight lad of nine or ten years old, and like his father of
intelligent look, and gentlemanly manners and appearance.
The Hadji was a stout, heavy, and somewhat dirty-looking
old gentleman, disposed, however, to be very friendly. Un-
fortunately I could not talk much with them except through
my friend, my knowledge of Malay being unequal to the
effort of sustained conversation; but both, particularly the
Datu, made themselves agreeable, and as conversational as
the circumstances would allow.

In a bend of the river we came upon a number of the
diamond-washers at work, and stopped to observe their
mode of procedure. Diamonds have long been known to
exist in the river-bed, and the search for them has been
carried on for a long period. For the most part they are
of small size, but of a brilliant water, although large ones
have been occasionally met with. The largest Bornean
diamond belongs to the Sultan of Matan, and is valued at
£269,738, weighing, as uncut, 367 carats. In the sand and
gravel of the river-bed, at depths averaging from six to
eighteen feet below the surface, and in strata sometimes
several feet thick, the diamonds are sought for with varying
success by a large number of Malays, who sink shafts at a
distance of 20 feet apart in the shallow parts of the river.

Cx. XIV.) DIAMOND-WASHING. 225

They construct huge pyramidal frames of large and strong
bamboos, about three yards square at the base, and by
means of heavy stones they sink them upon their claims,
so that they may not be carried away by the stream, and at
the same time shall point out clearly the working-place of
each party. Their most important stock-in-trade consists
of a number of large round bowls of wood, extremely shallow,
and ingeniously cut, as if with a turning-lathe, deepest in
the centre, and shelving all round to the rim. Filling this
bowl with gravel, etc., from the river-bed, they (standing in
the water) hold the bowl, just skimming the surface, and
give the contents a rotatory motion, cautiously and skilfully
allowing the muddy and lighter sandy particles to flow over
with the water, until nothing is left at the bottom of the
dish but the larger and heavier sandy and gravelly sub-
stances, which are then carefully examined for the coveted
diamonds. This work can, however, only be carried on at
certain periods of the year, namely, during the dry season,
for during the rains the river so swells as to render it utterly
impossible to make any attempts; and this will be under-
stood when it is mentioned that at the spot where we en-
camped, and where was a small settlement of diamond-
washers, I was assured that the river at certain periods rose
30 feet higher than it stood at the time of our visit.

Besides diamonds, gold is found in tolerable abundance in
Sarawak, much being obtained from the same situation and
by the same means as the diamonds, chiefly by the Malays.
The Chinese population find much gold in the alluvial soil
—a yellow, clayey loam,—and this is the best and most re-
liable source. Altogether, at least a picul of gold (1334
lbs.) is procured annually from these sources. Silver, how-
ever, has never been found in this district.

226 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XTV.

At length we arrived at a long rapid, which really deserved
the name, and taxed the powers and skill of our boatmen to
the utmost. With loud shouts they used their bamboo poles
in good earnest. Our numerous paddlers were all on the alert
and in a high state of excitement; still they could hardly
make any way against the rush of water. Overboard they
leaped pell-mell, and although they could scarcely keep their
legs, they lugged the boats by main force through the narrow
channel. . Those that were best manned of course got
through first; but my five men, although they could well
hold their own against crews of eight or ten in smooth
water, were hard bested to get my boat through the critical
place. But they were soon reinforced by those in advance,
who came back to the rescue, and with excited shouts
dragged it up the cataract. Meanwhile the smaller boats
with fewer rowers crept laboriously up the side channels
in-shore, and soon all were safely through, and at noon we
found ourselves all moored by the steep banks of the river,
at a little impromptu village of diamond-washers, which was
to be our halting-place for the night.

After a pic-nic breakfast and a bath in the river, we felt
sufficiently refreshed to enter upon the duties which had
brought us to this spot. It was a lively and interesting
scene, and was rendered more so by the presence of a family
of Dyaks, consisting of a man and woman, and a girl of
about 18. ‘The dress of the man was simply a handkerchief
upon the head, and a scanty cloth wrapped round the loins.
By his side was the universal parang or chopping knife, and
the tambuk, or bag from which he took betel and sirih. The
woman wore only a short petticoat, tightly fastened around the
lower part of the hips and hanging to the knees. The arms
and legs were encircled by spiral coils of brass wire from the-

Cx. XTV.] DRESS OF DYAK GIRL. 227

shoulder to the elbow, and from the elbow to the wrist,
leaving the joint free; and from the knee to the ankle, so
closely compressing the limbs that the flesh bulged out in an
unsightly manner where the compression ceased. These
wires appeared incapable of being removed; indeed, I after-
wards saw a woman washing in the river with these incum-
brances to cleanliness, which must be very provocative of
ulceration also, upon her. A number of thin rattan rings
encircled the girl’s body, which was otherwise bare, and
some rings of rattan and of brass hung around her neck.
Her black hair, loosely parted in the middle, hung loosely
behind as far as the waist.

The first view of these aborigines gave me a strong im-
pression of the wretchedness of savage life, as they lingered
to hold some conversation with the Malays, and cast some
curious glances at the white men, from whose gaze the
women seemed instinctively to shrink.

Meanwhile, all was prepared for the Council, and the
government official having taken his seat, with the Datu,
upon one of the diamond-washers’ frames by the river-side,
and surrounded by the natives who were interested in the
matter, opened the question and stated the arrangements
which the Sarawak government had determined upon for the
fair apportionment and regulation of the various claims.
He was listened to with intelligence and attention by the °
Malays who squatted round, chewing betel, and then the
matter was fairly and quietly discussed, questions answered,
and details explained to the satisfaction of all parties, after
which the meeting broke up. Meanwhile our servants were
building a little shed upon the hill-side, and covering it with
attaps for our accommodation during the night. .

The scenery of our camping-place was exceedingly pic-
Q 2

228 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XIV.

turesque. Ascending the steep bank of the river, magnificent
limestone crags could be séen peering out through the
luxuriant foliage, and calling to recollection the Trossachs in
Scotland. The rapid river, having just descended an incline,
which had the steepness and swiftness of a cascade, was
hurrying on to the long rapid which we had that morning
ascended with so much difficulty. A number of Malay boys
in canoes were amusing themselves by dragging their boats
up the rocks beside the cascade, and then shooting it with
the utmost fearlessness and dexterity amid shouts and
laughter. Some exquisite butterflies flitted by every now and
then, affording occupation to my net, as I rambled on the
top of the high bank, upon which a few huts of the diamond-
seekers were perched, while the washers were already at
their work, standing in the river with their shallow dishes in
search of the gems.

A heavy shower of rain having driven us to the shelter of
our attaps, we sat and amused ourselves with chatting with
the good-natured Malays who accompanied us, and who
were ever ready and willing to do us any kind offices. I
seized this opportunity of learning the mode of producing
fire, which is seldom described, but usually taken for granted
as known. My request that they would make fire was
answered by one of the Malays selecting from among our
’ firewood a dry stick of hardish wood, about 15 inches long,
which he cut with his parang into the form of a thickish
lath, and having also made a small notch on the narrow
edge, stick number one was ready for use. Taking a smaller
piece of wood of the same kind, about nine inches long, he
pared it into a cylindrical shape, and cut one end straight off.
Then placing the long stick on the ground with the flat side
uppermost, and setting his feet firmly upon the two ends,

Cx. XIV.] MAKING FIRE. 229

he put a piece of paper under the notch, and taking the
small stick between both hands, as he squatted before it,
adjusted the flat end to the smoothed surface of the larger
stick immediately adjacent to the notch. He then rotated
the small stick rapidly between his hands, pressing it down
upon the larger one, until by degrees a round hole was
formed, and a ligneous powder was produced, which fell
down the notch and formed a little heap upon the paper.
After having thus rubbed for about two minutes, the powder
began to smoke, and then turning black as the increasing
heat charred it, suddenly became red-hot, and the tinder
thus formed only required a puff of breath at this critical
moment to ignite the paper beneath. The exertion required
was considerable, but of short duration.

On the following morning the report of some coal which
had been discovered by Dyaks higher up the river induced
us to make arrangements to visit the spot; and accordingly,
immediately after breakfast, accompanied by the Datu and the
Hadji, we set out with a single boat for an excursion higher
up the rapids. The first of these was immediately above
our halting-place, and the steepest we met with, forming
indeed a complete cascade between two projecting rocks.
The boat having been dragged round, we proceeded through
some highly picturesque scenery, the river becoming more
shallow and the rapids more frequent as we advanced.
Many beautiful precipitous limestone rocks towered aroynd
us, of which those called Gunong Gigi and Retti were per-
haps the most striking. The banks were at one time steep
and rocky, at another low and alluvial, and upon them were
numerous gardens cultivated by the Dyaks, and containing
bananas, cocoa-nuts, and other trees. The little mouse-
coloured swallow (Hirundo esculenta), which forms the

230 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XIV.

birds’-nests of commerce, frequently found in the numerous
limestone caverns with which the country abounds, ac-
companied us all day, skimming like the English sand-
martin over the river surface. Another little bird, having a
note not unlike that of the yellow-hammer, was pointed out
to me by the Malays as the alligator-bird, about which they
had a legend to the effect that the alligators of the river
were constantly demanding of it payment of a debt long due
to them from its ancestors, to which the bird is supposed to
reply, ‘“‘I have nothing to give you except the feathers of
my tail, and those you may have if you can get them,”—a
legend which seems intended to place their most dreaded
enemy in a ridiculous light. For these terrible monsters
ascend the rivers even above the rapids, and, if well-informed
residents can be trusted, even sharks have been known to do
the same. The Malays remarked of another small bird that
it was the diamond-bird, averring that wherever it was seen
diamonds were certainly to be found near at hand.

At a bend of the river we suddenly met a canoe, paddled
by four little Dyak girls, who seemed half frightened at
meeting us. I was much struck with their upright graceful
figures as they sat at their paddles; for, like other savage
or semi-savage people, the children are often pretty, though
the exposure which they undergo, and the labour which they
necessarily have to perform, soon turn their infantine
beguty into the harsh and unredeemed ugliness of coarse
adolescence. :

The increasing shallowness of the river rendered it neces-
sary soon after this that we should change our boats for two
small canoes, in each of which two of us sat, with one of our
boatmen at the stern, while a Dyak wielded a pole in the
fore part of each, and thus we performed the remainder of

Cx. XIV.] UPPER PART OF SARAWAK RIVER. 231

the journey. Monkeys were occasionally visible in the trees
as we passed, but all of small species; for the large red
orangs do not frequent this river, though they are common
in the neighbouring river, Sadong. Hornbills screamed as
they flew from tree to tree, and numerous handsome butter-
flies flew across our path; but the most striking insect was
a dragon-fly, with wings of a metallic golden-green, which
glittered gorgeously in the sunlight, and was by no means
uncommon.* Little, scarcely visible, sandflies, also, were
rather too numerous, and inflicted their bites on any ex-
posed parts of the body like sharp needle-pricks.

We halted at a sandspit for a bath, and to allow the Datu
(who was a zealous Mussulman) and the Hadji opportunity
to perform their devotions, which they did after their ablu-
tions, with their faces towards Mecca. Above us on either
side of the river we could hear voices, which we found to
proceed from Dyak villages almost concealed among the
trees upon the high banks. From the houses bamboo plat-
forms, supported upon poles, ran out, upon which we could
discern some dusky forms watching us from their shady
retreats ; but no particular surprise or excitement was caused
by the visit of white people, to whom they are all more or
less accustomed.

At length we arrived at our destination, and landed just
as a heavy tropical shower came on. Penetrating the jungle
which bordered the river, under the guidance of a Dyak, we
very soon arrived at a spot where a seam of indifferent coal
cropped out from the thick layer of vegetable mould, and

* On subsequently looking over the collection of insects made by a gentle-
man in the island of Hong Kong, I was surprised to observe among them a
species similar if not identical with that above described, which he told me he
had frequently met with in Happy Valley.

232 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XIV.

having secured specimens, at once prepared to return. After
two hours’ swift paddling down the stream, the light began
to fail; and as the moon rose late, we were for two more
hours shooting the rapids in almost total darkness, for the
trees overshadowed the stream so as to cut off the feeble
light of the stars. It was here that the skill of our Malay
and Dyak boatmen was tested. So completely were they
masters of the canoe, and so thoroughly acquainted with
every bend and fall of the river, that we proceeded with
perfect safety, although in the event of our missing the
channel, or striking against a stone, our slight skiffs must
in some places inevitably have been upset. There was
nothing for it, however, but to gather ourselves well up in
the middle of the canoe, and sit still, with full reliance upon
their powers. I was not sorry, however, when we at length
reached, in total darkness, the spot where our large boat
had been left, soon after which the moon rose, and the rest
of the way was plain sailing. Late at night we arrived at
the last and steepest rapid, which really required skill even by
moonlight. Holding on by the gunwale I steadied myself
for the descent, and with a shout from the rowers, we shot
down, scarcely shipping a drop of water, and were once
more at our camping place. The bustle of our arrival soon
brought our servants with lights, for, not expecting us, they
had already retired under the attaps; but a fire was quickly
kindled, and supper prepared, one ingredient of which was
the young fronds of a fern, a species of Marattia, which,
when boiled, makes an excellent and palatable dish. Our
mats were spread, not upon the ground, as it fortunately

happened, though in close proximity to it, for having stepped
; off, barefooted, I was nipped and bitten in such a manner
that I was glad to beat a hasty retreat, and on holding the

Cu. XTV.] BOAT-SONGS. 233

lantern to the ground it was seen to be swarming with large
ants. I had great fear of a visit from them during the
night ; but although only 18 inches below my couch, they
fortunately abstained from climbing up the posts, and left
us unmolested. |

The following morning we quitted this spot, and formed
a procession of boats down the river. The boatmen, as
usual, enlivened the way with their songs, some of which
were wild and musical. They all joined in the chorus; and
one of them, of which they appeared particularly fond, had
a refrain which ran as follows, the staccatos being strokes of
the oar :—

Keeping time with their paddles, the song was cheerful and
inspiriting, and seemed to help them along. There was no
end to their good-humour and spirits, and they delighted in
a sharp race on the smooth reaches of the river. At the
slightest challenge they would ply their paddles at a prodi-
gious rate, skimming along with shouts and cries of en-
couragement, and at a speed which would have done credit
to “ dark blue.”

Soon after mid-day we halted, that we might land and
inspect a fine limestone cavern, of whose existence we had
been informed by some friendly Dyaks. Under the guidance
of one of them we proceeded along a well-trodden path
through the wood, and in about ten minutes reached the
skirts of a Dyak village. A deep, narrow gorge between
limestone rocks had at the bottom a pool of clear water,
being all that remained at this season of a torrent which
had evidently, in course of time, worn away the chasm;
and in this pool a Dyak woman and some children were

234 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XIV.

bathing, and looked up in astonishment at the large party
of intruders skirting the edge of the ravine. Following this
it led us directly into the cavern, the entrance of which was
grandly arched, and somewhat recalled the entrance to the
Peak in Derbyshire. The interior was very spacious and
irregular: the left-hand side was hollowed out into intricate
chambers, with irregular natural steps leading from one to
another, and loopholes connecting them. The Dyaks
having provided us with flambeaux of bamboos, we entered
and explored these chambers, disturbing a number of large
bats which had taken refuge there for the day. All that
side of the cave was heaped up with an irregular and deep
deposit of an alluvial character, while on the right-hand side
a deep channel was cut in the rock by the stream, which
entered at the other end of the cave, and which, having once
been large enough to excavate the whole cavern, had now
dwindled to a rivulet flowing through this narrow, rocky
channel, which was also continuous with the deep ravine
first alluded to. From the roof of the cave, in many places,
depended enormous stalactites many feet long, and of a
diameter sometimes exceeding that of a man’s body. The
. cause of this appearance was not difficult to be explained,
for above the cavern trees were growing, the roots of which
had penetrated the soil above and sent down fibres through
the roof; the water percolating along their course had at
once encouraged their growth and elongation, and carried
down calcareous particles which encrusted them as they
grew, so that each enormous stalactite was a network of
rootlets entangling between them, and encrusted with, masses
of lime.

Of course I was in no position to undertake anything like
excavation in this cave, much as I should have liked to learn

Cu. XTV.] BERLIDAH. 235

whether anything was buried in the mass of alluvium de-
posited ; its extent and position would render it a costly
and difficult enterprise. Many similar caves are known to
exist in the limestone hills upon the Sarawak river, but this
particular cavern was unknown even to the Datu, who had
lived all his days in the neighbourhood. .

On reaching the west branch of the river we parted com-
pany with the Datu, and pursued our way towards Berlidah,
a bungalow belonging to the Rajah, and beautifully situated
at the foot of Mount Peninjau. As we were approaching
it we were overtaken by a most tremendous tropical storm,
such as often comes on early in the afternoon at this season.
The most vivid lightning was accompanied by the heaviest
rain I ever beheld, in the face of which our unprotected
rowers sat plying their paddles, while the great drops pelted
mercilessly upon their bare skins. As for ourselves, drawing
the attaps close over us, and covering ourselves with coats
and blankets, we contrived to keep tolerably dry through
this deluge.

Having arrived at Berlidah,.as though not wet enough,
our men plunged at once into the water, while we disem-
barked and soon were established in the bungalow. It was
too wet to do more than sit in the verandah, and see the
Dyaks returning in their canoes to the foot of Mount Pe-
ninjau, at the top of which more than one of their villages
was situated, or to listen to the Wou-wou (Hylobates), a
small and pretty species of Gibbon, so called from the
peculiar noise it makes, like that produced by pouring water
from a narrow-mouthed bottle; or to watch the fire-flies
when the darkness of night had supervened, flashing inter-
mittently at the edge of the dense jungle which covered the
mountain.

236 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Ca. XIV.

Next morning the mists rose up, as I have seen them do
from an English valley, giving promise of more settled weather.
So as soon as I had despatched my Malays in search of
land-shells and butterflies, taking my Papuan as a guide, I
ascended Peninjau, in order to visit the Dyak village of
Serambo. In the early part of the morning the Dyaks,
having descended the hill, passed us in some numbers in
their canoes, going on their daily avocations in the valley,
and some few we met as we mounted the hill. The road
was very steep, like a gully in a Welsh vale; the stones
and rocks extremely rugged, and putting our climbing
powers to the test. Every here and there, when they
were more perpendicular than usual, stumps of trees, with
notches roughly cut in them to serve as steps, and called
by the Malays batangs, rendered the way more practicable.
At length, after a climb of two hours, we reached the
shoulder of the hill, on which was situated the village,
consisting of scattered dwellings almost buried among
palms and bananas. The houses are in groups or sets,
built of wood, bamboos, and nibongs, and are raised from
the ground on posts, the houses of each set communicating
with one another by doors between them; and in front of
them is a long, elevated platform of bamboos, which is
reached by means of batangs. Such houses are built wher-
ever a footing can be found for them, without any regard
to arrangement; and such is the rugged and overgrown
character of the locality, that they are placed at all levels,
and are partially concealed from one another by the trees
and rocks, so that the extent of the village is not readily
distinguishable. In order to facilitate the passage from one
house to another, stepping-stones are placed among the long
grass to guide the feet, which would otherwise be betrayed

Cx. XIV.] DYAKS OF SERAMBO. 237

into stony crevices, and similar awkward traps; and some
of the larger and deeper holes have to be crossed by rude
bridges, consisting of a number of bamboos stuck into the
ground in the form of St. Andrew’s crosses, a narrow plank
being laid upon the angle between them. Water flows freely
from the upper part of the hill, and is conducted in bam-
boo pipes to a convenient spot, where there is, consequently,
a constant supply.

About these houses were a number of timid, dusky, half-
naked women and children, the men, for the most part,
having gone down to the plains. They seemed rather
frightened at the invasion of their solitude by a white
stranger; but, thanks to the government of Rajah Brooke,
the time has long gone by since they were liable to be robbed
and carried away into captivity when surprised by neigh-
bouring tribes in this unprotected condition. I entered
some of the houses, and found some women within, either
nursing or with children playing around them, and by means
of little presents easily succeeded in calming their appre-
hensions. The interior was’ tolerably clean, each having a
stove and cooking utensils, and a mat spread in the corner,
which inventory, however, appeared to embrace the whole of
their household furniture.

In this village was one house which arrested attention
from its peculiar form. It was circular, built upon piles,
and had a conical and pointed roof, and several windows or
rather holes to admit light, protected by shutters. This
was the Pangah, or head-house, an institution in every
Dyak village, and in it used to be deposited the heads or the
skulls of their enemies, or, more strictly speaking, of the
strangers captured in their head-hunting expeditions. But
such head-taking practices are now entirely abolished in the

238 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. XIV.

territory of Sarawak. The head-house is spacious and
roomy; and when a stranger asks for hospitality among
these people he is always lodged in one of these places, as
the most eligible house in the village.

On the summit of the hill above Serambo is a pleasantly-
situated bungalow, belonging also to the Rajah, and occa-
sionally resorted to asa sanatorium. The approach to it from
the village is very steep, and is formed by regular steps cut
out of the hill-side. From this summit, and from the ve-
randah round the house, a splendid and extensive view of
the country was afforded, a view singularly characteristic of
a great equatorial region, sparsely populated and little culti-.
vated. Far-and near, wherever the eye roved, the jungle
extended dense and unvaried, except by the undulations of
the land, and here and there by some small grassy spots,
rendered striking by the absence of trees; but these spots
bore the same relation to the jungle that clumps of trees
would do to an English meadow. Through this endless
forest meandered the Sarawak river; but no villages could
anywhere be discerned, the Dyak houses being everywhere
concealed from view. The sole trace of civilisation in the
landscape was the bungalow at Berlidah, which could be
seen imbosomed in trees by the river’s side. The salient
forms and craggy sides of the various limestone hills of
Singhi, Matang, &c., gave some variety to the scene ; while
coming from the dense wood behind where I stood, I could
hear the laughing and chattering voices of Dyak children in
the village of Bombok, a second hill-settlement, which I
visited next day. From this village two stout Dyak girls,
whose scanty clothing was confined to a short petticoat, ap-
peared upon the scene while I was gazing at the prospect,
and without any timidity accepted some of the refreshments,

Ox. XIV.] DRUMMING OF HORNBILIS. 239

in the form of young cocoa-nuts and oranges, which had
been dispensed to me by the Rajah’s housekeepers.

On the way down I met several family parties of Dyaks
toiling up to their homes, carrying on their heads heavy
bundles of grass, and other things which they had procured
from the lower world. I could not help feeling that, al-
though there had been a period when it was safer to dwell
in the mountains, it must be fearfully inconvenient and
trying to perform daily such a laborious journey.

On the following day I ascended Peninjau from the oppo-
site side by a new route, in order to visit the village of
Bombok. This ascent was even steeper than that to Serambo,
the stones were higher, the rocks more rugged, and the
batangs longer and more perpendicular; so that in the
absence of anything to hold on by, it was not easy to mount
them, although I had no truss of hay upon my head. The
operation was not unlike walking upon a tight rope, espe-
cially as the heavy rain, which had drenched me as I re-
turned the previous day, had rendered the notches slippery,
a circumstance keenly felt in the descent. It was while
balancing myself cautiously upon one of these precarious
batangs that I was suddenly startled by a loud rushing noise
overhead, which seemed rapidly approaching, and gave me
a momentary apprehension that a tree was falling, or that
an avalanche of stones was rolling down from above. Look-
ing up in some alarm, I discovered that the sound was pro-
duced by a large hornbill (Buceros), which was performing
a drumming noise with his great wings, precisely similar in
character to the drumming of the snipe. The hornbill,
hovering in the air, vibrated the quill-feathers of the wing
with violence and rapidity, thus producing the rushing noise
which had so startled me.

240 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XIV.

Bombok appeared to be a more populous village than that
on the opposite side of the hill. We met numerous parties
descending to their daily work—women and girls as well as
men; the former, on catching sight of us, sometimes threw
down their bundles and ran with a cry into the jungle. So
similar, however, was it in character and in details to
Serambo that I could scarcely believe that it was not the
same village which I had visited yesterday. The head-
house occupied its usual conspicuous position, and was of
the same form as before. _ The interior was a spacious
and dusty apartment, in which were a few skulls hang-
ing up here and there, their mouths plastered up with
mud, and cowries occupying the place of eyes. Here
were but few, however, the place having fallen into disuse
from the discontinuance of the barbarous custom of head-
hunting.

While I was inspecting the head-house every window or
outlook in the village was filled with the dusky faces of
women and children ; and having a few small mirrors in my
pocket, I exhibited them with the announcement that I
would give one to any little girl who would come and take
it from my hand. For a considerable time even this bribe
would not induce them to come so near; but it succeeded at
last, and when one had come forward and returned with the
prize, I had plenty of candidates, and my supply was soon
exhausted. They then became friendly enough; and as I
left the village to descend once more I was followed by a
number of children of both sexes, who timidly, and with
looks and whisperings of curiosity, escorted me to the out-
skirts of the village.

On arriving at Berlidah I found my boat ready for the
journey back to Sarawak, for my time had expired; and

Cx. XIV.] RETURN TO SARAWAK. 241

after some hours’ paddling down the stream, Government
House appeared in sight, and we reached the ship just in
time to get shelter from one of those heavy tropical storms
which at this season so often pass over in the course of the
afternoon.

CHAPTER XV.
SINGAPORE.

Variety of life in Singapore—The Malays—Their Villages—The Klings—
Kling Women — Their Occupation — Religious Ceremonies—Mosque—
The Chinese—The Bugis — Residences— Native Streets — Tigers, not
numerous—Fire-Flies—Botanic Gardens—Sensitive Plants—Kling Bird-
Catchers—Climate of Singapore—Productions of the Sea Shore—Sharks.

THERE are few places which present such variety of scene,
and ever-changing novelty of Eastern life as Singapore.
Situated almost on the equator, a great central emporium of
trade, and a meeting place between India and Europe on
the one hand, and China and the far distant regions of the
Malay Archipelago on the other, its geographical position
renders it one of the most interesting places in the world to
the observant student of nature. Here we may see tropical
vegetation in all its beauty and perfection; and here, too,
we may meet representatives of various races from the east
and from the west, attracted by the same commercial
magnet,—Kuropeans and Asiatics all alike bringing with
them their manners and customs, their religions, their
costumes, unchanged—a picturesque combination such as
scarcely any other place can afford.

The Malays are the real indigenous sons of the soil, and
contribute not a little to the general effect. They are not a
handsome race. Their mahogany-coloured faces and high
cheek-bones are usually accompanied by a remarkably

Cu. XV.] MALAY DRESS AND CHARACTER. 243

shapeless and ugly mouth, which is rendered even worse by
the detestable habit, common to both sexes, of chewing
betel-nut, which reddens the teeth, lips, gums, and saliva of
an uniform blood-colour, and has a most unsightly appear-
ance. They usually affect bright colours in their costume—
the men wearing a baju or jacket of thin material, more or
less variegated, and trowsers, sluar, of a similar character,
while the head is enveloped in a saputangan or coloured
-handkerchief. With the women the sarong (literally a
sheath) plays an important part. In less frequented places
it is the sole article of dress, and consists of a wide skirt or
sack, of equal size above and below, fastened just beneath
the breasts and reaching to the ankles, the shoulders and
arms only being left bare. In young girls the little sarong
is commonly of a yellow colour, and indistinguishable at a
distance from flesh-tint; it is simply fastened round the
waist, and is the only garment, and a very graceful one,
exhibiting the contour of the figure, especially when, as in
some cases, it is ornamented with a quasi-classic pattern,
strongly reminding one of the antique female dresses which
we meet with in Hope’s ‘ Costume of the Ancients.”

The Malays are very lazy, and averse to any, especially
continuous, labour; and scarcely anything can induce them
to undertake active employment. The women have uni-
versally a listless, shuffling gait, and languid appearance,
which is very characteristic, and not improved by the use of
slippers, which simply hang upon their toes without any
fastening.

A Malay village is a common but picturesque and interest-
ing feature of the neighbourhood of Singapore. Its situation
and surroundings cannot fail to strike a stranger, and to be

a matter of interest to the observant. These villages are
R2

244 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XV.

always built upon platforms raised on wooden piles, either
on the margin of the sea, or more commonly of rivers and
creeks, or over mangrove swamps; and the water in all
cases, at some period of the day, flows underneath their
dwellings. It might be supposed that such damp situations
would be unhealthy in the extreme; but such are always
chosen by these people, who build clusters of wooden
houses called kampongs, which are either approached in
boats, or by a pathway of earth, raised above the level.
reached by the rising water. A background of cocoa-nuts
and bananas often adds beauty to the scene, and the dusky
forms and faces moving about among the rickety dwellings,
on the platforms, or paddling about in canoes, give it a
curious semi-savage aspect. All the litter and dirt of the
establishment is simply swept through the open cracks in
the floor, and without further trouble is thus washed away
by the tide; an arrangement which well suits the character
of the indolent Malays, who lazily lie upon their backs on
the platform, while the little naked children make dirt-pies, or
paddle about in minute cock-boats; the women, meanwhile,
listlessly shambling about on their household duties. Sucha
village has a wild and uncivilised appearance, and yet there
are not unfrequently curious and incongruous signs of luxury
visible. Outside some of these houses may be seen vases of
flowers, well cared-for; and I have noticed here and there
cushions laid out apparently for airing, whose ends were
daintily embroidered.

Sauntering by myself one day through such a village on
Pulo Brani, I was not a little surprised to hear sounds pro-
ceeding from the interior of one of the houses, of an infantine
voice, which said p-i-g, pig, d-o-g, dog, &c. It was evidently
a child in the throes of the first spelling-book; but in what

Cu. XV.] KLINGS. 245

an uncivilised spot! Wishing to understand the cause of
this phenomenon, I walked into the chamber, where I found
a respectable Chinese lad of 15 or 16, who had been
educated at the High school of Singapore, and spoke English
very well, and was now teaching his little brother, 7 or
8 years old, the mysteries of the barbarian language.

Owing to their proximity to the water, the children are
veritably amphibious in their habits. They hollow out logs
of absurdly small dimensions, which do duty as canoes, and
these they propel either with an impromptu paddle, or even
with their hands ; and they will dive like ducks, regaining
their frail craft with astonishing skill. Such canoes often
come up and surround the ships in New Harbour, their
occupants diving for small coins thrown into the water,
which they never fail to secure.

The foreign (Eastern) residents in Singapore mainly con-
sist of two rival races, widely different in dress, habits, and
religion—viz., Klings, from the Coromandel coast of India;
and Chinese. I say rival races, because they are both active
and industrious, and compete with one another in the chief
industrial occupations by which a livelihood can be obtained.
The. Klings are, indeed, the only people who can contest the
field with the Chinese, and they do so notwithstanding
many disadvantages. They are intensely black—not the
shining black of a negro, but a dull sooty colour, from
which their eyes gleam out with great expression, half
savage, half intelligent. They are remarkably well-built
men, tall, slender, clean-limbed, and graceful, and their
faces are often positively handsome ; the features small, and
finely chiselled; nose aquiline; mouth small, and teeth
white ; a highly intelligent cast of countenance, which, trans-
lated into a white skin, would be considered elegant and

246 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XV.

fascinating. Their hair, which is black, straight, and
glossy, is shaved off the forehead, giving them a commanding
look; but is allowed to grow long behind, and usually
gathered up into a knot. Their dress, when they indulge in
any, is highly picturesque; but they not unfrequently wear
nothing beyond a linen cloth around the loins. But when
they do dress it is either in dazzling white, or white com-
bined with some bright colour, particularly scarlet; a
capacious white mantle, twisted in a complicated manner
around the whole body, and surmounted with a white or a
scarlet turban. They usually go barefoot, but sometimes
wear wooden sandals with a button inserted between the
great and second toe; or large, purple leather slippers,
trodden down behind and turning up in front in a long
curved point.

The Kling women are dark beauties, finely made, and
dressed in flowing robes, which conceal the whole figure
down to the feet, but leave the arms bare to the shoulder.
Their dress sits on them gracefully, and their ornaments
give them an air of barbaric splendour. Armlets of gold are
worn above the elbow, and bracelets of gold upon their
arms ; golden rings encircle their ankles, and several finger-
rings glitter on their hands; heavy ear-rings hang pendent
from their ears, and one:side of the nostril is pierced to give
passage to a gold nose-ring, more or less chased in front.
These ornaments are not unfrequently all worn by one
woman, and it appears to be a common practice to invest
their money in these trinkets, so that a Kling woman carries
a small fortune upon her person. But cases are not wanting
in which this ostentatious display of wealth has excited the
cupidity of miscreants who have murdered the woman for the
sake of what she carries, and have ruthlessly torn the rings

Cu. XV.]J OCCUPATIONS OF THE KLINGS. 247

from her ears and nose, and wrested the armlets and anklets
from off her limbs; and the wonder only seems to be that
this does not more frequently happen. The little black
Kling children of both sexes dispense with all clothing more
commonly than the Malays.

The Klings are universally the hack-carriage (gharry)
drivers, and private grooms (syces), and they also mono-
polise the washing of the clothes of the dressed commu-
nity. The Singapore Dhobies, as they are termed, who
are nearly all men, certainly produce whiteness in linen,
but sadly at the expense of material. Standing in a stream
beside a large flat stone, they rinse and soap the clothes,
and then, instead of rubbing them in the fashion of Western
laundresses, they dash them over their head repeatedly with
great force, and with a loud sough, upon the stone, which,
however rough it may be at first, is goon worn smooth by
the contact of the unfortunate linen.

But besides this class, there are Klings who amass money
as tradesmen and merchants, and become rich. I visited
their silk shops, in the busy part of the town, kept by men
who from their scanty and poor attire were scarcely dis-
tinguishable from coolies, but nevertheless had a balance
at their bankers’, and were in the habit of buying goods
to the amount of thousands of dollars at a time from the
merchants with whom they deal. One was pointed out to
me who had just purchased for 5500 dollars a small cocoa-
nut plantation, which he was anxious to possess, simply
because, since’ it adjoined his own property, he did not wish
another to hold it.

The wild, barbaric habits of these people were, however,
best exhibited in their religious ceremonies. Having
observed a brilliant display of lights on the shore for several

248 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XV.

nights, and great beating of tom-toms in the same vicinity,
I threaded my way through the crowded Chinese streets,
and guided by the glare, found myself in front of a Kling
mosque of the usual tawdry description, with miniature
windows, and two small minarets, the whole front whitened,
and hung with numerous lamps, consisting of small glass
tumblers of oil. Crowds of Klings were going in and out,
and loitering before the mosque; and a great many Chinese
were gathered as spectators. On the opposite side of the
street was a picturesque group of Klings seated cross-
legged in a semicircle, each alternate one having in his
hand a large tambourine, and the central seat being occu-
pied by one who appeared to be the president or chief
priest, in front of whom a fire was burning in a brazier,
which was fed with combustible matter from time to time,
blazing up and throwing a picturesque glare upon the
swarthy figures seated around, the standing crowd of Klings
behind them, and the outside mob of Chinese, who were
spectators.

Presently a man came forward with two awl-shaped in-
struments, which having first smeared with ashes from the
brazier, he deferentially presented to the chief priest, who
taking them in both hands, closed his eyes, and muttering
some words over them, returned them. The man then
began to dance, while the tambourinés were struck in a
measured manner, the strikers swaying themselves back-
ward and forward, and becoming gradually more and more
excited, until at length the perspiration poured down their
bodies. Meantime the devotee in the centre danced on
with frantic gestures, and flourishing his two weapons in
his hand, he thrust them (or pretended to thrust them) into
his belly (his only costume was a cloth round the loins) ;

Cn. XV.] KLING FANATIC. 249°

then into his arms, making a show of wiping off the blood
after each thrust—but I was pretty sure at the time that it
was entirely sham, and that he did not wound himself in the
least.

Then taking a sword and ostentatiously feeling its edge,
he presented it to the priest in like manner, and the dance
recommenced. Flourishing it about over his head, he
placed the edge (which appeared to me to be very blunt),
against his bare shoulder, and with a small wooden mallet
which he swung round with the other hand he struck the
back of the sword. The tambourine-players kept triple
time, accompanying the performance with a loud, wild, and
monotonous song, but I do not believe the man wounded him-
self, although he repeated the act several times. The exhi-
bition then closed, during which the Klings standing around
showed us great attention, making the Chinese move aside,
and inviting us to come forward, where we could better see
the proceedings. We afterwards crossed over to the mosque,
which we were invited to enter, and having complied with
their custom of removing our shoes and exchanging them
for slippers, we did so. Here also the Klings were offi-
ciously polite. The interior of the mosque was small and
narrow, and, like the exterior, brilliantly illuminated. The
whitened walls were decorated with tinsel and red and green
paint, in a very tawdry manner, but the effect was not dis-
agreeable, though somewhat theatrical. We were not allowed
to enter the inner chamber at the back; and presently
retired—the attention of the Klings being continued to
the last.

The Chinese inhabitants of Singapore have all the cha-
racteristics of Chinese elsewhere. They are the busy work-
ing population, who hive together like bees, performing the

“250 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XV.
artizan duties necessitated by a large community, and
other essential operations, of a nature which the more scru-
pulous Klings would disdain to lend their hands to. Street
after street is crowded with these active and energetic Celes-
tials, who here, as in China, have the spirit of centralisation
and co-operation. One street contains none but black-
smiths toiling over their forges—another resounds with the
saws and chips of a crowd of carpenters—a third with the
dull blows of the stone-masons’ mallets, &c. Each devotes
itself to its own craft, and admits no interlopers, while all
the inhabitants are busily engaged in effecting one common
end,—and that is, to hoard up enough money to enable
them to cease work, and return to their native district in
China, there to pass the remainder of their days in a
comfortable independence among their own people, and
especially amidst their own family.

Besides these there are, in certain parts of the town, con-
siderable numbers of Bugis people from Celebes, &c.,—tall
and strong, wild-looking fellows, wearing a pair of short
drawers and a rough cloth flung over the left shoulder like
a plaid. They belong chiefly to the prahus or crafts which
lie at the east side of the harbour, and may be generally
seen loitering about at this end of the town out of mere
curiosity, and strongly reminded me of the Lancashire
operatives wandering about Liverpool, open-mouthed, on
a holiday. Their vessels are ugly-looking, two-masted craft,
with black and white longitudinal stripes, which trade with
Singapore from all the islands of the Archipelago. For-
merly there were many more of them, for while Singapore
was a free port, all the Dutch ports required dues and
levied imposts. The Dutch, however, learning wisdom,
though late, freed their ports; and since then they have

CH. XV.) WHAMPOA’S GARDEN. 251

diverted great numbers of the Bugis prahus from the Sin-
gapore market, to which those which still repair thither
bring gold-dust, tortoise-shells, ambergris, pearls, birds’-
nests, turtles’ eggs, sharks’ fins, trepang, mother-of-pearl
shells, and other curiosities of Eastern commerce.

The bungalows or residences of the European population
are generally set in the midst of gardens or small plantations
' —pleasant habitations, surrounded with Betels and Bananas.
They have, for the most part, an imposing look, for people
in the East can not, or will not, live in small houses; and
the open verandahs which nearly always run round the
outside, make them look larger than they really are. For
the most part such residences are exclusively occupied by
Europeans, neither Malays nor Klings live in such ex-
pensive style; but certain wealthy Chinese exceptionally.
make a great show, and entertain in a style of costliness
and refinement not surpassed by the most opulent English.
Of these Mr. Whampoa, who contracts with the Govern-
ment for the supply of stores and provisions to Her Majesty’s
ships, is facile princeps. He is well known for his choice
and elegant entertainments, and his mansion is surrounded
with extensive gardens laid out in true Chinese style. They
have a light and graceful aspect, being devoid of any heavy
masses of shrubbery as in English gardens. Rows of Betels
and feathery Casuarinas spring up here and there, and the
paths run like mazes among the beds, which contain many
choice flowers. Here and there on the terraces we come
upon quaint devices of trees trained over a framework to
represent a bird, a fish, or a quadruped. -Pleasant ponds
enliven the scene, containing water-lilies and Nelumbiums ;
and one of them, especially large, is devoted to the Victoria
regia, the queen of water plants, where it thrives well,

252, RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XV.

having flowers and buds, and leaves seven feet in dia-
meter.

The native streets of Singapore consist of two-storied
houses, with an arcade running along in front, narrow and
more or less dilapidated, and blocked up with merchandise.
In these the Chinese and Klings live side by side, the houses
of the latter being usually less looked after and more ruinous.
In their shops are often exposed European articles of the
commonest kind and poorest quality, which, however, find
a ready sale. In the outskirts of the town and less built-up
streets the scene is interesting and picturesque. ‘Tall and
graceful Betel Palms, spreading Bananas and Cocoa-nuts,
dense and feathery Bamboos and Casuarinas, bushy Screw-
pines (Pandanus), handsome-leaved Bread-fruit and Jack
trees (Artocarpus), Durians and Mangos, and other fruit-
trees constitute the leading features of the vegetation. Man-
groves twine their long, rib-like roots in marshy spots, and
Melastomas, Heliotropes, sensitive plants, and luxuriant
ferns characterise the drier spots. Amid these scenes the
variously-costumed people are a never-ending study: the
Chinese, generally ugly and dirty, with scanty clothing
usually of a dirty colour, and nearly always with a load upon
their shoulders,—the women, and often little girls, carrying
an infant astride upon the hips; the Klings, erect, hand-
some, and picturesquely clad in bright and graceful gar-
ments; Malays, in many-coloured patterns, chewing betel-
nut, and walking as though bound on a pleasure excursion ;
Hadjis, who have made the pilgrimage to Mecca, with yellow
turbans on their heads ; the crowds of little children nearly
or quite naked, of all shades of colour, and grotesquely
shaven; the half-castes, with a sprinkling of Europeans,
altogether constitute an ensemble which the traveller from

Cu. XV.] TIGERS. 253

temperate climes cannot fail to regard with intense in-
terest.

A great deal is said of the number of tigers which are
supposed to infest Singapore. A recent writer* estimates
the deaths from these animals at 365 per annum, chiefly
among Chinese cultivators of the Gambier plantations in
the interior of the island. Residents at Singapore, how-
ever, always assured me that there was no danger whatever
from them, and that they are never seen now. Indeed the
officers at Fort Canning expressed their belief that many of
the instances of disappearance of Chinese which were attri-
buted to the ravages of tigers, were really cases of murder
by other Chinese; and truly it would not be difficult in
distant and secluded plantations for one man to secure the
disappearance of another to whom he owed a grudge. I do
not, however, accuse them of this. That there are tigers
in Singapore no one doubts; but while Mr. Cameron sup-
poses that there are as many as 20 couples in the island,
others believe that six or eight tigers would be a sufficiently
high estimate. Formerly they came much nearer to the
town, but still it is long since the jungle near plantations
was infested. A gentleman who has lived all his life in
Singapore, and had possessed large plantations in various
places, assured me that the only occasion on which he had
been alarmed by a tiger was many years ago, when he was
_ residing on a plantation about three miles from the town.
One night he was startled by a very peculiar, terrified cry
from nearly under his window, which he threw open, and
found it proceeded from a watchman employed about the
premises, who could only exclaim, “Tiger! tiger!” On
being questioned, he declared he had seen two eyes like

* Our Malayan Possessions in Tropical India, by John Cameron, F.R.G.S.

254 . RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XV.

glowing coals shining upon him through the darkness. He
was laughed at as a dreamer, but persisted in his story, and
next morning the tracks of a tiger were very apparent about
the spot.

The Gambier plantations are very thick, the plants being
placed very close together, and growing to the height of five
or six feet, so that they form a jungle in themselves; and
there is abundance of rank grass, which affords ample cover
for tigers ; but were so many persons killed as asserted, no
Chinese could be induced to go and work in them. A very
old resident in Singapore told me that he had long been in
the habit of rambling about the jungle for weeks together,
often penetrating: five or six miles from the government
roads, and yet he never saw or heard a tiger, though he has
seen their tracks in his plantation. It is difficult to conceive
what can induce tigers to cross over to Singapore; for
although there are’a few deer and plenty of pigs in the island,
_ there is a much greater variety of game in the Johore
peninsula. Can it be a taste for human flesh, which is more
plentiful in the island ?

An old guide-book stated that so numerous were the
tigers that on the arrival of the steamers the passengers
might see them come down to the water’s edge to drink
(salt water, of course). And it was a common statement
that the island was infested with tigers. But, at the present
day at least, one might walk all through the island without .
seeing a trace of them; and the roads, at all events, are
perfectly safe, not only from tigers, but also from robbery
or violence. :

At Singapore, and also at Labuan, the little luminous
beetle, commonly known as the fire-fly (Lampyris sp. ign.)
is common. When flying singly it shines with an inter-

Cu. XV.] FIRE-FLIES. 255

mittent light, which alternates with darkness; but on fine
evenings and in favourable (that is, damp and swampy)
localities, they present a very remarkable appearance. Clus-
tered in the foliage of the trees, instead of keeping up an
irregular twinkle, every individual shines simultaneously at
regular intervals, as though by a common impulse ; so that
their light pulsates, as it were, and the tree is for one
moment illuminated by a hundred brilliant points, and the
next is in almost total darkness. The intervals have about
the duration of a second, and during the intermission only
one or two remain luminous. To all appearance they are
not on the wing at the time, but settled upon the tree ; for I
was able to recognise certain points of light which J especially
noticed, and which remained in the same situation at each
successive flash. When I disturbed them under such cir-
cumstances they flew about at random, each one giving out
a more rapidly intermittent light. At Labuan, however, I
have frequently seen them shine with a steady light as they
flew along, looking like little falling stars of the second, or
even first, magnitude.

The candle-fly (Candelaria), with a curved and pointed head,
does not appear to give out light as its name would indicate.
These insects are found in Labuan and Sarawak, and frequent
the upper parts of the lofty trees of the jungle. The only
Jire-fly of these parts is the above-mentioned little beetle.

The Agri-Horticultural Society’s gardens are situated
about three miles from town, along Orchard Road, one
of the prettiest outlets of Singapore, with a shady grove of
trees on either side for the greater part of the way. They
are commonly known as the Botanic Gardens, and when I.
visited them I expected to have found them something of
that character. But they are merely pleasure grounds, kept

256 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (CH. XY.

up by a subscription among the merchants, &c., which does
not amount to more than one hundred dollars a month; and
they are superintended by a Scotch gardener, who went
out some 15 years since, in the time of nutmeg planting.
The garden is pretty, but very exposed and unsheltered, and
far too hot to walk in, except in early morning or in the
evening, when people drive out from Singapore. It is situ-
ated on the edge of the jungle, and some strips of the
original wood. remaining uncut form a pleasant shady walk,
while here and there some of the jungle trees have been left
standing. Besides these, some fine Conifer, as the Norfolk
Island Pine, Araucarias, Casuarinas, &c., flourish, and afford
a diversity. Many roses are cultivated, and other horti-
culturists’ flowers, but nothing interesting in a botanical
point of view, except perhaps the great spider-orchis (Gram-
matophyllum), a magnificent bush, crowded with its mottled
rich brown flowers. A grass is sown which makes a good
turf, and a large sheet of ornamental water is in preparation,
which will form a very desirable and pleasing feature. The
gardeners employed are nearly all Malays.

One of the commonest roadside plants of Singapore is the
sensitive plant (Mimosa sensitiva), which grows in profusion
in waste places, and on banks by the wayside. It is a very
low, spreading plant, of suffruticose habit, seldom rising
higher than the grass among which it grows, or more than
six inches from the ground, but covering large spots, which
are distinguished from the rough herbage by its neat, regular
foliage. It seems to be almost constantly in flower, for in
October, November, and May I noticed numbers of the
little round tufts characteristic of this acacia (Mimosa), and
of a pale flesh-colour. The manner in which the aspect of
such a little bush is altered by a touch is very remarkable.

Cx. XV.) BIRD-CATCHING WITH SUMPITAN. 257

Brush your foot over the luxuriant little plant as you pass
by, and the whole bush seems to disappear, and you look
back for it almost in vain; the leaves have all closed up,
and the stems become depressed, and nothing is left but a
few withered sticks upon the grass. Try to pluck a spray,
and it fades between your fingers ; so that it is very difficult
to gather and examine it in an expanded condition. But if
you will carefully take between the finger and thumb the
pulvinus, or swelled base of the leaf stalk where the little
thorns are situated, without touching any other part, and
pinch it hard before attempting to break off the spray, the
pinne will remain expanded ; relax your firm hold, however,
and they will immediately begin to close up. :
The Klings here have a mode of obtaining small birds which
might prove useful to the practical ornithologist. I have
more than once seen one of them beneath a Banyan, armed
with a straight tube, or sumpitan, about six feet long, and a
piece of soft clay, from which, having broken off a morsel, he
rolled it into a little ball between his hands ; then, placing it
in the tube, and taking aim at a small bird singing in the
branches above, he noiselessly blew the pellet, and down fell
the bird to the ground. At first, I presume, it was only
stunned, or it might be killed; but a companion always
picked the bird up and proceeded immediately to cut its
throat and place it in his pouch,—not because it was neces-
sary, but because it is against their religious principles to
eat animals which have died a bloodless death. A little
practice one would imagine would enable a performer to
play upon this instrument, not wantonly we would hope, but
for the purpose of procuring small birds when they are
required for preservation without injuring the plumage.

Singapore enjoys the reputation of. being a very healthy
s

258 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XV.

place, and although close to the equator, it possesses a tem-
perature much more moderate than that of many places in
higher and lower latitudes. The thermometer seldom varies
more than 20° or 22° during the whole year, never rising
much above 90°, or falling much below 70°. The nights
especially are very cool and refreshing, and enable people to
sleep without difficulty, which is one great secret of its
salubrity. During the time I was at Singapore in October
and November, a sharp squall passed over every night,
usually about 2 a.m., accompanied with heavy rain. One
night when the squall had been heavier than usual, and it.
felt quite chilly towards sunrise, I found the thermometer
standing at 75°. The following day at noon it was hot,
close, and somewhat oppressive ; but the thermometer had
only risen to 82°, and in the evening at 9 p.m., while it
stood at 80°, the air was warm, not close, but comfortable.
Knowing that a great star-shower was expected on the
occasion of the appearance of the November meteors, I
anxiously looked for the day; but the 14th November, as
well as a day or two preceding and following, turned out
cloudy, so that absolutely nothing could be seen.

Among the numerous islands about Singapore, there is
doubtless a wonderfully rich and unexplored region for the
marine zoologist, who would find endless occupation for the
dredge, as well as by ransacking the coral patches which
occur in some places, and are very shallow at low-water.
Although my opportunities were very limited while at Singa-
pore, the magnificent species of Comatula (or feather-star)
which came under my notice, as well as several new Crustacea
of the genera Alpheus and Galathea, proved how well a
systematic search would repay the observer with novel and
interesting species. The best and most promising shore lies

Cu. XV.] SHARKS, 259

west of the town, and is covered with loose stones, upon
which grows abundantly a species of Keramidia, an Alga
allied to Jania ; while upon these stones I met with seven
species of Planaria, of very various and beautiful forms, and
all probably new, as well as one species I had already found
at Labuan. Nudibranchiates were rare, and several ex-
plorations only yielded a single species, a very beautiful rose-
coloured one, probably Doridopsis rubra, which occurs
among the Indian nudibranchs of Sir Walter Elliot, as well
as among those described from Ceylon. Several species of
Ascidian Tunicates, small hirsute Crustacea, and Peronias,
but no Echinoderms (star-fishes or sea-urchins) of any kind.
Among the zoophytes I detected a specimen of the beautiful
dendriform Actinia, already described from Pulo Enoe, so
that Singapore must be added as a locality for the interesting
sea-anemone.

The harbour of Singapore was sometimes beautifully
luminous at night, as described in another chapter, and on
such occasions abounded with Noctiluce, which appeared to
be the cause of the phenomenon. Sharks from time to time
venture among the shipping, probably enticed by the garbage
thrown overboard from the vessels, which also attracts a
number of large hawks, known under the common, name of
Bromlykites, which are constantly hovering about, and
darting down, seizing some floating mass in their claws.
The men of the ‘ Pearl”? man-of-war, which lay further out
than we did, two or three times hooked a shark during our
stay, the carcase of which was gladly purchased by the
bumboatmen for a couple of dollars; but we, who were
nearer in-shore, never succeeded in taking any of these
monsters, although the tell-tale fin was more than once

seen not far to seaward.
s2

CHAPTER XVI.

CULTIVATION IN SINGAPORE.

Climate of Singapore—Soil—Nutmeg Planting—Appearance of the Tree—
Over-Manuring—The Nutmeg Disease—Its Causes—Ruin of the Planters
—Occasional Spontaneous Recovery—Cotton—Coffee—Cinnamon—Sugar-
Canes—Gutta-percha —Gamboge—Gambier and Pepper—Fruit Trees—
Cocoa-nut —The Cocoa-nut Beetles—Sago Plantations.

Tue cultivation of the soil in Singapore Island has been
carried on with great industry and enterprise, and for a
while with success; but unfortunately, after hundreds of
thousands of dollars have been spent upon it, the planters
have learned, too late, that neither the soil nor the climate
of Singapore are favourable to the growth of those produc-
tions, such as nutmegs, cloves, cotton, sugar, coffee, &c.,
upon which such vast sums have been expended and ulti-
mately swallowed up, bringing their proprietors in many
instances to ruin.

The climate of Singapore is very peculiar, and is marked
by an absence of seasonal change, which, however beneficial
it may be to man, has an evil influence upon plants. There
is no regular recurrence of summer and winter—no distinctly
dry season and wet season, but a remarkable equality all the
year round; added to which, the rains, instead of coming at
definite periods, are capricious in their fall, and therefore
defeat the prognostications of the planters. The tempera-

Cu. XVI.J SOIL OF SINGAPORE. 261

ture does not vary more than 20° or 22° during the whole
year, ranging between 70° and 92° as a rule, and not there-
fore in excess during the hottest seasons. Rain falls upon
half the days of the year, neither so frequently nor so
heavily now as it did before the jungle was cleared away from
the neighbourhood of the town; but the total amount of
rain is moderate.

The soil is poor, and will grow nothing without care and
plenty of manure. It consists of a fine, compact,’ reddish
clay, in the interior of the island (not having much sub-
stance), and mixed with sand, which increases in quantity
near the sea-beach, the clay predominating inland, and the
sand near the coast. The island was, of course, originally
covered with jungle, but there has been a great mania for
clearing, and it has been done in an indiscriminate manner,
so that no judicious spots of shelter have been left standing,
which would have proved invaluable as protection for certain
crops, as well as being useful in other ways. The virgin soil,
covered with a thin layer of decaying vegetable matter was

rich enough; but when, after a little time, its material was
exhausted, nothing but plenty of manure would induce the

growth of remunerative crops.

Foremost among these crops was the Nutmeg (Myristica
moschata), a plant which once promised a harvest of pros-
perity to the settlement; but which, after for a few years
producing every result that could be desired, was destined to
end in utter disappointment, and, in too many cases, in
utter ruin to the proprietors. The nutmeg-plantations of
Penang preceded those of Singapore, and were for some
years in the hands of the East India Company, who, after
expending considerable sums upon them for some years
without receiving an adequate return, finally gave them up

262 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Ca. XVI.

in disgust, and ordered them to be sold. Taken up by
enterprising planters, the Penang spice-plantations for a
time yielded ample returns, owing rather to the care which
had been spent upon them by the previous possessors.
Singapore became a British settlement in 1824; and in the
infancy of this settlement it was not attempted to vie with
Penang in cultivating these expensive plantations; but
about 1887 an impetus was given to nutmeg-cultivation in
Singapore with results so promising that everything gave
way to the mania for planting this species. Large clearances
inthe jungle were purchased from Government at considerable
distances from town, and expensive bungalows were erected
upon such estates, and surrounded by plantations of this
valued tree ; and nearer the settlement, private gardens were
turned into nutmeg-nurseries, and the houses were closely
surrounded with nutmeg-groves.

The nutmeg-tree is, when in health, a handsome bushy
tree, between 20 and 30 feet high, with numerous dark-
green shining leaves. It is evergreen, and ever-flowering,
so that fruit and flowers constantly coexist upon the tree—
the flowers small, yellowish, and urceolate, and the fruit
needing no description here. Being diclinous, a great in-
convenience arises from the fact that a great many male
trees are planted and cultivated, being undistinguishable
from the female trees until the flowers appear. Such trees
are of course useless, since they do not bear—one male tree
to about twenty females being sufficient for the purposes of
impregnation, and to ensure the swelling of the ovule.

The trees were not allowed to be left to the natural
powers of the climate and soil, but were richly manured
and forced into yielding heavy crops. To the manner of
doing this, and to the extent to which they were forced into

Cu. XVI.] BLIGHT OF THE NUTMEGS. 263

luxuriance, may probably be traced the catastrophe which
eventually blotted out nutmeg-cultivation from the settle-
ment. Around each tree, and just level with the outer
branches, a trench was dug about one foot deep and one
foot wide, and this was filled with a manure of cow-dung.
The result of this universal treatment was that the trees for
a time grew luxuriantly, and yielded large returns. About
six hundred nuts, or 8 lbs. weight, were yielded by a good
tree during the year; and as the crop was yielded all the
year round, independently of season, some plantations pro-
duced a picul (183 Ibs.) per diem on an average—the value
of the picul being 70 or 80 dollars—or from 25,000 to
80,000 dollars per annum.

For upwards of twenty years the planting was carried on
vigorously. Plantations changed hands at very extravagant
prices ; and much money was made during that period. In
the year 1860, however, a sudden destruction came upon the
trees from an unknown quarter; and, to the dismay of the
planters, the trees, which up to that time had yielded mag-
nificently, were attacked with a blight, whose destructive
effects could not be arrested, while the source of it defied
all inquiry. In the night a tree would be attacked, and the
morning light would show its topmost branches withered ;
the leaves fell off; the disease slowly spread downwards,
chiefly on one side of the tree ; and, in spite of every at-
tempt to check it (the lower portion often being for a long
time green and bushy), the tree became an unsightly mass
of bare and whitened twigs. Most trees were entirely
stripped in time, and became mere skeletons. Large out-
lay was expended in the endeavours to arrest the destruction,
but it was all thrown away. No situation was exempt from
its ravages—hills and valleys alike suffered, nor could any

264 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XVI.

principle be traceable in its promiscuous attacks. Upon a
close examination of the diseased parts, it is found that the
formative layer inside the bark dries up and turns black ; the
leaves then wither and fall off; and soon the bark is found
to be full of small perforations ; but no insect of any kind
has ever been discovered in connection with the change, nor
has any fungus been charged with the destruction. Its
nature has been a mystery and a puzzle with the planters,
who have, for the most part in vain, sought for a cause,
either near or remote, and whose efforts to arrest it have
proved entirely unavailing. I have heard various suggestions
offered, some of them of the wildest character, to account
for the disease. That which Mr. José d’Almeida proposes
is by far the most reasonable, and in fact commends itself
to the judgment of the vegetable physiologist. It is that
the trees had long been unnaturally forced, by digging
trenches too closely around their spongioles, and by too
rich and long-continued manuring, by which heavy crops,
it is true, were for a time obtained, but which at last ex-
hausted the tree, so that the premature decay, thus brought
on by inflexible physiological laws, was incapable of being
arrested by any after-treatment.

In conversation with a gentleman who once cultivated
nutmegs on a large scale, I was assured by him that he
could distinguish at least two forms of disease. In one of
these it was deep-seated and radical. In many trees which
he cut down for the purpose, he found that the central part
of the main stem was turning black ; and this gave the first
indications of the onset of the disease, which was soon
followed by the falling off of the leaves and the whitening of
the branches.

With regard to the other form of disease, he distinctly

On. XVI.J REACTION IN THE TREES. 265

traced it to the attacks of what, from his description, must
have been a small black aphis, which perforated the branches,
and caused them to wither one by one. I find no two ac-
counts to be precisely alike in respect to the manner of
falling away of the trees; but all agree that their destruc-
tion was rapid, certain, and irremediable.

When it was found that, in spite of care and lavish ex-
penditure, the trees surely died, a reaction took place. The
planters abandoned the plantations in disgust, in many cases
while there were still numerous healthy trees; and the land
reverted to the Government. In other cases, where ex-
pensive bungalows were built upon the estate, they were
sold for a small proportion of the sums expended in building
them, since they were, as a rule, too far from town to com-
mand any competition, and ceased to be conveniently sit-
uated. Many planters, both English and Chinese, whose
whole estates were invested in nutmeg-plantations, were
thus reduced to ruin, and became absolutely penniless ; and
distress and disappointment everywhere prevailed.

It is a curious fact that many of these abandoned trees,
around which has now sprung up a thick jungle under-
growth, have, since they have been thus neglected and left
to themselves, recovered, and relieve the generally dismal
prospect of bare branches and skeleton trees. I have myself
seen these dark-green healthy trees in many situations where
they are quite uncared for, even amongst the oldest planta-
tions in the island; and this fact seems decidedly corrobo-
rative of the idea that the disease was one of exhaustion and
decay, arising from unnatural forcing. Another fact is
significant, viz. that, while at Penang, where this cultivation,
as described, was carried on with the greatest vigour and
the greatest expenditure, the destruction has been most

266 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XVI.

complete and marked, at Malacca, where the people were
not so rich, and could not afford to manure the trees so
highly, they have not suffered so severely as at Penang and
Singapore.

At the present moment there is no such thing as nutmeg-
cultivation, either at Penang or Singapore; nor does it seem
probable that the experiment will be again tried. Planters
are now persuaded that neither the soil nor climate is
favourable for their production ; and, as we shall presently
see, other crops have fared but little better. The trees
which still exist are neglected and abandoned by their
owners, though they still yield nutmegs. These are
gathered by any Chinese or Malays who take the trouble
to do so; and the few nutmegs, insignificant in quantity,
which now find their way into the Singapore market, are
obtained in this way,—a clear gain to those who carry them
there.

Cotton (Gossypium herbaceum) is another product the
cultivation of which has been attempted in Singapore. The
cotton-plant always thrives well in private gardens; and I
have seen large pods of good quality on plants in such situa-
tions. The only large plantation which. has given it a
fair trial, however, was that of the late enterprising Mr.
d’Almeida, who for two successive years expended consider-
able sums on the experiment. But cotton cultivation failed
for the same causes as those above referred to—the absence
of regular seasonal changes, and the irregularity of the
downfalls of rain, which cannot be predicted with any cer-
tainty, and therefore cannot be guarded against. The cotton
grew magnificently ; the pods were produced and burst open,
and then a down-pour of rain would ruin the fibre before it
could be gathered. Another cause which led to its abandon-

Cx. XVI.} COFFEE-PLANTING. 267

ment was the appearance of a small red beetle, which proved
very destructive to the pod.

The same gentleman made a trial of planting Coffee
(Coffea Arabica), and spent and lost many thousands of
dollars by the unthankful experiment. It has also been
attempted by others without success ; and a company formed
for that purpose failed. Here again the causes of failure
are chiefly natural ones, of the same kind as those already
alluded to. The coffee-plants require shelter; and the
indiscriminate cutting down of the jungle had left the coun-
try entirely open, and no shade could be obtained. Then
the irregularity of the seasons prevented the plants from
attaining that perfection which otherwise they might have
done, while the uncertain rains were a further source of
injury to the crops. The flowers might be in promising
profusion, when a heavy shower would suddenly fall upon
them and destroy two-thirds at one blow. Another difficulty
which interferes with this and other cultivation is the com-
paratively high price of labour. Anything which requires
much manual labour in the preparation is sure to languish
at Singapore from the difficulty of persuading the Malays
to work for any consideration; and the Chinese are the
only people who can be induced to undertake laborious
occupations.

This last cause has been mainly influential in preventing
the cultivation of Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum).
This tree, with very little care, grows beautifully in
Singapore, and would doubtless prove a source of wealth
were it not for the great expense of the manufacture.
The various and tedious processes which the bark has
to undergo in its removal and preparation cost more than
the spice will fetch in the market. In other cinnamon-

268 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST, (Cu. XVI.

producing countries, as in Ceylon, these processes are per-
formed chiefly by children, who, of course, are paid at so
low a rate as to render the preparation remunerative ; but
in Singapore the population is not large enough for this;
and expensive adult labour only is procurable, and that
with some difficulty.

The Sugar-cane (Saccharum officinarum), on the other
hand, has failed from natural rather than economic causes.
The chief obstacle to its cultivation is the poorness of
the soil, which can only be remedied by adding plenty of
manure; and when this. source of additional expense is
added to the high price of labour, considerable margin is
subtracted from the profits. Still, with abundance of
manure, the sugar-cane thrives extremely well; but now
another natural cause steps in and neutralises the result:
this is the rain, the uncertainty of which, or rather the con-
stancy of which, is a serious obstacle. The saccharometer,
instead of registering 11° in the sweet juice, is sometimes
reduced to 73° after rains, which appear to dilute the sap
and deteriorate the produce. In a plantation ready for
cutting, perhaps 50 acres may be got down one day and of
good quality; and then a heavy rain comes before the rest
can be cut; and this proves to be of considerably inferior
quality.

The late Mr. d’Almeida was the first to call the attention
of the public to the substance now so well known as Gutta-
percha. At that time the Isonandra gutta was an abundant
tree in the forests of Singapore, and was first known to the
Malays, who made use of the juice which they obtained by
cutting down the trees, and which, when collected, they
boiled and purified. Mr. d’Almeida, unacquainted with
. England and its institutions, and acting under the advice of

Cu. XVI.J GAMBOGE-TREE. 269

a friend, forwarded some of this substance to the Society of
Arts. There it met with no immediate attention, and was
put away uncared for. A year or two afterwards Dr. Mont-
gomery sent specimens to England, and, bringing it under
the notice of competent persons, its value was at once
acknowledged, and it rapidly became an important commo-
dity. In any case it was introduced from Singapore ;
and the sudden and great demand for it soon resulted
in the disappearance of all the gutta-percha trees in
Singapore island. The forests of Johore, however, yield
a vast supply; though these must fail in time, when it
is borne in mind that to abstract the juice the tree is
always cut down, the produce of a single tree averaging
11 or 12 lbs.

With regard to Gamboge (Cambogia gutta), it has never
been regularly cultivated in Singapore. The late Mr.
d’Almeida, already referred to, introduced some trees from
Siam, but simply as a matter of curiosity and for experi-
mental purposes. These trees have not been protected in
any way, but nevertheless they thrive well; and the soil evi-
dently is well suited to them. The plantation in which they
were placed has changed hands, and no care has been taken
of the trees; but those I saw were green and flourishing,
bearing abundance of flower.and fruit, and yielding, upon
the slightest incision, an abundance of yellow resinous juice.
In their immediate neighbourhood are numerous healthy
seedlings springing up uncared for; and I was assured that
the seeds carried by birds have been taken to spots at a
distance from the trees originally planted; and one of the
largest and healthiest trees I saw was pointed out to me as
one which had grown there spontaneously, and probably
owed its origin to this cause. I preserved specimens of

270 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. XVI.

this tree, and of the female flowers in spirits, as possessing
especial interest for the pharmaceutical botanist. But,
although to all appearance it would do well, no one has
taken up the matter of cultivating them, and the existing
trees are quite neglected. For this reason also I was unable
to procure any specimen of the gamboge produced by them,
though I was informed by the Chinese gardener who showed
me the trees that incisions were made in this bark, and
small bamboos were applied to the incised spots to receive
the juice. Hence the Pipe-gamboge of commerce. I may
add that the soil on which the Gamboge appears to thrive so
well is a reddish sandy soil, containing a little clay, but a
larger proportion of sand.

This brief account of the past cultivation of Singapore
would not be complete without some mention of two plants
which have been largely planted by the natives, though the
cultivation of them is now on the decline. These are
Gambier (Uncaria Gambir) and Pepper. With regard to the
first of these—gambier—the mode of its preparation de-
mands a very considerable supply of firewood; and therefore
it has always been planted in clearances made in the jungles
of the interior of the island, and distant from the town.
Here the planters squatted, an’ .»¢ for a long while suc-
cessfully cultivated this favourite .. .sticatory. The gambier
plant is a creeping annual, and rises to the height of six or
seven feet. In eight months the young plants are fit to be
cut; and the young leaves and shoots are cropped and
boiled; and the extract thus obtained is evaporated to a
paste, dried, and cut in small blocks an inch square, which are
then ready for the market. The workers in these planta-
tions are exclusively Chinese; and the proprietors are also
of that nation. The gambier is a plant which very rapidly

Cu. XVI.] DECLINE OF PEPPER-PLANTING., 271

exhausts the soil; and the quantity of wood required for boil-
ing the shoots demands the immediate neighbourhood of an
inexhaustible supply. In course of time, therefore, the
wood has all been cut down close to the plantation; and the
necessity of having to convey it a mile or so is fatal to the
successful cultivation of the drug; consequently, gambier-
planting is now fast disappearing in Singapore.

It had always been found profitable to combine with
gambier-planting the cultivation of pepper; partly because
this could be attended to in the intervals of gambier-cropping,
but chiefly because the boiled shoots and leaves of the
gambier, after the astringent was extracted, formed an excel-
lent ready-made manure for the pepper, free of expense,
which no other manure would have paid. As therefore the
planting of gambier declines, that of pepper must necessarily
decline also, and as the two rose together so they must also
fall together. Considerable quantities of pepper are still
produced in Singapore, but not nearly so much as formerly ;
and many of the gambier and pepper clearances have re-
verted to the Government. In the peninsula of Johore,
however, there are abundance of pepper and gambier
plantations.

It may be asked, Lowever, if Singapore has failed in
realising the expectations of planters in so many instances,
and so many different crops have one by one proved ruinous
to their proprietors, what will grow remuneratively in the
island ?—or will anything do so? The answer to this has
been solved of late years. In the first place it is found that
all fruit-trees flourish in the soil of Singapore; and bread-
fruit, jack, dookoo, mangosteen, pineapple, plantain, ram-
bootan, custard-apple, mango, guava, and durian, with many
others, now occupy the plantations in which nutmegs were

272 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XVI.

formerly grown. The last-named fruit, so great a favourite
with some, and so detested by others, is produced in such
quantities that 50 dollars are given for the produce of a
single tree.

But the one tree in which is now centred the promise and
the hope of the Singapore planters is the Cocoa-nut (Cocos
nucifera). It does not appear to be indigenous, for none
are found in the jungle ; but it was long since introduced by
the Malays. It is comparatively of late years, however, that
European planters have looked upon it as a source of wealth,
and foreseen that it may prove in course of time to be the
most important production of Singapore. The original
cocoa-nut plantations are yielding golden returns ; and within
the last ten years, or less, a great impetus has been given to
the propagation of a tree to which the sandy and poor soil of
Singapore seems admirably adapted. The trees thrive, and
the only drawback is that several years must elapse before
they attain such a growth as to yield any recompense for the
original expenditure. The uses of the tree are numerous;
but it is to the oil that the planter looks for his reward.
With proper machinery for separating this oil, the rapidly-
extending cocoa-nut plantations bid fair to place cocoa-nut
oil in an important position among the exports from Singa-
pore. The cocoa-nuts, however, are not free from their
enemies, in the shape of two beetles—one, a large Curculio
(Rhynchophorus Sach), nearly as big as the English stag-
beetle, and the other an Oryctes (O. Rhinoceros), so called
from its projecting horn. The first of them is called in
Singapore the red beetle, from a blood-red mark upon the
upper part of the thorax, and it probably attacks the nut;
while the second feeds upon the terminal bud of the palm-
stem. When thus attacked, the bud dies, and the crown of

Cx, XVI.] SAGO-PLANTING. 273

leaves falls off, leaving the graceful cocoa-nut tree a mere
tall bare pole. Such bare poles I have’ seen representing
all that remains of the betel-nut palm (Areca catechu), which
is subject to the attacks of a similar beetle. In Penang,
thousands of cocoa-nuts are destroyed by the ravages of
these insects. In the cocoa-nut plantations men ascend the
trees and examine narrowly for these insidious enemies,
which they find in large numbers. They forthwith pierce
them with a sharp stick, and passing a string through them,
hang them up in festoons at the entrance of the plantation.
Such strings of beetles, some dead and decaying, some still
alive and kicking their legs about, I have seen in the planta-
tions of the island. At the present moment, however, the
cultivation of cocoa-nuts is merely in its infancy; and the
exports are confined to places in the immediate neighbour-
hood of Singapore.

An enterprising gentleman is cultivating the sago-palm
on a large scale, about eight miles from Singapore. The
plantation (containing at present 10,000 trees) is still young,
and will not begin to yield for about five years; but this
flourishing state of the trees, with the aid of a certain
amount of manure, gives full promise of a successful
result. When the trees are ready to cut, he intends to
apply machinery to the preparation of the sago; for, accord-
ing to the present primitive modes of the natives, a man
(Chinese) and his wife, their adult son and wife and two
children, are employed a fortnight in preparing the product
of a single tree.

Let me add, too, with regard to labour, which I have
spoken of as comparatively dear—a Malay or a Chinese
commands a price of 84 to 4 dollars a month; while in

Java 8 rupees is considered good wages; and, besides being
r

274 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XVI.

doubly expensive in Singapore, the workman always takes
two hours in the middle of the day for rest, and stops work
the moment the clock strikes six; while the men are so
chary of their labour that it is necessary to have overseers
to keep them at it.

CHAPTER XVII.
JOHORE AND THE STRAITS.

Excursion to Tanjong Putri—Chinese Carnival—The Tumonggong—Sing-songs
—Chinese Thespians—Gambling Parties—The Game of ‘‘ Poh”—Gambling
in Singapore and Hong Kong—Mountebank Dentistry—Opium Smoking
—Statistics of Consumption—Value of Imports—Chinese Opium—Con-
siderations—Saw Mills—Horsburgh Lighthouse—Coast of Johore—Habits
of the Pill,;Crab—Ubiquity of Ants.

A FAVOURITE excursion from Singapore is that to the
back of the island, where is a commodious bungalow,
situated on the border of the Straits, which are here not
more than half a mile wide; and opposite which is the
town of Tanjong Putri, at the southernmost extremity of
Johore. When I visited this place, it was in an unwonted
state of excitement, from the fact that his Highness the
Maharajah of Johore was visiting his residence there for
the first time since his return from England, where he had
been received with very great distinction, having among
other honours been installed a Knight of the Star of
India. The town was like a fair, and the Chinese espe-
cially were busily employed in turning the occasion to
advantage. Gambling places and sing-songs were driving
a great trade, and the juggler and mountebank were in
their glory.

The shores on both sides of these Straits, between the

Island of Singapore and the Malacca Peninsula, are densely
T2

276 BRAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XVII.

wooded, with here and there a cocoa-nut plantation, having
a hut built upon it, and impenetrable mangrove thickets
skirting the beach. The water was so shallow that we ran
aground, and had to wait for the tide, with only five feet
of water under our bows—a mishap which delayed us so
much, that it was dark before we arrived; but the bright
lights, fire-works, and noise of tom-tomg were sufficiently
distinct to serve as landmarks to guide us to an anchorage.

The morning light showed that Tanjong Putri was simply
a clearance in the jungle at the south point of Johore, with
apparently no outlet on the landward side. The noises
which we had heard on shore on our arrival still continued,
having gone on without intermission all night long—and in-
deed they did not cease as long as we were within hearing,
for the Chinese were keeping carnival.

The occasion was an excellent one for observing Chinese
characteristics—for the larger part of the population ap-
peared to be formed of Celestials, although of course the
real natives are Malays, who appear to be attached to their
native ruler, and to be moreover proud of the travels from
which he had just returned, and of the attention which he
had received from high quarters in England. I had an
interview with his Highness, who is styled the Tumonggong
of Johore, and had the honour of smoking a cigar and
drinking a glass of sherbet with him. He is a good-looking
young man of 30 or 31 years of age, rather stout, and taller
than the average of the Malays. Unlike his subjects and
countrymen, he cultivates a moustache, and, as might be
expected under the circumstances, he wore a European
costume. His manners were gentlemanly and agreeable,
and he treated me with unaffected urbanity and good-will.
He speaks excellent English; and the conversation natu-

Cu. XVII.J THE TUMONGGONG. 277

rally turned upon his late visit to this country, which he
seemed to have greatly enjoyed; and doubtless the new and
enlarged views which he has imbibed from such a visit, and
the attentions which he received while here, cannot fail to
have a beneficial influence upon his Eastern rule. The
Maharajah has become invested with an importance and
interest in the eyes of the Malays which he could hardly
have otherwise acquired at home; and they seemed to vie
with one another in showing their loyalty and service.
He is, moreover, indebted for his present position to the
policy of the English Government, who transferred the rule
from the former Sultan to his admiral, the father of the
present prince—an act of Sir Henry Butterworth which has
been freely canvassed, but was doubtless justified by State
reasons which that Governor could well appreciate.

The sounds which had greeted our arrival at Tanjong
Putri, I soon discovered arose from a Thespian entertain-
ment, under the auspices of the Chinese; and inasmuch
as all this class of performances had a very great family
likeness wherever I had an opportunity of witnessing them,
I may say a few words descriptive of the singular character
of this exhibition.

There were two of these sing-songs, or open-air Chinese
theatres, which were centres of general attraction, placed,
however, almost side by side, so that the proceedings of
one thrust themselves upon the spectators of the other, and
somewhat marred the effect of both. They were good types
of Chinese theatricals, and consisted of spacious stages, open
in front, and erected above the level of the heads of the
spectators, with attap coverings for the benefit of the per-
formers, but nothing of the kind for the lookers-on, who
either stood sweltering in the sun, or, if they preferred it,

278 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Ca. XVII.

took shelter under the verandahs of the shops on the ‘other
side of the road. At the back of the stage, in the centre,
was placed a table, behind which were the musicians, some
hammering upon tom-toms of various sizes, which gave out
a more or less resonant sound, others playing upon the
fifes, and producing sounds which might readily be mistaken
for bag-pipes. Besides this there were three embroidered
mats hanging down behind the stage, and these together
constituted the scenery, properties, orchestra, and all equip-
ments which their Thespian simplicity required. At the
back of the stage a door on either side served as an entrance
and exit for the actors, who always came in at the left hand
and retired at the right. The play appeared to be a bur-
lesque, and the actors used the burlesque movements of the
low comedians on our own stage, only more coarse, clownish,
and exaggerated. ‘They were men and women in this case,
though more commonly the women’s parts are performed
by men in female costume. The men were dressed in the
highly embroidered robes and painted grotesque masks
which are familiar to every one who has turned over rice-
paper picture books; and the women spoke in a high
falsetto voice, quite different from the female treble. They
came in by the left door in small parties, flourished about,
and shouted, passing slowly in front of the stage, and then
disappeared on the right side, and were succeeded by another
party, the same party again re-appearing after a short inter-
val. There seemed to be no termination to the story, nor
any limits to the endurance of the actors or spectators ; for
the latter kept up a constant crowd in front of the stage,
behaving, however, with great decorum and even gravity,
and showing little inclination to laugh at the antics of the
players; and I could only judge of the actors’ endurance,

Cu. XVII.] CHINESE THEATRE, 279

from the fact. that the accompanying noise of tom-toms and
fifes ceased not day or night all the time we were within
hearing.

There was the usual mixture of barbarism and splendour
which characterises all Chinese ceremonials. The sides of
the stage were occupied by a number of dirty, half-naked
boys and men,—regular gamins,—who perched themselves
upon the stage itself by some peculiar right, by virtue of
which they seemed entitled to reserved seats; and the actors
themselves exhibited strange contrasts to their richly em-
broidered and really handsome robes, for these were usually
open in front, disclosing their brown, bare skin from
the neck to below the navel. I found it impossible to
gather any hint as to the nature of the story or plot of
the play.

Among the amusements of the Chinese population at such
a time of festivity, gambling holds a very prominent place.
The Chinese are passionately addicted to this vice, and
spend days and nights over cards and dice, imbibing the
passion from their very earliest years. A child who has
become the possessor of two cash, and goes to invest it in
sweetmeats, will either gamble it away before he arrives at
the stall, or will toss the vendor double or quits while he
still holds that vast sum in his hands. On the present
occasion there was in the town a large covered area entirely
occupied by gambling parties. Each party occupied a small
square space, upon which a piece of carpet is spread, and
around which the players squat upon the ground, three or
four being engaged in counting out the small change for
stakes, and attending to the business of the bank, while.
space was afforded for about six more, always Chinamen, in
dress and appearance indistinguishable from coolies, who

280 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST (Ca. XVII.

kept up a constant rattle of money and dice. All the avail-
able space between the mats was occupied by standing
spectators, who not unfrequently joined in or filled up the
places of those who left.

There are several methods of gambling employed, and
it is not easy for a mere bystander to catch the spirit
of the game; but most of them are very simple. Thus,
for example, a board is produced with twelve squares,
and the stake is made on one of them; if that square turns
up, the lucky depositor receives twelve times his stake. Or
there is another board, upon which are painted representa-
tions of 36 different animals: on one or more of these a
stake is made, a successful hit winning 36 times the stake.
A third method is as follows:—the keeper of the bank
takes up a handful of coin, and a board is produced, divided
into four squares, marked respectively 1, 2, 3, 4, on either
of which a stake is made. The coins are then counted until
four, or less than four, are left. If there are just four, the
man who has staked on No. 4 square wins; if two, No. 2
succeeds and gets the handful; otherwise, the stake is for-
feited.

But perhaps the most favourite game with the Chinese
is that called ‘‘ Poh.” This game is played with a single
die, and a small, solid brass box, in the upper part of which
is a square hole in which the die fits. Each face of the die
is half red and half white, and is inscribed with Chinese
letters. The die having been shaken by the banker in a red
bag, he takes it out, and, without looking at it, places it at
once in the box, and covers it with a brass lid. Giving the
box a spin, the players stake their money upon the colour,
placing it on that side of the box on which they expect that
colour to be. If one betting on white places the money on

Cn. XVII.] CHINESE GAMBLERS. 281

the red side, it is of course lost, but if on the white side,
he wins double stakes; if on the side on which the colours
are divided, he loses. They sometimes stake on the corner
of the die, in which case, if three white or three red halves
of the die on the three visible sides meet at that corner,
white or red wins a single stake; but if the colours are
mixed, neither can win.

Besides these small gambling-places, in which, for the
most part, the lower classes amuse themselves, and in which
they were clustered like bees around some fifty banks, there
was a regular ‘‘hell” near by, at which the more wealthy
classes, chiefly from Singapore, played to their hearts’ con-
tent far into the night at the same games, but for higher
stakes. Here one man lost on this day 7000 dollars; and
some Chinamen who had been “cleaned out,” expressed
their intention of sending to Singapore the following day
for large sums, with the avowed intention of breaking the
bank. By large sums they meant, say 5000 dollars, and
they would play until they lost it all, or fulfilled their
threat.

Up to the year 1829 gambling was permitted by the
government of Singapore. The gambling-houses were
farmed, and from 1820 to 1829 the revenue from this
source had increased from 5,725 dollars to 33,864 dollars.
It was then abolished, and fines are now collected in the
magistrate’s court for breaking the law in this respect. It is
said that the fines collected during the first four months of
1864 amounted to 6,112 dollars, or £1,370. I was informed
that since the prohibition, gambling has been exceptionally
permitted for some days at the time of the China new-year,
when not only the Chinese population, but many of the
leading merchants may have been seen eagerly mixing

282 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XVII.

with the speculating crowd, and winning or losing with the
rest.*

One other element of the busy and motley scene may
be mentioned—viz., the mountebank dentist. He was a
Chinese, and standing in a public place, loudly invited
patients to be relieved of their troublesome teeth. Several
came forward, and the treatment was not a little singular and
puzzling. Clapping a red plaister upon the cheeks, over the
spot where the guilty tooth was situated, he, at the same time,
put inside the mouth a small quantity of a kind of white
paste. Then inserting an instrument which looked something
like an ordinary dentist’s key, he rapidly whipped the tooth
out entire. But the most curious part of the circumstance was
that no cry escaped the patients; and on narrowly watching
their features, not the slightest symptom of momentary pain
was revealed. But the bleeding fangs of the teeth as held
up to view negatived the idea that there was any trickery or
delusion. The price of the operation was only 10 cents (5d.)!
Sometimes the fellow pretended to charm the tooth out
without any operation—a feat which he accomplished by
sticking the plaister on the face, and inserting the white
paste within the mouth as before, after which, instead of
using any extracting instrument, he stuck against the tooth
the pointed end of a piece of folded paper containing a little
of a black substance which looked like pitch. Then having
kept the patient waiting for three or four minutes with his

* Since this has been written gambling has been legalised among the
Chinese population of Hong Kong—a step which while it has naturally given
great offence to certain European classes, will be regarded leniently by those
best acquainted with Chinese character, and will save the police a vast
amount of trouble in hunting up and bringing to justice the numberless cases

in which the attempt to restrict this Chinese institution was constantly being
evaded by all classes, in whom the habit is too much a second nature to be

eradicated by legislation.

Cu. XVII] OPIUM-SMOKING. 283

mouth shut, he would tell him to cough, when out came the
tooth with no further difficulty. I know not what jugglery
was used, but these effects were presented to the eyes of
attentively watching bystanders.

Among the phases of Chinese dissipation incident to
scenes such as I am describing, of course opium-smoking
has its place. This, however, is a subject upon which the
opinions of some in this country, who are unacquainted with
real facts, are so strong, and their feelings so excited, that
it seems desirable to give some trustworthy information
which may guide them to a proper appreciation of the true
extent of the evil, and may enable them to compare it
properly with that vice in this country to which it bears
most resemblance—viz., drunkenness.

It is a common idea that opium-smoking obtrudes itself
upon the notice of every traveller in China, and that the
debasing and destructive effects of it meet the eye at every
turn. This is, however, a great mistake. Opium is an
expensive luxury, and the supply, which is equal to, and
regulated by, the demand, is very limited. Like all other
luxuries it is doubtless liable to abuse, and no one will
attempt to deny that, like spirit drinking, it is sometimes
carried to excess; but the cases of confirmed opium-smoking
in China bear no manner of proportion to those of excessive
drinking in England. This can be easily proved by a
reference to the statistics of the opium-market of Hong
Kong, through which all opium except that of native manu-
facture must pass. A person not conversant with the value
of the drug is surprised to learn that a chest, which contains
18384 Ibs., or one picul of opium, is worth about £150.

As a general rule a man smokes about 5 mace of opium
at a time, or we may say 5 mace per diem for an ordinary

284 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XVII.

opium smoker. This amount, multiplied by 365 (days),
makes 182°5 kandareens, or 18°25 taels (ounces) per annum.

In round numbers, therefore, an ordinary smoker con-
sumes 20 ounces per annum. And since a chest of opium
contains 133 lIbs., it will require 106 persons smoking at
this rate to consume one chest in a year. Now the annual
consumption of imported opium is 100,000 chests, and it is
believed that about the same quantity is also manufactured
in China. This will make a total of 200,000 chests
demanded annually by opium-smokers of all classes and
degrees.

The extreme value of imported opium one year with
another is 700 dollars per chest, and Chinese opium is
very much cheaper. At the steady rate of consumption
indicated above, viz., of 106 persons to one chest of opium,
it would cost the consumers 62 dollars (about 30s.) per head
per annum. Supposing, however, that this consumption
and expense were spread over the whole population of
800 millions, it would amount to less than a quarter of a
dollar, or about one shilling per head per annum. But
this estimate must be still further lowered by the fol-
lowing considerations—viz., 1st, that Chinese opium is
produced at only one-fifth of the price of the Indian drug ;
Qnd, that of the Indian opium 6,000 chests are annually
diverted to the Straits settlements, Borneo and the neigh-
bourhood, while an unknown quantity goes to Australia,
California, &c.; and 3rd, that of the raw opium a consider-
able per centage is lost in the preparation of the drug for
consumption. Thus of Malwa opium, 80 per cent.; of
Patna, 85; of Benares, 85; of Persian, 20; of Chinese, 20;
and of Turkey no less than 42 per cent. is waste, the
remainder forming the real extract for the. smoker.

Cu. XVII.] CHINESE OPIUM. 285

Again, although the moderate estimate of five mace per
diem is correct for the mass of opium-smokers, there are
doubtless some who abuse the indulgence, and both spend
and consume much more—thus still further reducing the
number of consumers, who must really form a very small
proportion of the entire population, viz., about twenty out
of the three hundred, millions, or one in fifteen; that is,
64 per cent. These are principally the sea-board popula-
tion—the inland people being for the most part unacquainted
with the drug.

The Chinese produce a large quantity of opium, the exact
amount of which is hardly known; but it is not valued by
them as Indian opium is. It is strong and pungent, and
bites the tongue, producing a maddening effect when taken
in excess—and bearing the same relation to Indian and
other imported opium that strong brandy does to mild wine.
The apologists for opium importation affirm that the Chinese
will have the drug, and did they not import it ina mild
and comparatively harmless form, the opium-smokers would
use all the more of their own inferior and intoxicating sub-
stitute. ‘The Chinese Government derives a revenue of
50 dollars per chest on imported opium—or rather, should
do so, but this tax is for the most part evaded.

That opium-smoking is a vice, and leads to evil, is not
- for a moment to be denied, but that it is of that extent
which is commonly believed by some philanthropists well-
disposed but ill-informed, is evidently a mistake. Undoubt-
edly if it could be rooted out of the customs of the Chinese
people, it would be a desirable end—and so it would be if
drunkenness could be eradicated from the English people—
put both ideas, we fear, are equally Utopian and Quixotic.
Merchants engaged in the opium trade are loudly con-

286 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Ca. XVII.

demned ; but, to be just, those engaged either directly or
indirectly in the production of ardent spirits should meet
with an equal amount of reprobation. But there can be
no manner of doubt that drunkenness is far more produc-
tive of misery and crime in this country than is opium-
smoking in China, while we are apt to forget the consi-
deration that we are a professedly Christian people, while
the opium-smoking Chinese are heathens, with a very
imperfect natural appreciation of morality, as understood in
the West.*

Before leaving Tanjong Putri, I visited the extensive
steam saw-mills, in which a variety of circular and perpen-
dicular saws were at work upon wood of all sizes, from
small planks to enormous trunks of trees. These mills
are worked by a company, principally Europeans, but in
which the Tumonggong possesses an interest. The work-
men are all Chinese, who live in a separate village, which
is enclosed, and the gate to which is kept locked during
working hours. There are similar saw-mills, but on a much
smaller scale, at Singapore.

In passing several times up and down the Singapore
Straits, the lighthouse on Pedro Branco Island, commonly
known as the ‘ Horsburgh Light,” is a conspicuous and
interesting object. I one day paid it a visit, and rambled
over it from top to bottom. It is built on a rock to the
east of Singapore, at 28 miles distance, with soundings of
17 to 23 fathoms all the way. It was a lovely morning,

* Confirmed opium smokers, it is well known, suffer severely when deprived
of the drug, and the vice sometimes assumes « form which is analogous to
dipsomania. The friends of such persons have occasionally brought them to
the European medical men in Canton to be cured, and a cure is not difficult to be
effected by proper treatment and supervision ; but it of course depends upon the
firmness and principle of the patient to refrain from relapsing into the bad habit.

Cu. XVII] HORSBURGH LIGHTHOUSE. 287

and quite calm, so that I was able to land at some steps
cut in the almost perpendicular side of the rock upon which
the lighthouse is built. Although the rock, however, is
naturally very inaccessible, a sort of movable pier is con-
structed, by means of which a landing can be effected at
almost any ebb tide. The lighthouse, a testimonial to the
invaluable services of the author of the “‘ Directory,” is a
cylindrical building, with a basement and six stories, which
are ascended by narrow ladders, to the light-room at the
top. This contains nine cata-dioptric lights, arranged in
sets of three, movable by clock-work, so that the angle
between each set shows dark. The light is visible once in
a minute, and is seen 15 miles. The rock upon which the
lighthouse is built, is an irregular, much broken, rounded
mass of grey and compact granite, extending out north-
ward in a reef, but with only a few rolled stones at the
south. It was commenced in 1850 and finished in 1851,
and in many respects closely resembles the Bell Rock
Lighthouse, 11 miles east of Arbroath. . The chief light-
keeper is an Englishman, who is assisted by Malays.

On the rocks a number of Grapsi were running about,
and a few Ligie; but no other marine animals except
fishes were visible, although it was nearly low neap tide—
the rocks being too smooth and too much exposed to har-
bour the more delicate species. The leaping-fish (Perioph-
thalmus), of a large size, were pretty numerous, and it was
amusing to see them climb up the steep and smooth sides
of the rocks by a series of jumps, assisted by a wriggling
movement from side to side—so that each time they alighted
the tail was strongly curved on either side alternately.
Some low black rocks in the neighbourhood looked as if
they were covered with snow, but a telescope resolved

288 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cx. XVII.

the appearance into dense crowds of thousands of white
birds, whose general movement gave the rocks a quivering
aspect, as when the rarefied air ascends from a heated
surface.

The shores of Johore, bordering on the Straits, are every-
where thickly wooded, the jungle coming down to the water’s
edge. The low banks are seldom relieved by a hill, or any-
thing which serves to distinguish one part from another,
and not a habitation is anywhere visible. I one day landed
upon the beach at South Point, and spent some hours in
exploring. The coast was rocky, with reefs of porphyritic
stone containing large crystals of albite; and a shelving,
sandy shore extended so close to the edge of the jungle,
that only a yard or two was left dry at high water. In the
jungle, Cycads and screw-pines abounded; and I fancied I
could trace the tracks of large animals, which my imagina-
tion helped me to believe were tigers, upon the higher parts
of the sand. Butterflies of the same type as those I had
observed at Labuan were pretty numerous.

A curious little Crab is common upon the sandy beaches
everywhere on these coasts. I observed it abundantly at
Labuan, and at Singapore and Johore, and other places,
where, immediately after the tide has gone down, the smooth
beach is covered with loose, powdery sand and holes of
various sizes, from such as would admit a small pea to
those big enough for a large filbert, but usually of the former
dimensions. A closer examination showed that little ra-
diating paths converged among the litter of sand to each
hole, and that the sand itself was in minute balls or concre-
tions of a size proportionate to the calibre of the holes. The
rapidity with which the shore was covered with myriads of
such concretions was very surprising, as at first there ap-

Og. XVII.) THE PILL-MAKING CRAB. 289

peared no living thing to which they might be attributed.
I naturally supposed that the little crab inhabiting the hole
had ejected the sand in little balls in the construction of his
habitation ; but an approaching footstep was an immediate
signal for the disappearance of the little creatures. By
remaining quite quiet, however, on a patch 30 or 40 feet
square, which was covered with their holes, I was able to
watch their remarkable habits. On the first approach, a
peculiar twinkle on the sand was visible, which required a
quick eye to recognise as a simultaneous and rapid retreat
of all the little crabs into their holes, not a single one re-
maining visible. Kneeling down and remaining motionless
for a few minutes, I noticed a slight evanescent appearance,
like a flash or bursting bubble, which the eye could scarcely
follow. This was produced by one or more of the little
crabs coming to the surface, and instantly darting down
again, alarmed at my proximity. It was only by patiently
waiting, like a statue, that I could get them to come out
and set to work. They were of various sizes, the most
common being that of a largish pea. Coming cautiously
to the mouth of the hole, the crab waited to reconnoitre,
and if satisfied that no enemy was near, it would venture
about its own length distant from the mouth of its hole;
then rapidly taking up particles of sand in its claws or
chele, it deposited them in a groove beneath the thorax.
As it did so a little ball of sand was rapidly projected as
though from its mouth, which it seized with one claw and
deposited on one side, proceeding in this manner until
the smooth beach was covered with these little pellets,
or pills, corresponding in size to its own dimensions and
powers. It was evidently its mode of extracting par-

ticles of food from the sand. I made many attempts to
U

290 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XVII.

catch one before I could succeed, so swift were they in
their movements. Preparing my right hand, and advancing
it cautiously, I darted it out as rapidly as I could to secure
the crab; but it was too quick, and had regained its hole.
At length, after repeated attempts, I caught two specimens,
which immediately curled themselves up and feigned death.
I put one of them on the sand to see what it would do. At
first it did not attempt to move; but after a short time, by
a twisting and wriggling movement, it rapidly sunk into the
sand and disappeared. I had attempted in vain for a long
time to cut off one of the crabs from its hole, so that I might
fill it up and observe whether it would go into a neighbour’s
hole, and with what result. But as I could not succeed in
doing this (and it was frightfully hot work stooping over the
sand under the direct rays of the tropical sun) I put one of
the crabs I had caught into a hole already containing a crab ;
but no result followed. I attempted to dig it up again in
vain. I dug up many holes; but though I soon arrived at
the soft and wet sand beneath, I never succeeded in procur-
ing a pill-making crab by digging it out. Nor, when J filled
up several holes, did any result follow, as long as I had
patience to wait.*

These pill-making crabs are gregarious. Many considerable
patches of sand were covered with their holes and pellets, some
close together, some more sparsely ; but other very large tracts
in the neighbourhood had not a single hole upon them. They
rapidly make their appearance immediately after the tide has

* Mr. Spence Bate writes me as follows: ‘‘ The Pill-maker is a very curious
fellow, and is very remarkable in its structure. I have drawn it, but have
not completed my detailed examination of its structure. It is a new genus,
which I have named Spherapeeia (from opaipa, a pill, and moew, to make).”
The same gentleman has further attached my namie to this species, which he
calls Spherapeeia Collingwoodii.

Cu. XVII] ANTS, 291

left the sand, and go on making their pellets until the water
returns again. The first ripple washes all their pellets away,
and turns their holes into little funnel-shaped pits.

Of all insects none surely are so numerous or sd ubi-
quitous as the Ants, of which there are numerous species
in tropical regions, from the small red ants only just
visible, to the large black ones (Formica gigas) fully
three-quarters of an inch, and even an inch, long, which
frequent woods, and which I saw at the back of Singapore
island. When one gets fatigued with walking (and the
naturalist must walk) it is umpossible to sit down any where ;
for if we sit in the sun we get rapidly baked, and if we sit
in the shade we either sit at once in the midst of a com-
munity of ants of some species or other; or even if we first
carefully examine the place, and think we have discovered
a spot which is clear of them, we shall inevitably find the
busy insects walking over us in a few minutes, probably
brown ants half an inch long, armed with formidable pincers,
which they will freely use without waiting for provoca-
tion. Even upon the sandy beach, where we might suppose
ourselves free from such persecution, the ants follow, bent on
foraging expeditions. Thus, on the shore at Johore, I ob-
served large biting ants of a light brown colour swarming
about below high water mark; and on the upper parts of the
sands, among the drift, I have frequently remarked them.

It is a common circumstance to see in Singapore and
in Borneo, among the foliage of small trees, a number
of the leaves, sometimes green, sometimes brown, gathered
together into a huge ball as big as one’s head, about which
under ordinary circumstances no ants are visible; but a
smart blow upon the fabric is immediately followed by the

appearance of swarms of brown ants of a large size, which
v2

292 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XVII.

soon cover the nest, and run up and down the branches in
busy and terrified streams. These ants are armed with
nippers, which inflict a disagreeable and startling pinch ;
and it is desirable not to remain long under the tree after
they are disturbed. The effect of their bites, however, is
perfectly transitory.

In houses ants are everywhere great pests. A small
reddish species, extremely fond of sugar and other sweets,
and a slender black one, both abound, and can only be kept
out of the meat-safes and sugar-basins by the stratagem of
immersing the legs of the tables supporting them in cups of
water. This, however, does not entirely prevent their ap-
proach without further care; for a film of dust settles upon
the’ surface of the water in the course of a day or two, form-
ing a sufficiently stable bridge to enable the little creatures
to cross over. To the insect-collector they are a terrible
nuisance, for the freshly-killed butterflies, &c., are liable to
be attacked and ruined in a very short time, if the ants by
any accident obtain access to them. Thus, on more than
one occasion, I have laid my newly-captured specimens upon
the protected table, fondly believing them to be secure, when
lo! after a few hours, I have found every paper swarming,
and already the wings alone of some specimens left. The cir-
cumstance had arisen from the simple accident of the end of
a strap lying upon the table having fallen to the ground,
thus forming a convenient means of communication, of which
the hungry ants had not scrupled to avail themselves. In
such cases they always attack and destroy the last captured
and most succulent insects. Camphor, however, is an ef-
fectual protection against these marauders, and the remedy
is therefore tolerably easy if an ordinary amount of care is
used.

CHAPTER XVIII.
MANILLA.

Appearance of the City—Manilla Bay—The Town—Chinese Shops—Aspect of
the Mestizas—Dilapidated. Condition of City—The Great Earthquake of
1863—Features of the Shocks—Their Effects—Moral Effect on the
People—Game-Cocks—The River Pasig—Tobacco Manufacture— Taxes on
Commerce—Sea Snakes—Tropical Skies compared with Northern—The
Southern Cross—Effects of Clear Atmosphere—Moon-blindness— Case.

Ir was Christmas-day when we anchored in Manilla Bay—
dull, wet, and dreary; but warm withal, with nothing to
remind us of the season. The city looked forlorn enough,
for at the best of times there is nothing very striking in its
appearance, which is pretty much that of a dull continental
town built in a hollow; the houses like so many barns, and
the few public edifices which rise above the general level of
the housetops being constructed of a dark red stone, which
gives them a sombre air which even a nearer approach does
‘not tend to remove. But when, on the bright sunny days
which succeeded, the distant mountains of Luzon appeared
with their changing lights and shades, forming a beautiful
background to the landscape, there was much that was
picturesque and attractive in the scene; while the placid
waters of the bay with the distant mountain of Mariveles at
its entrance, behind which the sun nightly disappeared,
bathing it in rich gold and purple, completed a very
charming panorama. Not always, however, is the bay so

294 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XVIII.

calm, for it is so extensive, that though it may be compared
to a large lake, its waters are in some seasons swept by such
violent winds that ships have foundered and gone down in
them ;.and the dilapidated condition of the massive stone
pier which forms the right-hand side of the harbour attests
the power of the waves in displacing the huge blocks from
their cemented bed.

The best built part of the town of Manilla is contained
within the walls of the citadel, which is duly fortified. Here
the streets are narrow and regular and tolerably well paved,
the windows universally glazed with the shells of the Chinese
window-oyster (Placuna placenta) in default of glass, which
is very rarely seen. There are few or no shops in this part ;
but surrounding the citadel are the suburbs, or Pueblos,
containing by far the busiest and most lively streets, with
numerous good shops. The greater number and the best of
these are kept by Chinese, who form a large proportion of
the population, and appear to be industrious and tolerably
clean. Their streets have a very cheerful appearance—a sun-
awning of blue and white running along the tops of the shops,
and crowds of respectably-dressed Chinese standing or sitting
at doors, smoking their pipes and chatting—while the shops
themselves have wares exposed in them ofa far superior class
to those which one is accustomed to see in Chinese shops
elsewhere. One circumstance strikes the visitor as remark-
ably strange and anomalous—viz., the profusion of pictures
of Roman Catholic saints, and prints of a religious character
which adorn them; crucifixes, and rosaries, and other para-
phernalia of the dominant religion, which Chinese scruples
do not prevent their turning to account; and if one might
judge by their abundance and prominence, it may be pre-
sumed that the enterprising Chinese tradesmen find these

Cu. XVIII] THE MESTIZAS. 295

objects among their most marketable and profitable com-
modities..

The inhabitants of Manilla are said to number 800,000
natives, Spanish, and Chinese. The common costume of the
men is a pair of trowsers of light material, and a kind ot
shirt, thrown on loosely in the manner of a smock-frock.
This article of dress is most characteristic, and in it the
greatest possible variety of form, colour, and material occurs.
It is sometimes of linen,—white, clean, and neatly and
curiously plaited and folded; but more usually the material
is thin and more or less gauzy, and the colours as numerous
and diversified as those of the rainbow—or in other cases
black. They appear to take the greatest pride in the get-up
of this article of attire, which is always clean and neat. A
straw hat of various forms, more or less approaching the
European, however, covers the head, and an umbrella is a
constant companion, almost as constant as the cheroot. The
men are very similar to Malays in aspect; but the women
are very superior in this respect, being usually striking and
good-looking; their eyes large and dark, and their long
black hair hanging loose behind, and adding an expression
of abandon to their luxuriant and voluptuous beauty. Their
costume, gay and graceful, consists of @ kind of skirt (Saya)
of a bright-coloured material, and usually of large pattern,
and a jacket (Pifia camisa) of similar material, but some-
what scanty as to quantity, closed in front, but leaving the
arms and neck bare, and allowing an inch or two of dusky
skin to be visible between it and the lower garment. On
their feet they usually wear high wooden sandals, which
raise them two or three inches in stature, and make them
appear taller than they really are. Like the men, they
seldom appear without a cigarette or a cheroot in their

296 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XVIII.

mouths. The same dress is worn by young girls, except
that their dress is often of so transparent a material that the
whole form can be distinctly discerned through it; and the
children of both sexes of the lower orders are often un-
encumbered by any clothing whatever.

These Mestizas, as they are termed, are the native Indians
of the Philippines, whose blood has to a great extent
probably been mingled with that of their Spanish rulers.
They are a very exclusive people, speaking a language of
their own, called Tagalan; and have their own places of
amusement and entertainment, in the form of a theatre, in
which the performances are of course all in Tagalan, and
Mestiza balls, to which no one is admitted who does not
don the costume of the country as described above. They
do not, however, bear a very high character for morality,—
in fact, Manilla in this respect is undoubtedly at a very
low ebb.

Being a Spanish town—and a Catholic withal—the in-
cessant beating of drums, and clanging of trumpets, is fully
accounted for; and if proficiency upon these warlike instru-
ments makes a great nation, then must the Spaniards be
reckoned in the first rank. And if the jangling of bells
makes a people religious, then must Manilla be a saintly
spot; but one would imagine that three more discordant
instruments (for the bells never ring a peal) could not have
been invented to vex the ears of the inhabitants at all hours
of the day and night. Two other features of the place
which must strike the visitor may be alluded to—viz., the
frequency of cassocked priests, not uncommonly to be seen
with a cigar in their mouths; and the convicts, who, chained
together in pairs, work thus side by side, and are allowed to
go about without immediate supervision.

Cx. XVIII.) EARTHQUAKE OF 1863. 297

A visitor at Manilla cannot fail to be struck with the
dilapidated condition of some parts of the city. Houses
cracked and partially unroofed, others windowless and
deserted, walls broken down, and court-yards grass-grown
and uneven, piled-up heaps of hewn stones which have once
been part of a building, meet the eye in every direction, and
are all witnesses of the disastrous earthquake which took
place here three or four years back, a repetition of the
catastrophe of 1645, and which, besides destroying a great
part of the city, proved fatal to a large number of the
inhabitants. But the neighbourhood of the principal
churches, and of the cathedral, most conspicuously testifies
to the violence of its effects. These large buildings are
almost totally destroyed, and are all in a ruinous condition.
The cathedral has a most desolate aspect, and only a small
portion remains in a sufficiently stable condition to allow of
being patched up, and serving as a temporary church.
Another spacious church, close by, was undergoing some
attempts at repair, and huge beams of wood were in course
of elevation to support a roof; but the whole aspect of
affairs is melancholy in the extreme. Few attempts appear
to have been made to renovate the city, and as few even to
remove,the débris, and with the exception of piling up the
stones by the road-side, no efforts have been made to clear
away the traces of the catastrophe.

The terrible earthquake which brought this destruction
upon the city of Manilla took place on July 8rd, 1863, at
half-past seven in the evening. Like most of these frightful
occurrences, which are at the same time overwhelmingly
destructive, the ruin was all completed in less than a single
minute. Not, however, that this was the only shock ex-
perienced, but the only one which effected serious mischief,

298 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cx. XVIII.

from the unfortunate circumstance that the city was built
just upon that patch of earth which experienced the greatest
throe. There are two considerable volcanos in the neigh-
bourhood of Manilla, those of Tayal and Abbay; and al-
though it might be imagined @ priori that the terrific shock
was in some way connected with the closing up of these
natural vents, it does not appear that this was the case, for
the volcano of Tayal, in the province of Batangan, was re-
ported to have been very active at this juncture. No par-
ticular warning was given, however, of the fatal moment—it
was the rainy season, and there had been at the same time
much sultry weather, accompanied by heavy thunderstorms ;
and one of them is described as having been an uninterrupted
blaze of several hours’ duration, such as I have witnessed
more than once, but which can hardly be considered a pre-
cursor of earthquake. In the evening, just as, it being
dark, people were enjoying their cigar and the coolness of the
air in the verandah, the earth shook so that they were
obliged to support themselves by some object to prevent
themselves from falling. Two distinct shocks immediately
succeeded one another. The first was an earth-wave from
north to south, which, although itself severe, would not have
accomplished the destruction of the city had it not been
instantly followed by another cross wave from east to west.
Then the buildings fell in all directions, burying hundreds
beneath the ruins. The cathedral roof is said to have
opened wide with the first shock; but seemed, as the wave
_ passed by, to subside into its original position and close up
again, but the transverse wave immediately brought it all
erashing to the ground. The other churches also suffered
frightfully ; and it most unhappily happened that it being
the hour of vespers, the churches, of all places the most

Cu. XVIIT.] INCIDENTS OF THE EARTHQUAKE. 299

unsafe, were more or less occupied by people. Priests and
people alike were buried in the ruins, many, of course, killed ;
others only maimed, but living, and their voices could be
heard amidst the stones and beams which covered the floor.
Energetic efforts were made to relieve them, and water was
conducted through the pipes of the broken organ; but by
degrees the voices ceased, and they were dead. A fine
stone bridge across the Pasig was so damaged that it was
deemed unsafe to cross it, and it was closed, and still re-
mains in a dilapidated condition.

Of course innumerable houses fell to the ground, and
even now many of them remain in nearly the same state as
they were left by the shock—unroofed, cracked, and fissured.
In one house which I visited I was assured that so great was
the oscillation that the chandelier in the dining-room, hang-
ing six feet down from the ceiling, swung so violently as to
knock the ceiling on either side. A very fortunate circum-
stance was that at the hour at which the earthquake occurred
the European population had just finished dinner, and had
for the most part retired from the dining-room to the less
dangerous verandah. In many places in the town fissures
opened in the ground, which in some cases closed again.
In addition to the immense loss of private and public pro-
perty, the Government exchequer was seriously threatened
by the partial destruction and unroofing of the tobacco
stores. In these warehouses no less than 57,000 quintals of
tobacco were deposited, representing a value of two millions
of dollars; and inasmuch as the disaster occurred during the
rainy season, this vast quantity of tobacco would all have been
partially or entirely ruined before precautions could possibly
have been taken to protect it, had it not singularly happened
that the event was succeeded by a week of unseasonably :

300 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cx. XVII.

fine weather. This providential occurrence was also, of
course, of the greatest service in innumerable ways to the
suffering population, and gave opportunity of making pro-
vision for immediate shelter and protection. °

Those who were on shipboard in the bay thought they
saw a phosphoric luminosity over the city at the time of the
occurrence, though whether this was not conjured up by
their own vivid imagination admits of doubt. More pro-
bable is the story that at the moment of the shock they felt
as though their ships had struck upon-a rock, a circumstance
often recorded in similar catastrophes.

The city of Manilla itself seems by a curious fatality to
have been the very centre of the oscillation, and not only
was every pile of buildings therein shaken to its very founda-
tions, but people who were in the town were thrown off their
feet by the violence of the shock ; while those outside hardly
knew that anything unusual had happened. Those driving
in the Calzada state that they scarcely felt any movement ;
and great was their consternation and astonishment, on
arriving at their. homes to find them in ruins, and their
friends wounded and dying. It is perhaps less remarkable
that persons in closely contiguous spots in the town felt the
shock in very various degrees of intensity—some having
been sensible of but little movement, while others, perhaps,
in their terror magnified the effects which they personally
experienced. For some time afterwards slight shocks were
felt nearly every week ; but no great and destructive oscilla-
tion has taken place since that memorable day.

It is melancholy to contemplate the position of a com-
munity such as that of Manilla, which has grown to a certain
degree prosperous and important, and has raised public
" edifices of an imposing character at very considerable ex-

Cu. XVIII.] MORAL EFFECTS. 301

pense ; but which in a moment finds itself, by a convulsion
of nature, suddenly paralysed and laid prostrate—crowds of
its busy inhabitants hurried to sudden destruction, their
houses toppling down, and the churches and public build-
ings, the pride of their city, reduced to a mere shapeless
mass of ruins. Still more hopeless and distressing must be
the feeling that, repair and renovate howsoever they may,
safety and security have departed for ever—they know not
the moment when the earth may open and swallow them up
in a more wide-spread and general destruction. The time
may be near, or it may be far off; but it is so far inevitable
that though a false security may lull the inhabitants into
forgetfulness of the past, it can never inspire them with
energy, or give them confidence in the future.

But the people of Manilla seem lighthearted enough, and
the streets are thronged and busy. Smart carriages and
pairs clatter along in the evening, full of gay occupants bent
on enjoying a drive in the Calzada, which extends three
miles along the beach, and which is crowded on fine even-
ings, particularly on band nights, when they all alight, and
for two or three hours walk upon a well-lighted, spacious,
and elevated promenade, listening to the strains of military
music—the ladies with fans and mantillas, after the approved
Spanish fashion, and the gentlemen universally smoking the
native cheroot.

It is very amusing to see the passion which exists among
the Manilla people for cock-fighting. I will not say that
half the population go about with a game-cock under their
arm; but it is a most common occurrence to see a man thus
burdened, or accompanied. The cocks are very handsome
birds, often of very pure breed, and seem quite at home, in
town or country, tucked under the arm of their masters (who

302 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. ([Ca. XVIII.

usually also have a string attached to them), from whence
they look abroad complacently, and apparently in search of
some other cock with which they may be permitted to fight.
Occasionally two cocks thus meeting are placed upon the
ground and allowed to have a little spar with one another.
But restraints are placed upon cock-fighting by the Govern-
ment, and it is only under licence that they are allowed to
make war to the knife upon one another; but in the regular
cock-fighting establishments great excitement and high
gambling are often the order of the day. In unlicensed
places the indulgence in their favourite sport is punishable ;
and were it not so the whole population would, I believe,
practise it in every street of the town.

The river Pasig flows out of a considerable lake, situated
at no great distance from the city, which it divides into
two parts, connected by several bridges, the best of which
was destroyed by the earthquake. A long mole on either
side converts the entrance of this river into a harbour for
small vessels—all ships of a larger burthen being obliged
to anchor out in the roads, and those with considerable
draught, a long way out. The tide flows in and out of
this harbour with great strength and rapidity, and at the
ebb always carries out vast quantities of water-cabbage
(Pistia stratiotes), which is brought down from the lake.
Into some parts of the town the river penetrates and rami-
fies into innumerable canals, among which it is easy for a
stranger to lose his way—as I did, in searching for the resi-
dence of a friend. Large quantities of produce from the
interior are brought down the river in barges, which are
poled against the stream with an amount of labour I never
saw human beings exert before. Placing the rounded end
of the pole in the hollow of the clavicle, the men crawl

Cu. XVIII. TOBACCO MANUFACTURE. 303

from end to end of the barge on all fours, the pole and their
body forming an almost continuous line; and particularly
in passing the bridges, where I have watched them perform
this painful operation for half an hour, without making any
perceptible progress.

The cultivation of the interior is in a great measure rice,
which is the main support of the population ; but indigo is
also largely cultivated and exported; and among fruit-trees,
the mango (Mangifera indica) is the one which has acquired
chief reputation at Manilla, where they are to be had in
perfection between November and June, and are preferred
by most consumers of that fruit, to those grown elsewhere.
But one of the most important objects of cultivation is
tobacco, the manufacture of which is taken in hand by the
Government. In the factory at which the Manilla cigars
are manufactured, it is said that no less than 7000 girls
are employed, and the number of cigars turned out must
be enormous. There is also another factory at Cavite, on
the south side of the bay. But the world at large does
not benefit in proportion; and so enamoured are the people
of Manilla with this much-abused weed, that not more than
one-seventh part leaves the island for exportation, the
remainder being consumed by the population. And this
can be believed, when the universality of the custom of
smoking is observed in Manilla ;—for not only is a cheroot
the never-failing companion of the men of all ranks, but
the ladies indulge equally in the reprehensible practice, and
little girls even may be seen with cigars in their mouths—
not .of the ‘‘ Queen’s,” or lady’s pattern, but such as
a professed smoker in this country would by no means
despise.

The proverbial jealousy and intolerance of the Spanish

304 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. ([Cu. XVIII.

nation are well illustrated at Manilla in many ways. No
Protestant church exists, or is allowed to exist there, and
many English residents came on Sunday to our ship for
the purpose of hearing Divine Service performed by the
Bishop of Labuan, who happened to be with us. The re-
sources of the country are cramped by the short-sighted-
ness of the Government; and foreign trade is virtually
driven away from the place by the severe exactions and
vexatious imposts which are levied upon shipping: All
merchant ships are mulcted in heavy port-dues, which are
demanded according to tonnage; and not content with this,
they add 25 per cent. to English measurement, thus mate-
rially increasing the otherwise large expenses. An English
ship, driven in by stress of weather, in a partially disabled
condition, just before our arrival, on completion of her
repairs was not allowed to leave port until a sum of between
three and four hundred dollars had been paid; while all
transactions are carried on with such unpleasantness, that
it is a wonder that any ships go there at all.

Lying in Manilla Bay, it was not unusual to see water-
snakes (Hydride), swimming on the surface of the water.
This family of sea-serpents is for the most part distributed
in the Indian seas, though some are found about Australia
and the American coast, and rarely in the Pacific. I noticed
them here, and in crossing the China Sea, as well as about
the coasts of Borneo and Johore. The usual appearance of
these snakes is more or less variegated or striped with trans-
verse black and yellow bars—though some are of a more
uniform dark colour; and they are generally about two feet,
or two feet six inches long. In calm weather, they may often
be seen lying lazily upon the water apparently asleep, and
basking in the sun; and they will remain undisturbed while

&
Cx. XVII.) SEA-SNAKES. 305

the whole ship’s length passes within a fathom of them ;
but sometimes, taking alarm, they will flounder about for a
moment, and then dive down out of sight. When thus
surprised, it is not difficult to take them in a net, for they
turn over before diving—it is supposed, to expel the air,
without which operation they cannot sink. But if taken,
they must be handled with caution, for they are nearly all
venomous, and are often much dreaded—and not without
cause—since they have an unpleasant habit of crawling up
the chains and through the hawse-holes, and thus getting
on board ship, where they are anything but welcome visitors.
They will creep about the deck—and, although I do not
know an instance of any one having been bitten by them—
I have known them cause considerable alarm, by getting
down into the cabin, and there making their presence first
known by twining round the leg of its occupant. The sea-
snakes, in nearly all species, have flattened compressed
tails, which enable them to swim with great facility—the
compression often including a considerable portion of the
body. Their eyes are usually small, and the nostrils oper-
culated orvalvular. Among other Hydride taken in Manilla
Bay, I obtained some specimens of Chersydrus granulatus
—a non-venomous species, which indeed differs from others
of this family in being an inhabitant of rivers, from which
they are occasionally drifted out to sea. Sharks also are
not uncommon in the bay; and either sharks or venomous
serpents were alone sufficient to deter us from taking a
delightful bath, which otherwise we should much have
enjoyed in this warm place.

For although Christmas time, the weather, after the day
of our arrival, was truly delightful, but little agreeing with

our preconceived ideas of the season. The days were of
x

306 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Ca. XVIII.

that charming character which in England we should call
perfect summer weather, but which is very rare even in the
height of summer in our climate. The thermometer stood
at 82° Fahr. in the shade, and of course the sum was in-
tensely hot; but at night there was usually an off-shore
breeze which kept the air pleasantly cool. And when the
sun sank in purple and gold behind Mariveles, and the stars
shone down in all the brilliancy of a tropical night, the
scene was often indescribably beautiful. The aspect of the
sky was, of course, quite different from that seen in our
latitude—the Great Bear and the Pole-star having given
place to the Southern Cross and the Magellanic Clouds,
the wonderful Nebula in Argo, and their accompanying
clusters. Much has been said about this Southern Cross,
and most travellers have spoken rapturously of the glories
of that constellation. That it is an interesting and beau-
tiful one is undeniable—but one always feels how much
more beautiful it would be were it a perfect -cross, instead
' of the one-sided affair it really represents—and if 6 Crucis
were a star of equal magnitude with the other three. The
beauty of the Southern Cross is really derived from its
association with other constellations, and mainly to those
two magnificent stars of the Centaur, which seem to point
up to it. The Milky-Way is here, too, of remarkable bril-
liancy, heightened rather than impaired by the two myste-
rious black starless patches which show out blacker and
darker the more brilliant the night. But in reality -the
Northern sky is nothing inferior to the Southern, so far as
regards richness in constellations. Our Ursa Major has no
match in the Southern hemisphere; and aided by Arcturus
and Capella, Vega and Altair, the North is well able to
compete with anything the South has to show ;—while the

Cu. XVIII] TROPICAL SKIES. 307

incomparable Sirius, and its ally, Orion, are common to
both latitudes.

It is not so much, however, the southern sky as the
tropical sky which is so striking to one coming from
northern latitudes. In any high latitude, the density and
irregularity of the atmospheric strata produce those rapid
changes in refraction which cause the twinkling so con-
spicuous among the stars of our own sky—a phenomenon
not without its own character of beauty, owing to the
brilliant and changing colours which accompany each suc-
cessive change of refraction. But as we approach the
tropics, the stillness and clearness of the air produce this
result in a less and less degree, so that under favourable
conditions the uniformity and purity of the atmosphere
transmit the light of the stars with little sensible disturb-
ance, and hence this beautiful diamond-like scintillation is
more or less lost, and gives place to a placid ‘and calm star-
light, in which each orb seems to shine with the steady light
of a planet, and another element of beauty is substituted for
that which has been lost.

But when the full moon comes upon the scene and
extinguishes, the lesser stars in its effulgent rays, the
tropical night is a sight to be remembered; and especially
at sea, when the long track from the ship to the horizon is
bathed in bright, dancing light—not dazzling, like the sun
—but white and silvery, and such as mortal eyes can look
upon without blinking.

The close oppressive air between the decks on such nights
often encourages the sailor to carry his mattress into the
open air, and sleep under the canopy of the sky—a proceed-
ing not altogether without danger if no awning be spread,

inasmuch as heavy dews often fall, and rheumatic affections
x 2

308 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. ([Cu. XVIII.

are liable to ensue. If the moon be shining with its accus-
tomed brilliancy in a cloudless sky, another danger is
encountered, concerning which, however, there is a certain
difference of opinion. The ill effects of the direct rays of
the moon upon sleeping persons are very generally recog-
nised among nautical men, although of course very consi-
derable allowance must be made for prejudice as well as for
superstition, and no story should be received without care-
ful examination, and the most searching investigation, in
order to exclude all sources of error. There can be no
doubt whatever that thousands of persons do sleep in the
moonlight without experiencing ‘any ill effects, but though
that fact may be admitted, it does not follow that everyone
is therefore exempt. Whatever the real cause may be, it
appears that young people, under 18 or 20, are most liable
to suffer; and naturally, as it is impossible to estimate the
predisposing influence which various shades of constitution
may imply, so also it is equally difficult to ascertain what
external circumstances may be most provocative of the evil
believed to result. All the cases, however, that I have been
able to collect have been those of lads about the age men-
tioned above—and when a great many such lads are on
board, cases are proportionately frequent, though most
generally the inconvenience experienced is but temporary
and slight, and is usually best combated by the adminis-
tration of tonics.

The most remarkable instance which I have been able
to meet with occurred in a ship with whose personnel I
was well acquainted; and my enquiries, made directly of
those who were personally cognizant of the occurrence,
elicited the following particulars, which are not without
interest; and unless I was intentionally deceived, which I

Cu. XVITI.] MOON-BLINDNESS. 309

have not the slightest reason to suspect, they go far to
prove the reality of moon-blindness.

In this case the lad was 18 years of age, of fair com-
plexion, full face, and large, light, greyish-blue eyes, which
attracted attention from their remarkable appearance. His
hair and eyelashes were darker however than the colour of
his eyes would lead one to expect. In February, 1864, on
a certain night about the time of full-moon, this lad was
sleeping on the forecastle with his face turned upward, fully
exposed to the direct rays of the moon. The circumstance
was remarked by his messmates, who remonstrated with
him, and assured him that he would feel bad effects from it;
but in spite of these remonstrances he persisted in keeping
his place. Nothing ocourred that night, but on the follow-
ing night he was one of a deep-sea sounding party, and was
beating the line, when the moon rose, and as it did so he
suddenly exclaimed that he could not see, and would have
fallen overboard if he had not been stopped as he was deli-
berately walking into the sea. For ten nights after this
occurrence, as soon as the moon rose above the horizon, he
complained that a cloud seemed to develop itself before his
eyes, and he forthwith became temporarily blind, so that it
became necessary to lead him about the deck; but this only
happened during moonlight. On two occasions he narrowly
escaped serious accidents from falling down a hatchway, and
it became necessary to place him upon the sick-list. The
surgeon, a gentleman of superior attainments, with whom I
am acquainted, examined his eyes minutely, but could de-
tect nothing abnormal in them. When the man was between
decks, and out of the moonlight, he had no difficulty in
distinguishing objects; nor was his vision affected during
daylight, nor after dark before the moon rose. Ultimately

310 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XVIII.

when the next moon came round he had recovered from
this singular nyctalopic affection, which did not return
again.

In this curious instance, the particulars were corroborated
by the evidence of all the officers and men, and the only
source of fallacy is the possibility of the man having
malingered. But such an idea had no apparent justification,
and was unsupported by any circumstances. He was a well-
conducted lad, and the fact that he was placed in serious
jeopardy on two or three occasions, owing to his blindness,
seems strongly to negative such a supposition.

Many other instances have been related to me by persons,
sometimes medical officers, under whose direct notice they
fell; and although some old surgaons doggedly refuse to
give credence to any of them, and condemn them wholesale
as malingering cheats, I think such a course, to say the
least, unphilosophic in the extreme.

CHAPTER XIX.
HONG KONG.—CHINESE NEW YEAR, ETC.

Chinese Pyrotechny — Salutations by Crackers — Religious Ceremonies —
Holiday-making—Family Groups—Children—Visits of Ceremony—Boats
—Toy-makers—Mandarin Processions in Canton—Irruption of Beggars—
Chinese Tame Birds—Shantung Lark — Tumblers— Canaries—Mina—
Street Robbery in Hong Kong—Insecurity of the Person—Police Regula-
tions— Contrast with Canton— Character of the Chinese—Facility of Escape
to Canton.

Tue 5th February (1867) was the Chinese new year, a
festival held in particular honour among this people. Pre-
parations for the day had been visible for some time before,
and its advent was the common topic of conversation. It
was ushered in by a great noise of crackers, which made night
hideous, and rendered it very difficult to sleep, a bad prepa-
ration for the enjoyment of a festivity. The Chinese have
somehow gained the reputation of being great pyrotechnists ;
but the display of this occasion gave me but a poor impres-
sion of their powers in this direction, which seemed to have
been entirely concentrated in one channel, namely, in the
construction of- crackers. In this department they have
certainly arrived at great perfection. These crackers are
usually of small size; but great numbers are fastened toge-
ther upon a string in such a manner that, when ignited, the
whole series, of many hundreds, explode in regular succes-
sion with a sharp noise, like the fire of an irregular volley

312 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XIX.

of musketry, which lasts ten minutes or a quartey of an
hour. The bundle of crackers is suspended from a pole out
of a window, and burns from below upwards ; and as soon
as one string shows signs of dying out another is loaded, so
that the rattle goes on for an hour, or longer if caprice
desire it. Another mode, of which they are very fond, is
that of packing the crackers in a paper parcel, which is
lighted at one corner and thrown into the street, when they
explode like the firework known as jack-in-the-box. I have
seen dozens of these packets thrown one after another by an
invisible hand into a back yard, where they sputtered: and
smoked otherwise unseen, noise being all that is desired.
It is the Chinese mode of expressing joy; and it is also an
expression of congratulation when a wedding takes place, or
a birthday ; and it is the common custom in Hong Kong to
burn crackers when a European is leaving the colony,
either temporarily or permanently, in which case the mem-
bers of the household make a demonstration in front of the
house as the traveller quits it. So, also, whenever a ship
leaves the harbour homeward bound, the bumboat alongside
chin-chins with abundance of crackers and smoke, thus ex-
pressing their acknowledgment for past favours, and their
good wishes for a prosperous voyage.

The Chinese new year is a universal holiday. Not only
are all the shops and places of business entirely closed that
day, but for a week or ten days, or even a fortnight, business
is more or less suspended, each one taking as long a holiday
as his means will allow; and during this time they super-
stitiously refuse to do any business, even on advantageous
terms. Every house was decorated with little rectangular
pieces of perforated gilt paper over the door, and a little
niche in the entrance was similarly adorned and lighted

Cu. XTX.) CHINESE NEW YEAR. 313

with small tapers, thus fulfilling its purpose of a little shrine.
The temples, or joss-houses, were crowded with devotees,
who eagerly tried their fortune at the lucky stones, which
are considered to be more than usually significant upon this
occasion ; and the smoke of joss-sticks and little tapers,
which rivalled the atmosphere of a catholic village church
on a saint’s day, rendered it at first somewhat difficult to
see what was going on. Men there were, and women, making
the ko-tou, or obeisance, before the gilded idol, investing
minute sums of money in paper dollars and joss-papers,
which latter—squares of thin paper with a daub of gilt upon
them—they took in large numbers, and having set fire to
them, held them till they were in a somewhat -dangerous
blaze, and then deposited them in braziers to consume to
ashes.

Out of doors the scene was peculiar, and exhibited the
characteristics of the Chinese enjoying themselves in their
own way. From an early hour the streets (the shops being
all closed) were crowded with people walking in an orderly
manner, seeing and to be seen—all well-dressed, and either
exhibiting themselves or gazing at the passers-by—each one
looking for an acquaintance to whom he might wish the com-
pliments of the season, which they interchange with alacrity ;
the words ‘‘ koong-haye, koong-haye”’ being heard on all
sides, accompanied with folding of the hands and polite
bows of various degrees of depth, according to the relative
ranks of the individuals. Most of these parties were bound
on visits of ceremony to their acquaintance, who remained
in their decorated apartments and received visitors. In this
case those who remained at home, as some evidently must
do, performed their visits by proxy; and in all directions
might be seen well-dressed servants or clerks running about

314 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XIX.

with packets of red-paper cards in their hands, which they
left at the houses of their masters’ acquaintance with a com-
plimentary message.

Every one makes a point of being dressed in his best on
this day; and the man must be poor indeed who cannot
raise, for this occasion only, a passable costume—usually a
long coat, reaching down to the heels—even if he leaves it
in pawn for the rest of the year. The barbers are in great
request immediately previous to the festival, for every one
to-day is clean shaven. The‘great majority of the people in
the streets are family groups; and the greatest pride ap-
pears to be taken in decking out the children, more par-
ticularly the little girls, in the most gay and often the most
grotesque manner. The children of both sexes are rigged
out in the brightest colours, the little caps of the boys being
miracles of kaleidoscopic brilliancy ; while the girls’ elaborate
dresses, ornamented and embroidered in scarlet, yellow, and
other striking colours, attract general attention. These little
dolls are usually perched upon “ golden lilies,” encased in
pretty little embroidered shoes; and their head-dresses were
most carefully attended to, the hair well oiled, and brushed
from the middle into tightly plaited knots on either side of
the head, in which are twined gaily coloured flowers. Not
unfrequently a fillet was tied round the temples, from which
descended a deep fringe hanging half over the face. The
child’s features also had not escaped decoration—the eye-
brows pencilled, and the cheeks rouged as highly as though
the unfortunate was suffering from a severe attack of scarlet
fever. Sometimes the rouge was nicely tinted on all over
the cheeks, and had a roguish, coquettish look ; but not un-
frequently want of skill, or of care, had been fain to rest
satisfied with a mere shapeless red daub on either side,

Cu. XITX.] CONGRATULATORY VISIT. 315

which by no means added anything desirable to the other-
wise pretty features of the child.

In company with a gentleman long engaged in business
in Hong Kong, I went on a round of visits to the better
class of the Chinese community, his correspondents. At
every place we found a little room fitted up in a tasteful
manner with pictures, flowers, and ornaments; around the
walls settees were arranged with tea-poys between; a little
extempore shrine, with its joss-stick taper and gilt paper;
and on a little table before it, a dish, divided into several
compartments, and containing a variety of assorted fruits
and sweetmeats. The inevitable tea-equipage was of course
everywhere; and we were invited to partake of this slight
complimentary repast at each house. Every visitor who
entered, folding his hands and bowing, repeated the saluta-
tion, at the same time presenting his red-paper card. If he
were of equal or superior rank to the host, he was invited to
be seated and take a cup of tea; but if of inferior rank, or a
younger person, his visit was usually brief, and sitting down
was dispensed with. Our visit was in most cases, either
through Chinese politeness, or real appreciation, received
with great empressement, and the best of tea and of sweet-
meats were pressed upon us with apparent cordiality. In
one house our host placed before us tea which he avowed
was sold at the rate of 45 dollars, or about 10 guineas, the
pound ; one of those fancy articles for which the rich gave
nominal and extravagant prices. He took it from a small
sample canister, and it was made in the usual way—that is,
by pouring boiling water upon the leaves in a covered cup,
from which the infusion was drunk without milk or sugar.
Not being a professional tea-taster, however, I was unable to
detect the immense superiority of this tea over the more

316 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XIX.

homely, but more moderately priced article to which I had
been accustomed.

During the days following the new year I was at Whampoa,
and also at Canton. In all places the same observances
were visible; the boats were all decorated with pieces of
gilt-paper hanging over the stern, while inside were small
pictures of idols; and there was none that had not its little
shrine fitted up, with a taper burning, and sweetmeats
placed before it. LEiverywhere the shops were closed, and
the people were parading in their best dresses; everywhere
crackers exploded at intervals, and pleasure superseded
business. At Canton for several days large house-boats, gay
with flags, and freighted with be-rouged ladies and long-
nailed gentlemen, floated into town along the “ Pearl” river,
mid beating of gongs and firing of guns, on their return from
a holiday excursion in honour of the New-Year. Inside
the city but few shops were opened until a week after new-
year’s day, but the narrow streets were alive with people in
holiday costume. In some parts’ the toy-makers were doing
a thriving trade, for, as with us, the hearts of the juvenile
population are at this time made glad with presents of sur-
prising playthings, often assuming the form of a lantern;
but which a stranger would never suspect of being intended
for that purpose. It might be a large globular fish with gay
colours and expansive fins, or a gigantic frog, or a crab with
moveable claws and goggle eyes, or some other nondescript
animal, which is carried aloft at the end of a long stick, or
suspended with a candle burning inside. Every possible
variety of dolls, and of ingenious toys of the gaudiest and
cheapest description, in some places almost blocked up the
narrow pathway allotted to passengers. Boys paraded the
streets with a flexible paper dragon, borne upon poles, the

Cu, XIX.] MANDARIN PROCESSIONS. 317

head truculent and frightful, and a serpentine movement
was given to the beast by each boy waving from side to side
the pole which he carried. From time to time the beating
of a gong warns the passengers to stand aside as well as
they can, to make room for a mandarin who is going out on
a ceremonial visit. Anda shabby procession it is; for no
mandarin is seen abroad without his retinue, though they
appear to be in no wise particular as to the character or
appearance of its elements. Some dirty and scantily-clothed
boys, carrying a gaudy flag or two, follow the man who heads
the procession beating a gong to clear the way; then comes
a man bearing a gigantic fan, followed by one or two spotted
or piebald horses, with an attendant at the bridle, and after
them is the great man himself, his sedan borne on the
shoulders of four or six men according to his rank, from out
of which, with his hands folded upon his portly person, he
looks impassively and sleepily through his great round
spectacles, a momentary glance of something like interest
falling upon the western foreigner who is standing aside
(perforce) to make way for him. The peacock’s feather, and
button in his cap, and the embroidered bird on his breast,
are the marks of his nobility, and precious to him as the
means whereby he squeezes out of his dependents an income
at least quadruple that allowed him by the law. One or
two more horsemen form his rear-guard, and the procession
is closed by a couple of-men carrying an old portmanteau or
bandbox on a bamboo across their shoulders; but whether
this contained a change of costume, or presents, I know not,
but only that it always forms an integral portion of the
mandarin’s train.

Another feature of the New Year in Canton is the
irruption of beggars. Being a time of year when everyone is

318 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XIX.

anxious to raise the wind, the beggars seize the opportunity
of the general good-humour and festivity to endeavour to do
the same by appealing to the compassion, or if that fails, to
the risibility of their countrymen. A ragged beggar here is
a sight, for there can be no doubt about his rags; but one
feels a difficulty in accounting for the manner in which such
a heterogeneous mass of tatters is held together. Their
filth, too, is extreme, and they swarm with vermin. Some
have their faces painted like a clown in a pantomime, and
make grimaces and attempts at jokes, which I, for one,
_could ‘not appreciate; others were dressed in women’s
clothes, and smirked and talked falsetto to the amusement
of the passers by; some carried a monkey, like an Italian
organ-grinder, and sung a Chinese ditty ; while others abso-
lutely howled and writhed about as if they were suffering
agonies; but as the dodge was well known and understood,
no very lively sympathy was exhibited, though they pro-
bably earned their proportion of cash. But the most
common method of exciting compassion was to go from door
to door with hair unkempt, and dirty rags hanging from a
dirtier person; while streams of clotted blood trickled down
the face as though from a gash in the forehead. But I
looked at several such objects narrowly, and became con-
vinced that no such gash existed; but that the butcher’s
shop had afforded the gore, which was innocent of ever
having flowed in any other veins than those of a pig or a
sheep.

Such are some of the scenes which inaugurate the
Chinese new year, in which much more character is seen
than during the hum-drum round of every-day life. They
have many other festivals, and are fond of holidays; and
each festival has its special characteristics, but this one I

Cu. XIX.] THE SHANTUNG LARK. 319

had the best opportunity of observing in the streets of the
great southern capital.
The Chinese are very fond of keeping tame birds; and it
is a common sight to see a Chinaman leisurely walking the
streets with his bird-cage, usually round and arched, upon
the open palm of his hand, the wrist being bent back and
the palm upward. He loves thus to give his bird an airing,
as well as to exhibit his treasure, which is not unfrequently
of considerable value. The bird thus favoured is, in nine
cases out of ten, the Shantung lark (Acridotherescristatellus),
which is not however a true lark, but a starling—a pretty
bird, nearly as large as a thrush, of a mottled-brown colour,
with a light streak over the eyes, and an irregular black
ring round the neck. The eyes are small, black, and have
a remarkably pleasant look, and the cheeks swell out below
the eyes in a peculiar manner. The natural habits of this
bird are characterised by familiarity ; and they have received
the name of Pako, or the eight brothers, from the Chinese,
because they are usually seen in small parties together.
The bird is lively, good-natured, and easily tamed ; but it is
none of these qualities which specially endear it to the
Chinese, though they all add to its attractions. It is its
powers of mimicry which render the Shantung lark so popu-
lar. They have, it is said, a good natural song, not unlike
that of a skylark, which I should doubt; but they easily
learn to imitate all manner of out-of-the-way sounds. They
will bark like a dog, mew like a cat, crow like a cock, or
cough and sneeze like a human being. Nor are powers of
speech denied to them, for’ they learn to talk with as much
facility as a parrot. It is no wonder, therefore, that well-
educated birds command a good price. I have known one
in a bumboat for which 25 dollars (6l.) have been offered

320 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XTX.

and refused; and I am credibly informed that good birds
fetch 50 or even 100 dollars, the plumage being considered
by good judges as one of their important points.

Although this bird is the universal favourite in China,
there are in the bird-shops many other interesting species.
Among these may be particularised the fork-tailed Parus
(Leiothrix luteus, Scop.), a bird which, if it could be intro-
duced to English bird-keepers, would undoubtedly prove very
popular. It is a remarkably pretty bird, in form and habit
strongly reminding one of the English robin, which it also
equals in size, but has a stouter build. The beak is bright
red, throat orange-yellow, back olive-green, tail black and
forked, legs yellow, and wing primaries edged with bright
yellow and deep red. The eyes are black and brilliant, and
the gestures and habit of the bird lively and interesting. As
only a dollar was demanded for one of these birds, including
a good cage and abundance of seed, it is not wonderful that
several were purchased in the hope of bringing them safely
through the homeward voyage to England. Being an in-
sectivorous bird, however, I always had strong misgivings of
the result, and eventually they all died before reaching the
Cape, except one which survived a few days later, and this,
notwithstanding that they were fed with some half-dozen
living flies nearly every day.*

But the most remarkable feature in the Leiothrix was a
curious habit they had of turning somersaults on their perch.

* It is worthy of remark that during a passage of five or six weeks from
Java-head to the Cape, there were always plenty of common flies in the ward-
room. We were at no time plagued with their numbers, but several birds
were daily placed upon the table, and it was always an easy matter to catch
upon the walls and rafters sufficient for their delectation. The birds took the
flies readily from the hand, in numbers varying from three or four to six or
seight for each bird daily.

On. XIX.) CANARIES. MINA BIRD. 321

Throwing the head far back they would turn over, touching
momentarily the bars of the cage in passing, and alight on
their feet, either on the floor of the cage or on the perch,
repeating the operation rapidly and constantly, and not un-
frequently turning over in little more than their own length.
When I first noticed this freak in a bird-shop I set it down
as a matter of education: but I have since found that every
individual has the same habit, although some tumble better
than others. The Tumblers, by which name they came to
be generally known, had a short, loud, and somewhat
monotonous song, not unlike that of a missel-thrush, and
often when placed in different parts of the ship I have heard
two singing alternately in reply to one another for an hour
together.

Canaries are also in plenty in the bird-shops; but Japan
seems to be the paradise of the canary-bird. The “ Scylla,”
homeward bound, was like an aviary. On a sunny afternoon
I have counted 50 or 60 cages on deck, few containing less
than two, and some as many as seven or eight birds, all
singing in chorus. The attraction was that in Japan good
singing canaries could be purchased at the rate of an itzeboo,
or about one shilling and sixpence each; and the sailors,
therefore, had made their hay where they found the sun
shining.

The Grackle (Gracula religiosa), called in these parts the
Mina, is a favourite bird, much admired in Singapore and
Borneo. It*is as large as a jack-daw, black, with long feet,
and two yellow wattles on each side of the head. Like the
Acridotheres above described, the mina is also a member of
the Sturnine, or family of starlings. The powers of imita-
tion of the human voice possessed by this bird are truly

remarkablé. The Governor of Labuan possessed one which
Y

322 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (CH. XIX.

was a good specimen of its class. At my first visit to
Government House, just, as I reached the door, I heard a.
loud and perfectly distinct voice shout out, “‘ Orderly, call
the boy;” and then, ‘‘ What do you want him for?” very
clearly enunciated ; and this was immediately succeeded by
a loud laugh and a sonorous whistle. I looked in vain for
the source of this unseemly exhibition ; and when, presently,
the same sounds proceeding from the verandah, I went out
to see what they meant, the innocent-looking black bird
hopping about demurely in a wicker cage would never have
been suspected, had he not burst into a hoarse laugh the
moment my back was turned. They will imitate a child
crying in a most painfully natural manner ; and their mimicry
of the*human voice is far superior to that of a parrot, being
perfectly free from egophony, and loud, distinct, and clear
in enunciation and utterance.

Before I arrived at Hong Kong I had been told stories of
persons having been attacked in broad daylight, knocked
down and robbed by Chinese roughs and thieves; but while
on the one hand such stories were rife, on the other I met
with persons who had long resided in China, and who as-
sured me that there was no danger of any such attack. So
that I was the more ready to give credence to the latter than
to the former, and the tales of highway-robbery and violence
which I had heard made no impression upon my mind. I
was destined, however, to be undeceived in my own person;
and less than a week after J had set my foot in’China I was
myself the victim of one of those atrocious outrages which
are but too common in Hong Kong, and are a disgrace to
the Government of the colony. Feeling no sense of inse-
curity while surrounded by busy crowds of, people, I natu-
rally, as a newly-arrived stranger in so interesting a country,

Om XIX] ASSAULT AND ROBBERY. 323

went into the streets for the purpose of making myself ac-
quainted with the Chinese people at home, pursuing their
avocations within doors and without—buying and selling,
eating and drinking—all of which, and much more, may be
seen as one passes through the thoroughfares, and would
naturally attract the attention of an observant new-comer.
I had walked down Queen’s Road, the main street of the
town, and, intending to make a slight détowr, turned into a
street leading up the hill. In China there is not that differ-
ence in streets that one sees in England, and it is not so easy
to perceive at first, either by the dress of the people or other
signs, that one street is greatly inferior to another. It was just
mid-day, and the streets through which I was walking were
thronged with people, either passing to and fro, or standing at
the doors of their houses, or looking from their windows ;
but they were all, without exception, Chinese. Having gone a
short distance up the street in question, I crossed into a
parallel street, intending to descend into the Queen’s Road
again, and was so descending when I found myself suddenly
in the midst of a knot of some eight or ten Chinamen. There
was nothing in their dress or appearance which directed my
attention to the probability that their object was robbery or
outrage; and I was just passing on, when they made a
simultaneous rush upon me and pushed me down, one of
them striking me in the face, but so suddenly and unex-
pectedly that I had not a moment’s opportunity for defence.
While several pinioned me on the ground one unbuttoned
my coat and detached my gold watch and chain, upon which
they all made off, leaving me to gather myself up as I best
could. Seizing my hat, which had, of course, been knocked
off in the scuffle, I started instantly in pursuit, being but
a few yards behind the scoundrels; but they knew their

¥ 2

324 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cg XIX.

ground, and I soon saw the folly of pursuing, alone and totally
unarmed, a band of Chinese thieves into their fastnesses ;
and seeing them all turn into a narrow slum, I retraced my
steps with the intention of at once informing the police.
Not fifty yards from where the robbery took place I met a
Malay constable, whom I took with me to the station and
saw the superintendent of police, to whom I stated my case,
and gave a description of the stolen property. An inspector
and a Chinese interpreter, &c., were at once despatched with
me to the spot ; but it was impossible for me to do more than
point out the place where the affair had occurred. As for re-
cognising any one who was standing by, every one who knows
the Chinese knows also the impossibility of distinguishing one
Chinaman from another, unless he is personally acquainted
with one or both of them; and I was therefore unfortunately
entirely unable to identify any of the numerous rogues who
stood coolly looking on while the attack was being perpe-
trated. A number of men loitering about the spot were
arrested as suspicious characters, and their tails being tied
together they were carried off to the police-station ; but
nothing could be proved against them, except that some of
them were “ old offenders.”

Now here surely is a circumstance calling for the gravest
attention, and most vigorous correction. An Englishman
walking at mid-day in the crowded streets of an English
colony, having a governor, magistrates, and establishment of
police, may be knocked down with impunity, and robbed
in the presence of a hundred people, who coolly look on
and smoke their pipes during the performance, as if it were
the most ordinary and common-place occurrence. Nor is
this the worst—it 7s a common occurrence for an English-
man (usually a stranger) to be so robbed, irrespective of

On. XTX.] INSECURITY OF HONG KONG. 325

time and place; but unfortunately it is equally common for
the unhappy victim to receive a fatal stab from a knife, or a
cowardly crushing blow upon the back of the head with a
stone or heavy bamboo, which, rendering him insensible
during the robbery, also further endangers his life.* From
this complication I can never be sufficiently thankful that
I escaped, perhaps because of my perfectly defenceless
condition, which rendered me an easy prey to so many
assailants.

There is no denying the fact, therefore, that robberies with
violence are by no means uncommon in the streets and
neighbourhood of Hong Kong. It is unsafe to walk in
many of the streets even at noonday—it is unsafe to walk
alone in the suburbs—it is unsafe to go almost anywhere
after dark, without taking due precautions. A certain im-
provement, it must be confessed, has taken place recently.
No Chinaman is permitted to perambulate the streets after
dark without a proper pass, which is a partial preventive ;
and again, every boatman taking a passenger off to a ship at
night is obliged to show his number to a policeman, who
also takes a note of the ship to which he is going—a regula-
tion which ensures a certain amount of protection in what
was a few years since a hazardous proceeding—for it was

* Asa good, but not uncommon example, I subjoin the following, cut from
the ‘China Mail” of February 28th, 1867.—‘‘ As the captain of one of the
vessels in the harbour was passing the Peninsular and Oriental Office, about
6 P.M. yesterday, he was suddenly struck on the head by a Chinaman with a
large stone and thrown to the ground insensible. He remained in this state
for some little time, being picked up by two Europeans passing at the time
and carried into a Chinese shop close at hand. For some hours he was un-
able to do anything, considerable bleeding from the internal part of the ear
continuing for a long time, and a fresh hemorrhage took place this morning.
The only thing stolen from him was his umbrella, the thief being probably
disturbed by the approach of the Europeans above referred to. The scoundrel
has not yet been identified,” —nor ever will be.

326 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XIX.

formerly highly dangerous to entrust oneself to the tender
mercies of the boatmen after dark; and even now from
time to time sailors taking a boat without this precaution
are robbed and thrown overboard by the miscreants into
whose power they thus fall. I have known of an instance
of a lady being torn from her sedan by a gang of scoundrels
while passing through a quiet street, and of children stopped
on their way to school; barbarous murders from time to
time take place; and of late, gang-robberies with brutal
violence have once more become rife.

It must not be supposed, however, that all parts of China
are equally insecure as Hong Kong; for the most remark-
able circumstance is that the reverse is the case, and that
in almost any part of China life and property are more safe
than they are in the English colony. In Canton, one may
go about in perfect safety, and a lady who had resided there
for many years assured me that she would have no hesita-
tion in walking alone in any part of Canton, or at any hour.
Under the Imperial government the laws protecting life
and property ftom violence and robbery are well calculated
to be effective, being enacted by those who understand
the people with whom they have to deal; but in Hong
Kong the legislation which is directed against the offences
of Europeans, utterly fails when applied to those of a
people of so entirely different a spirit as the Chinese. The
Chinese are Easterns and Pagans, and they have all the
faults and vices which characterise Easterns and Pagans.
They have no regard for truth, but are proverbially and
systematically a nation of liars, who do not know the value
of truth—have no inherent love of it, and think it no harm
to cheat and deceive. It is therefore the most difficult
thing in the world to know how much of a Chinaman’s

Cu. XIX.) FAULTS OF LEGISLATION. 327

statement may be believed. They are pagans of the lowest
type, superstitious to a degree, and place the lowest possible
estimate upon the value of human life. They have no fear
of death themselves, and will sell their own lives for a small
sum of money; so that it is not to be wondered at that they
hold the lives of others cheaply, and would commit murder
for a dollar, if there was a tolerably good chance of their
escaping detection. The ordinary punishments, therefore,
which fail to deter from crime in our own country, are still
more ineffective when directed against such a people; and
the leniency with which the offenders are treated is not only
utterly unappreciated by them, but is mistaken for fear, or
inability to act more vigorously. A Chinaman in his own
country does not meet with much consideration, and per-
haps the system of administering justice is not so perfect as
with ourselves; but though possibly in China there is no
particular dread of punishing innocent people, at the same
time the measures taken are undoubtedly much more
deterrent from crime than our own.

Our own administration of justice might be no less im-
partial than it is, while yet a difference might be made
between the punishments appropriate to European Chris-
tians, and those suitable to Eastern pagans. Our prisons at
Hong Kong are comfortable, and the food plentiful and
good, and a sojourn in them is not feared by a Chinaman,
who knows perfectly well that he is safe from personal
injury when in the hands of the Westerns.. Trial by jury
with Western forms and ceremonies, hedged in by oaths
and adjurations, is a farce when Chinese rowdies are the
defendants ; and however harsh this may sound to English
philanthropists, it will be confirmed by the large majority
of residents in China. The only deterrent used by the

328 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XTX.

Hong Kong court is the whipping-post—a means but little
employed, but which has greater effect with the Chinese
than fear of death itself; and were it employed more fre-
quently—were it more inevitable than it is, crimes such as
those I have described would be greatly diminished. But
the Colonial government, however inclined to protect
themselves in this respect, must bow to public opinion in
England—the opinion of people who must judge upon
abstract principles without any reference to the necessities
of the case.

Another reason which has a powerful influence in regard
to the statistics of crime in the colony, is due to the fact of
the proximity of Canton, and the frequent and free commu-
nication which takes place between the two places. <A
steamer of the American type runs daily between Hong
Kong and Canton, which, while it charges six dollars for
European passengers, takes any Chinaman for one dollar;
while the whole lower deck is devoted to the lower class of
Chinese, who pay a quarter of a dollar (or 1s.) only for
their passage. Of this class the steamer daily takes a
crowd, who go freely to and fro with no police supervision,
and thus every day a mob of rowdies comes down from
Canton, where there is little exercise for their abilities, to
practise upon their natural prey—the Western barbarians in
Hong Kong; and having committed a robbery or a murder
may return in the morning, and become lost in the world of
Canton—out of the reach, and beyond the authority of the
English police. It is true that if such a murder or robbery
is discovered before the steamer leaves at eight in the
morning, the police examine the departing passengers ; but
if the offender can pass muster, or can defer his departure,
he still can get away ; and once gone, is infinitely safer than

Cu. XIX.] STRONG MEASURES REQUIRED. 329

a forger who has decamped from England to America.
Latterly the police have so far overcome prejudice as to
brand notorious characters upon the left ear, and see them
safely off to Canton, with the understanding that their being
found in Hong Kong again will be sufficient for their
condemnation.

Returning for a moment to the attack upon myself, the
Governor, the Admiral, and many other leading people in
Hong Kong, were well acquainted with it, and I had con-
versation with them all upon the subject; but nothing was
done which could have the slightest influence in abating the
evil. Of the two Hong Kong papers, while one—the ‘‘ Hong
Kong Daily Press” —gave a proper and authentic statement
of the circumstances, the other spoke of the matter in the
most flippant style, as though it were a good joke. A dis-
tinguished naval officer, who had been several years in Hong
Kong, and who told me that he had himself been several
times attacked, expressed to me a strong opinion that the
proper course would have been to lay an embargo upon the
street in which the outrage took place, in order that the
people might be taught that connivance at robbing impli-
cated them in the crime, and that if they chose to look on
unconcernedly while a person was being attacked and robbed,
they must take the consequences. It is well known that
this is the Chinese law; and that at Canton, for example,
if a robbery took place in the street, the assailant would at
once be seized by the bystanders, who are well aware that if
they did not do so, but allowed the robber to escape, they
would themselves be held accountable, and punished ac-
cordingly,—a wholesome law, which is much wanted in
Hong Kong.

CHAPTER XX.

CANTON.

Strangeness of Canton—Bogue Forts— Whampoa —Pagodas— Approach to
City—Boat Population—Pic-nic Boats—Streets of Canton—Chops—
Puntinqua’s Garden—Fa-tee Gardens—Gold-Fish—Deformities—Diet of
Chinese—Dog-eating—Salt Monopoly—Unity of Chinese People—Its
Causes—Insurrectionary Movements—Influence of Western Civilization—
Benefits of Western Trade—Pekin Memorial on Western Education—
Proposed Introduction of Railways— Language the Great Barrier —
Prospects of Christianity.

Or all the cities of China, it appears to be agreed by
travellers that none is more worthy of a visit than Canton.
Doubtless there are peculiar features in Pekin, which ren-
der it specially interesting. Pekin is the royal city, and the
great capital of the North, and situated so far apart, and
in so different a climate from that of Canton, that it must
necessarily differ greatly in character and points of interest
from the latter. But Canton is the great city of the South,
as its name implies,—and for strangeness, for wonders, for
novelty, it is really unique. All the numberless contra-
dictions of the Celestial Empire may be found here in small
compass—all one’s ideas of Chinese customs, architecture,
and modes of life, imbibed from earliest infancy, here find
at once their embodiment and their correction ; and while,
on the one hand, everything is strange and outré, on the
other one feels a familiarity with the details of the scene

Cu. XX.) CANTON RIVER. 331

which insensibly imparts an air of reality to what would
otherwise appear more like a chapter in the history of
Aladdin. I cannot, under these circumstances, therefore,
ignore two visits I paid to this great city of the far Hast,
although I must necessarily confine myself to the salient
points which appear most interesting to the traveller, and
bear as much as possible upon the main object of the
present work.

The river passage between Hong Kong and Canton is not
particularly interestmg nor picturesque. The most note-
worthy spots are the Bogue Forts, and Tiger Island, whose
association with the operations of the allied armies at Can-
ton render them historical. The whole coast, where visible
from the channel, partakes of the general sterility of the
Chinese shores; but it is not until we reach Whampoa
that the river narrows so as to be river-like. The shores
are here flat, and rather uninteresting; but the monotony
of the view is broken by two nine-storeyed pagodas, built as
usual upon knolls which rise somewhat above the level of
the couutry. At Whampoa a few European ships lie in the
river or in the docks, but the trade with this port is now
small compared with what it formerly was. There is no-
thing to detain us at this dirty Chinese town, especially as
we are on the way to a city of such importance as Canton.
The daily steamer from Hong Kong (built on the American
river-model) calls here, and in the short distance which
remains, the Chinese characteristics exhibit themselves at
every turn. The alluvial soil on either side is highly culti-
vated, and much produce is constantly diverted from the
market-gardens on these banks both to Hong Kong and to
Canton. Banana plantations and rice fields abound, as far
as the eye can reach—the stacks of rice hanging over the

332 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XX.

water’s edge, for the better facility of loading boats. Large
salt-junks cluster in the neighbourhood of the salt-excise
house, which is about half-way between Whampoa and
Canton ; and every now and then gaily-painted war-junks,
with highly-decorated flags, and a great pair of eyes painted
on the bows, drop down the river, their sides bristling with
awkward-looking guns.

The approach to the city of Canton is not architectu-
rally striking. The pagoda in the Consul’s grounds, and
the celebrated five-storeyed pagoda upon the heights, are
the only salient features—if we except the great unsightly
windowless structures which are used as pawnbrokers’ ware-
houses. The river, poetically called the ‘“ Pearl,” here
takes a bend to the left, leaving the White Cloud Hills
behind, and presenting a flat country in front, upon which
the city stands. Crowds of boats, and tiers of great junks
brilliantly painted, and usually ornamented with an elabo-
rate eagle upon the broad stern, form the most remarkable
features, and constitute a moving panorama of great singu-
larity and novelty. But the houses themselves, as far as
regards those lining the river, are not very unlike those which
we see on the banks of the Thames, and viewing those alone,
the traveller might almost fancy himself at Wapping, in
the neighbourhood of the Thames Tunnel.

Nevertheless, there are few more extraordinary places
than the Canton River, supporting as it does a vast popula-
tion, which inhabits the numberless boats of all forms and
-all sizes. These boats, however, are nearly all moored, and
arranged in such a manner as least to interfere with the
navigation. They consequently form streets, in some parts,
of a novel and striking character, full of stirring life and
bustle. Outside these streets the sampan or junk plies its

Cu, XX.] BOAT-LIFE. 333

way unimpeded, and the boat-wall presented in this direc-
tion is comparatively dull and inactive, like the back of a
row of houses; but direct your boat through the avenue,
and all is bustle and activity. The tide is very strong, and
it requires all the energies of the clever boatmen and women
to make way either with or against it, through the crowded
thoroughfare between the rows—a highway by no means
silent, but constantly resounding with the cries and objurga-
tions of the busy Chinese, who are now rowing, now pushing
with a boat-hook, now threading their way through the craft
which are moving in both directions, now bumping against
the stationary boats, and thus making slow progress up the
street. Every such boat has its family dwelling in it, and
each presents its little scene of domestic life before the
passing eye. Besides the sampans, or common” covered
boats, there are many palatial craft, with elaborately-carved
and gilded fronts, which in the evening show a blaze of
light, and busy waiters moving about among the feasting
Celestials and painted Chinese women mixing with the
crowd; not unfrequently gambling-houses, or places of
licentiousness and debauch. It is, altogether, a scene not
to be forgotten ; and, as night advances, the streets of boats
are extended by the crowds of sampans which have been
plying during the day, but which at sunset take up their
stations side by side in the canals, within which they are
secured by a boom, just as the gates of the city are kept
closed during the night. As evening comes on, also, nume-
rous large house-boats, two storeys high, richly decorated
and ornamented, return from their various pic-nic excur-
sions—a number of half-naked Chinamen poling them
slowly and laboriously along; meantime, groups of the
better class stand at the door enjoying the scene; and

334 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XX.

others may be seen, through the windows, seated in the
saloon, drinking tea and smoking, while the upper win-
dows disclose many fair ladies in their boudoirs adorning
themselves for the delectation of their lords. Trading-
junks and passage-boats crowded with all classes of Chinese
swell the scene; and as they arrive abreast of the town,
a man standing on the high stern of each, beats vigorously
upon a gong, an exercise of a religious character, which
makes a din of a most unmusical and barbaric character,
but which, repeated every evening, soon falls unheeded upon
the ear.

The great feature of the streets of Canton, next to their
narrowness and the badness of the pavement, is the wonder-
ful variety of chops which hang suspended from the various
parts of°the houses. These chops are usually boards of all
sizes, and most variously coloured, and all of them bearing
Chinese inscriptions in letters of every degree of magnitude
and of the brightest hues. Sometimes the letters are green
on a black ground, or gold on black, or red on gold, or
white on red or brown, or vice versé, and the gaiety given
by them to the scene is indescribable. In some cases these
chops extend across the street, or along the front of the
shop ; but in most instances hang suspended and facing the
passenger. They contain not only the name and business
of the shopkeeper to whom they belong, but are often in-
scribed with some philosophical or pious sentence from the
classics. The shops themselves are all open to the street,
without any fronts beyond a kind of counter, upon which
the wares are exposed; and the passer-by may witness in
them almost every feature of Chinese industry, fan painting,
ivory carving, silk weaving, toy making, idol painting, &c.
But I must leave to others the task of describing in detail

CH. XX.] FA-TEE NURSERIES, 335

the lions of Canton, which have been the subject of many
papers and sketches, and will provide matter for yet many
more.

There are no public parks or places devoted to recreation
in Canton ; but certain private gardens are much frequented,
especially those known as Puntinqua’s, belonging to a
wealthy Chinaman of that name. These gardens are ex-
tensive, and costly in the character of their decoration, con-
taining numerous summer-houses, terraces, marble walks,
fish-ponds, &c.; but all in a very dilapidated condition, as,
in fact, are nearly all places in China. They seem to have
no idea of keeping buildings in a state of neat repair, and
the result is a very great drawback to the effect of works
upon which large sums of money have been expended.

More interesting, however, in a botanical point of view,
are the Fa-tee gardens on the Honam side, which are, in
fact, nurseries, in which are cultivated vast numbers of plants
for the supply of the private gardens of the Chinese. Here
may be seen also numerous specimens of horticultural in-
genuity, and dwarf plants, miniature trees and shrubs curled
and bent in every imaginable form, and trained, besides, into
the forms of animals and other objects—frogs, pagodas,
baskets, elephants and castles, fans, stags among trees,
human beings, fish, sampans, cats, scrolls, vases, &c., &c.
These grotesque plants are usually dwarfed and trained over
a wire framework, made of the form intended to be repre-
sented. They are kept carefully clipped, and suggestions
are added to keep up the illusion, in the shape of egg-shells
with a black spot to represent eyes, painted faces, feet, &c. ;
so that it is by no means difficult to recognise the intended
shape. The dwarfing is effected in the usual way, by con-
fining the roots in small pots ; but I saw none of those won-

336 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (On. XX.

derfully minute specimens, in which the Japanese so greatly
excel. It is amusing to see the Chinese gardener water his
choice plants. Taking as much water as his mouth will
hold, he squirts it out all over the plant in a fine rain, as
effectually as if he had performed the feat with the aid of
Rimmel’s patent vaporizer. I have seen them water linen
in the same way in the process of washing.

In some vases containing gold-fish I observed a most
singular variety, which if seen depicted would have been
almost regarded as a work of imagination. Not only had
they a double caudal fin, which is not an uncommon variety,
but the expanse of their tails was so great that it might al-
most have been said to have a triple tail; while the eyes
projected so far from the head as to have the effect of being
seated upon veritable footstalls, and bearing a resemblance
to those of the telescopic carp (Cyprinus buphthalmus).
This curious variety I have seen figured in rice paper
drawings, and representing so outré an aspect that it has
condemned the whole book as one of fabulous animals—
most unjustly, however, for it was a faithful representation
of a not uncommon fish ; and the same may be said of other
rice-paper drawings, for although often highly coloured,
owing to the brilliancy of their pigments and the remarkable
facility for taking colour which characterises rice-paper,
there is, on the whole, a considerable amount of fidelity in
most cases to the objects they profess to represent. I also
met with this fish in papier-maché in the toy-shops, in form
correct enough, but coloured @ diserétion.

In China, owing to the scantiness of clothing, any de-
formity of course becomes very apparent ; nevertheless, very
few arrest the attention even when directed to the subject.
Neither in Hong Kong, Canton, nor Shanghai, did I observe

Cu. XX.] CHINESE SURGERY. 337

a hump-backed Chinaman; but in Singapore I noticed four
or five, and one hump-backed Kling. Effects of bad surgery
and neglect are not unfrequently seen in the form of horrid
ulcers, foul wounds, and carious bones; and at Shanghai I
saw an unfortunate little boy sitting at the door-step with
both his feet cut off, and the bones protruding upwards of
an inch through the discoloured and ulcerated skin, which
was covered with flies; but such a case as this was probably
a monument of the atrocities of the Tae-ping rebels, as the
Chinese do not amputate surgically, and secondary amputa-
tion would much have ameliorated the poor boy’s condition.
On another occasion I spoke with a Chinaman whose right
arm dangled uselessly at his side, wasted to mere skin and
bone, and looking as though it did not belong to him. His
shoulder had long since been dislocated into the axilla, and
the dislocation never having been reduced, the maimed limb
had wasted away for want of use, and a false joint had ulti-
mately been established.

It can easily be imagined, in fact, that in a country where
surgery is at so low an ebb as in China, the unhappy
victims of accident or surgical disease are either by degrees
totally unfitted for active life, or pine away and die for want
of the necessary relief; and this may be the explanation of
their rare occurrence as public spectacles. It is frightful to
contemplate the amount of suffering entailed upon such un-
fortunates, whose cases, through ignorance of the correct
mode of treatment, are neglected, until Nature slowly and
painfully performs an imperfect cure, or the unhappy victim
succumbs.

The Chinese, however, have a very proper respect for
barbarian surgery; and at Canton, the hospital.and dispen-

sary, established by the American medical mission, are daily
Z

338 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XX.

crowded with patients, who exhibit every phase of medical
as well as surgical lesion, and are in large numbers skilfully
treated by Dr. Kerr.

Much has been said about the diet of the Chinese, and
the strange articles which occasionally enter into it. Rice
is undoubtedly the staple of their food, although they often
indulge in some small quantity of animal food in addition,
if they can afford it. It is a very common thing to see a
Chinaman carrying home his dinner or his supper in the
shape of a little fish—perhaps two if they are very small ;
or a minute pork chop dangling at the end of a piece of
grass ; in either case the morsel being such that an English
labourer would swallow it at a single mouthful. Pork is
undoubtedly their favourite meat, and pigs are kept in great
numbers, and always form an integral portion of the popula-
tion of a Chinese village. They are great, ugly, hollow-
backed, black animals, their bellies sweeping the ground as
they wander about in search of food, as to the quality or
nature of which they are not at all particular. In fact they
are literally omnivorous, and no one who has watched their
habits could eat them unless he were either a Chinaman, or
were starving. These domestic pigs are believed to be
derived from the stock of the Sus leucostymax (Temm.) of
Japan. In country places the Chinese are by no means
nice, eating everything that is eatable, and when by the
sea-side, living, as I have elsewhere observed, on shell-fish
of all kinds with little or no distinction. Like the French
too they eat frogs, and in Formosa I partook of that deli-
cacy ‘“‘as in France ’—the species eaten in this being Rana
tigrina. I also had offered me there a freshwater turtle
(Trionyx sinensis) for the larder. But in a large place like
Canton, other articles are included in the bill of fare, to

Cu. XX.] DOG-EATING. 339

meet all conditions of purse where a man cannot forage for
himself. Dried provisions are here very much esteemed ;
the small ducks which are sent out to feed in the duck-
boats are usually cut open and made perfectly flat and then
dried; and a man will hawk about near a hundred such
dried ducks strung on a pole across his shoulder. What
particular delicacy there can be in ducks’-bills I did not make
trial of, but they are common articles hanging suspended
in the provision shops. So also are dried rats, similarly
split open and hung up in front of the shops for sale—their
rodent teeth betraying them in their otherwise disguised
condition. But dogs are never seen in this respectable
situation; nevertheless dogs are eaten in Canton, and that
largely. The dog consumed by the Chinese is of a small
size and usually of a light brown colour, covered with a
coat of soft, short hair, so thick as to look almost like wool.
But the Chinese housewife refuses to cook dogs in the
family pot, or in the domestic kitchen, and they are driven
to the alternative of being boiled in the streets. On any
morning, in certain open spaces at street corners, the execu-
tion of a certain number of unfortunate chow-chow dogs may
be witnessed ; after which, having been skinned, they are
forthwith placed in a suspended cauldron, and the disjecta
membra are there to be seen simmering, and inviting the
passer-by to stop and dine, which they do there and then.
But whatever be the nature of his diet the Chinaman
consumes a large amount of salt; and salt is a commodity
for which the paternal government makes him pay an
exorbitant price. Salt is in China a government monopoly,
upon which a large duty is payable, and no foreign salt is
allowed to be imported. It may easily be calculated that

two millions of tons of salt are annually consumed by the
z2

340 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XX.

‘Chinese, who pay from 10l. to 201. per ton for it in various
parts of the country, although its cost of production is
somewhere about 8l. or 4l. per ton. Indeed English salt
could be sold in China for 81. per ton, were its importation
allowed ; and did the Chinese sell it at half the present rate,
it might yield a revenue much greater than it does at pre-
sent. But unfortunately their political economists have not
learned the important principle that the reduction of a ne-
cessary article from a high price would greatly increase the
demand, and that low taxes produce a revenue equal to that
of high duties, by promoting consumption. It is difficult to
persuade a people who run so evenly in the same groove, that
a radical change in the collection of so certain a source of
revenue as salt can possibly be beneficial; and the time has
not yet come when foreign salt can obtain a footing in
China—though indeed an approach to that desirable end
may be perhaps foreseen in the recent recognition of private
salt-factories in the Chusan islands.

No visitor to Canton can fail to be struck with the unity
of the Chinese people, and their remarkable consolidation
asa nation. The curious method of dressing the hair gives
them all an extraordinary general similarity of appearance,
so that it would be more easy to distinguish a Chinaman in
a crowd than a man of any other nationality whatever ; and
the stereotyped form of their costume assists in establishing
this aspect of unity. And when reference is had to the un-
doubted age of the Chinese Empire, and to its immense
extent, no less than to its wonderful isolation, it is a moral
and political phenomenon which has not its equal upon the
whole globe. For no one can live long in China without
becoming aware that the defects in its government are of
the most frightful and glaring kind, such as not for a single

Cu. XX.] LITERARY EXAMINATIONS. 341

year could be tolerated in the West. Extortion on the
part of officials, peculation in every grade of official life, the
grossest inhumanity, contempt of life, a venal justice, inse-
curity of property among the middle classes, and of position
among the higher Mandarins, who are liable at any time
to be disgraced, even though well-intentioned, by the occur-
rence of a mere accident—all these blots deface the Chinese
system. How comes it then that the Empire has been so
long and so firmly established? The inculcation of filial
piety, and the habit induced by strict education through a
series of generations, of giving honour not only to living
parents but also to their progenitors who have long since
ceased. to live, except in the shrines of their surviving pos-
terity, are doubtless most salutary, and have had something
to do with the remarkable phenomenon. But this patriarchal
government alone is not sufficient to account for it. The
real secret lies in the system of literary examinations, and
their fruits. Every man in China is aware that his talents, if
duly improved, will lead him to office and power; and it is
open to every one of them—not as in America to be President
—but to rise to important and lucrative posts in the Empire,
if they distinguish themselves in the examinations, to which
all classes of Chinese periodically crowd. These examina-
tions are conducted with such a rigid regard to impartiality,
that although perhaps the only part of their system which
is not rotten at the core, none but the best men carry off
the highest prizes—and these are the men of talent, who
are not lost sight of in the distribution of posts. None but
these are advanced to important offices, or governmental
departments—they are looked upon as the wise men of the
land—they are the talented, to other than whom it would
be folly to intrust the offices of state. This principle is

342 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XX.

so thoroughly established in the Chinese mind, and so taken
in with their mother’s milk, that those who do not possess
the requisite amount of genius or industry look upon their
more fortunate brethren without repining, being fully con-
vinced that the principle is acted upon with impartiality—
‘so that on the one hand all the public business is in the
hands of that class of men who are most capable of perform-
ing it in a satisfactory manner, and on the other the most
able men are all officially employed and well paid, and
therefore the least inclined to disturb the status quo, while
the reformer and demagogue must be drawn from the ranks
of those who have either failed at the public examinations,
or have not had sufficient talent or ambition to induce them
to make an effort to succeed—negative qualities which are
no less against their succeeding as agitators. Hence they
are at a great disadvantage; and however much right and
justice they have upon their side they cannot fail to be in
a minority.

But although the Chinese Empire has lasted in its in-
tegrity for it may be so many thousand years, that is
no reason why it should be an exception to the careers of
other nations, and should last for ever. And indeed in the
present generation it has sustained some severe shocks.
Notwithstanding the terrible lessons they have had in the
Tae-ping rebellion, the Chinese administration, as soon as
they are clear of one difficulty, relapse into torpor, inactivity,
, and, what is still worse, oppression. Instead of keeping up
a force which shall be sufficient to meet the spirit of discon-
tent, they disband their troops as soon as the immediate
necessity for them has disappeared, often without giving
them their stipulated pay, and thus themselves sow the
seeds of new rebellion and mutiny before they have well got

Ou. XX.] DISCONTENT IN CHINA. 343

clear of the old. As long, too, as they are threatened on
every side with insurrection, as long as they feel themselves
weak, they will fawn upon, and grant privileges to, foreigners,
which they will withdraw and turn into insolence and pride
the moment they become free and untrammelled.

During the year 1866 there was scarcely any part of the
empire of China which was not in some way the theatre of
insurgent movement; and it has required very vigorous
measures on the part of the departmental mandarins to sup-
press the outbreaks, for the Emperor deputes the task of
putting down an insurrection in a distant province to the
governor of a neighbouring province, and thus one governor
is set to keep another in order. But the chief reason why
these numerous insurrections do not succeed in their object
appears to be the want of some leader who is capable at
once of moving the multitudes to mutiny, and conducting
them to victory—a want which probably arises out of the
nature of things as above described. Otherwise the dis-
content, everywhere apparent among the people, would
overcome the weakness of their rulers, and thus oppression
would be punished by disaffection, rebellion, and a just and
severe retribution whenever it became successful. The
Emperor is a mere puppet in the hands of his nominal
servants, and retains his position on the throne only by
virtue of their forbearance, which again arises from their
own selfishness and hope of aggrandisement; and the posi-
tion of the Empire at the present moment, if we may be
allowed to judge by the history of other great and ancient
Oriental nations, is that of one tottering to its fall, or at
least to its dismemberment. Human endurance can not be
pressed beyond a certain point; and the corruption, oppres-
sion, maladministration, and tyranny of the Chinese govern-

344 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XX.

ment have reached a climax which cannot long delay its
doom.

There can be no doubt that apathetic as the Chinese
people are, and little as they appear to appreciate the
civilisation of the West, intercourse with Europeans is exer-
cising an important and silent influence upon them, which
will one day make itself felt. The entire absence of inter-
course with foreigners, which has characterised the Chinese
nation for such a long series of years, has naturally imbued
their minds with a degree of self-esteem and vanity which
cannot be eradicated in a year, or even in a generation; but
it is not in the nature of things that this should endure for
ever. Their apathy has but one source, and that is igno-
rance. The foreign ministers of China, or rather its rulers
in general, have hitherto had no interest in making them-
selves acquainted with foreign institutions or the status of
foreign countries, and they therefore naturally remained in
profound ignorance of these things; and, in the absence of
information, it is no wonder that they believed themselves
to be in all respects superior. With few exceptions, they
have the most ridiculously erroneous ideas concerning us;
and their notions of their own superiority are not put on to
make an impression upon barbarians, but are the bona fide
articles of their own candid belief.

But this state of things is insensibly changing, and since
the treaty of 1858 it is not improbable that the Chinese
have been the greater gainers of the two. For they have
everything to learn from us; and although, of course, they
may learn some evil, they must besides imbibe a vast amount
of sound knowledge, useful and good. But we, on the other
hand, only derive commercial advantages from the Chinese,
in which they also largely share. No one can deny that

Cu. XX.] EFFECT OF TRADE WITH CHINA. 345

Lord Elgin’s treaty was drawn up in a way which reflects
the profoundest credit upon his qualities as a statesman and
a philosopher. No treaty could have been more difficult to
frame than that one which was forced upon an obstinate and
half-civilised nation like the Chinese by a power which they
regarded in the light of a hostile race of inferior, but tem-
porarily victorious, barbarians, whom it was necessary to treat
with cunning forbearance, but against whom they felt the
most inveterate hatred. But Lord Elgin succeeded to ad-
miration; and his treaty, drawn up with such care and skill
that scarcely any ambiguity has ever been detected in it to
cause a difficulty, has at the same time worked smoothly
and harmoniously till the present time. But while the ad-
vantages to this country have been great in the interchange
of commerce and the employment of capital, the results to
those employed in direct commercial transactions have been
by no means so satisfactory. Before the treaty of 1858 the
trade of China was in the hands of a few great and wealthy
houses, which, holding a monopoly of Chinese trade, regu-
lated the markets and made immense profits upon the mer-
chandise which they found at the ports where they were
allowed to trade, and beyond which they knew little and
cared less about the country. Their vast transactions,
and the golden returns which they exhibited, invited numer-
ous eager aspirants to break the monopoly, and to share in
the commerce which made the few merchants truly princes
as regarded wealth. The treaty did amply what these re-
quired, and China was thrown open to all, without restric-
tion; but the results have not verified the dreams of
prosperity which floated before the imaginations of those who
were anxious to share in the benefits of free-trade. Com-
petition, doubtless good in the main, has entailed much

346 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XX.

evil, the division of profits having failed greatly to benefit
them ; while the old stream of commerce, which enriched
the few, has been nearly dried up, and decay and ruin have
in too many instances been the only harvest that has been
reaped.

But that Western influence is slowly but surely making
itself felt is fully proved by the action taken by the Pekin
College within a year of the present date. It was represented
in a memorial to the Emperor, from the department of
Foreign Affairs, that it was desirable that officials should be
invited to pass an examination in astronomy and mathe-
matics “‘ with a view to the acquisition of a thorough under-
standing of foreign appliances.” The memorial went on to
state that whenever the usual path for the admission of can-
didates to the public service had been widened, talent had
been called forth, and scholars of ability had eagerly pre-
sented themselves ; and it called attention to the fact that
in 1862 a school of languages had been established in the
same department, in which English, French, and Russian
teachers were assigned to every class; and explains that
since the appliances of foreigners—their machinery and fire-
arms, their vessels and carriages—are one and all derived
from a knowledge of astronomy and mathematics, it is de-
sirable that they should be learned, not superficially, but
from the very foundation. ‘The memorial then specifies the
class of literate graduates who shall be competent to offer
themselves as candidates for this new study, who are not to
be under 20 years of age; and states that foreign instructors
were to be engaged under the direction of Mr. Hart,
Inspector-General of Chinese Customs, in virtue of his
high official position ; and they characteristically add, ‘‘ The
Chinese are not inferior in ingenuity, or cleverness and

Cu. XX.] THE PEKIN MEMORIAL. 347

intelligence, to the men of the West, and if students (in the
sciences of astronomy, mathematics, natural history, manu-
factures, mechanical appliances, and the prediction of the
future) will so earnestly apply themselves as to become
possessed of all secrets, China will then be strong in her
own strength.”

This is indeed a new era in Chinese history, and this is
one of the most interesting and important documents which
has ever been spontaneously issued by Chinese officials,
since foreign intercourse has become an object of political
importance. No pressure has been applied from without,
but the influence of the Western representatives at the
court of Pekin has in a great measure brought about this
consummation, which its promoters defend argumentatively ;
and the fact that the memorialists risk unpopularity by
taking such a step proves that they are convinced of the
importance of Western civilisation, and are not entirely
dead to progress and regeneration. There is but one para-
graph in the memorial which can be otherwise than pleasing
and satisfactory, and that perhaps is but of slight conse-
quence—it states that “‘the germ of the Western sciences is
originally borrowed from the Heaven-sent elements of
Chinese knowledge. The eyes of Western philosophers
having been turned towards the East, and the genius of
these men being minutely painstaking and apt for diligent
thought, they have succeeded in pursuing study to new
results. For in reality the methods of their philosophy are
Chinese methods—China has originated the method, which
Europeans have received as an inheritance.” This vain-
glorious boast will correct itself as Western science becomes
instilled into the minds of the more intelligent Chinese ;
but the main fact to be remembered is that henceforth no

348 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XX.

man of learning in China will be able to proclaim his con-
tempt, and boast of his ignorance, of Western learning—for
that very learning will become his best passport to office,
and a distinctive qualification which will raise him above his
fellows.

This memorial has received the imperial sanction, and
the thin end of the wedge has been fairly driven into
Chinese prejudice and exclusiveness. And when it is
remembered that it was only nine years after Lord Elgin’s
forced treaty, and only seven since a British conquering
army entered Pekin, it speaks well for China, which up to
that time believed itself the only country in the world
worthy of imitation; and that everything appertaining to it
—its language, laws, literature—were the sole fountains
from which all the other benighted nations could derive
benefit or instruction.

Those who haye heard that it has lately been a moot
point whether railways should or should not be forthwith
introduced into China, will have a strong feeling of the
rapidity with which innovation is gaining ground. But
although for the present the Chinese Government has de-
cided against the introduction of a railway system, it is no
less remarkable that such a novelty should have been ever
canvassed in high quarters, and the subject really argued,
and not thrown aside as unworthy of consideration. It was
proposed to make an experimental line, but Prince Kung
met the idea by a sophism, in which he admitted the ad-
mirable character of the invention, and the benefits con-
ferred by railways, and therefore argued that there was no
necessity for constructing an experimental line to prove
such well-known facts. But the real truth is, that all the
objections which fifty years ago were urged against railways

Cu. XX. OPPOSITION TO RAILWAYS. 349

in this country, are now brought forward afresh by the fears
of the Chinese. The abolition of old and time-honoured
methods of travel—the destruction of the means of living
of a large section of the population,—are urged against
them. At the same time there are serious difficulties arising
from the peculiar spirit.and laws of the nation. Ground
would of course be required, and so much is taken up with
ancestral tombs, that to avoid them would be difficult, while
to touch them would be to do violence to the strongest
feelings of the people. Again, the Chinese could neither
construct nor manage a railway by themselves, and there-
fore foreign aid and an English company must be called in
to effect it for them. But in that case the occupation of a
horde of peculating officials would be gone, and the whole
constitution, of society changed; the illegal perquisites of
numberless small tyrants would be stopped, and they would
be forced to starve upon their legal incomes. These are
serious difficulties doubtless, especially when it is remem-
bered that those who will thus suffer are those who are
called upon to decide in favour of the introduction of rail-
ways. Another important point is, the universal system of
barrier-taxation, which would be annihilated. Vehicles of
all kinds, on river or on land, are squeezed at these barriers ;
but how can a goods train be stopped and examined in the
same way? ‘These prejudices have such show of reason in
them, that it is no wonder that at the present time, and
on the first proposal to introduce railways, very considerable
opposition has been brought to bear, and with temporary
success.

But the great barrier to a better understanding between
the Chinese and the English is language,—not only the
impracticability of Chinese to an Englishman, but the

a

350 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XX.

difficulty of English to the Chinese. Of course the com-
paratively few’ Chinese who are brought up as children in
our schools learn our language with facility ; but, although
a barbarous corruption of the Queen’s English is current
in Hong Kong, it only serves as a very imperfect medium
of business-communication,—a lame substitute for the
genuine grammatical tongue. Nor is it more easy to teach
a Chinaman good English, than for an English man of
business to learn Chinese ; the former can, on no account,
be induced to learn beyond a certain point, just sufficient
for mutual comprehension on very limited subjects, and
there they inevitably stop. So also the Englishman, as a
rule, would laugh to scorn the idea of understanding Chi-
nese. Not that it is an impossibility, as some suppose;
for while we all know the proficiency which a Morrison or
a Legge has attamed in the written character, so also I
have heard an American gentleman address a native au-
dience in Canton with perfect fluency after a few years’
residence. But the difficulties are doubtless enormous.
Few or none have ever mastered both the written and spoken
language; but although the written character is neces-
sary for the student, the cdlloquial (and more easy portion)
is the available means of intercommunication. It is im-
possible for a Chinese to afford information on points of
political economy, government, or literature, in pidgin
English; and as it is equally impossible for more than one
or two English to converse in Chinese, the two peoples are
like two deaf persons conversing with one another, who may
make a few mutual inquiries, but can never become ac-
quainted with one another. The Chinese have given us a
lesson in this respect, by establishing the school of languages
at Pekin, with English, French, and Russian teachers; and

Cu. XX.] OPPOSITION TO RAILWAYS. 351

it is really time that we should do our part and pay some
attention to Chinese. The ignorance of the language is a
frequent source of litigation and inconvenience in Hong
Kong, where English merchants, perforce, engage Chinese
assistants, whom they secure, the agreement being drawn up
in English and Chinese, and the Chinese edition being
often different from the English, neither party fully under-
standing the foreign version. A Chinese college is required
to effect this great reform—this step in the regeneration of
the great Eastern nation by the West; and such a college
has been publicly proposed in San Francisco, where Chinese
abound, and which carries on frequent and direct communi-
cation with Chinese ports.

As for the Christianising of China, that process must
progress with very slow steps under the present régime.
Ignorance of the language implies a most imperfect know-
ledge of their theories of religion, and unless we know them,
how can we combat them, or ask them to substitute for
them our own, which they can only most imperfectly com-
prehend? An isolated:case of conversion may occur now
and then, but the whole spirit of the two nations is so
different, that nothing but a free interchange of thought can
possibly tend to amalgamate them, by affording an insight
into the great points on which they differ, or those on
which perhaps they unknowingly agree. And without some
such amalgamation of feeling, no great advance can be made
in redeeming the Chinese race from the thraldom of a sense-
less paganism, such as must inevitably keep the national
mind degraded and contracted, and the national morality at
the lowest ebb.

CHAPTER XXI.
THE SURFACE POPULATION OF THE OCEAN.

Floating Animals—Capriciousness of their Appearance—Calms—The Towing
Net — Meduse — Nocturnal Animals — Formosa Channel— Hydrozoa—
Yellow Fly—Blue Animals in Deep Sea—Abundance of Animals in Bad
Weather—Lucernarian Jelly-fishes—Their Vast Numbers—Peculiarities
—Portuguese Man-of-War—Stinging Powers— Fish Sheltering in their
Threads—Sargasso Sea—Its Inhabitants—Atlantic Calms—Compound
Salpe—Three Forms—Chains of Salpz.

During a long voyage, when the attention has been
daily directed to the animate objects floating upon the
surface of the sea, it must necessarily happen that much
will be observed, and many interesting animals be met with.
And when, moreover, that daily observation has been car-
ried on for more than a year, and in seas of different
latitudes, one can hardly fail to have noticed the greater
number of the Pelagic creatures which habitually inhabit
the surface of the ocean, as well as most of the phases of
their appearance.

The numbers and variety of such floating creatures are
very great, and by no means confined to one ‘class of
marine animals. There are certain fishes which habitually
reside in the upper stratum of water, and are constantly
taken by skimming the surface. Among these are glass-
eels (Leptocephalus), Malthe, &e. Cephalopods (cuttles) of

Cu. XXI.] NATURE OF FLOATING ANIMALS. 353

some species, as Spirula, not unfrequently occur also; and
mollusks are common. These for the most part belong to
that division termed Pteropods, from the wing-like aspect
of their locomotive apparatus—and are either possessed of
a shell or not, but when so possessed it is usually of most
delicate structure and beautiful form. But there are other
oceanic shells (as Carinaria and Janthina), of which men-
tion may be made; and, moreover, some shell-less Nudi-
branchiata (as Glaucus and Scyllea) occur in the same
situation, as well as Tunicates, of which the luminous
Pyrosoma isa good example. Floating Crustacea are not
uncommon—either crabs of considerable size, as Neptunus
and Lupea, or the numberless forms of Stomapods, Amphi-
pods, Isopods, &c., which, with minute Entomostraca,
constitute, perhaps, the bulk of the surface population of
the ocean. Certain worms, also, are occasionally met with,
and of Hydrozoa, the pelagic species are numerous and
interesting, and will receive their share of notice. On one
oceasion, on the coast of China, a small Anemone attached
to a piece of straw which floated it, came in among the
produce of the net—a curious instance of the migratory
power of a fixed animal; and it was no uncommon circum-
stance to find fixed Polyzoa and Foraminifera (Orbitolites)
attached to floating leaves of Zostera or Sea-wrack.

There being such a vast number of animals whose nor-
mal dwelling-place appears to be at, or near, the surface, it
would be 2 readily imagined that scarcely at any time—at all
events in calm weather—would the sea appear to be alto-
gether without inhabitants. And probably there is, strictly
speaking, no time when some living animals might not be
found, if proper means are used to detect them; but it is

no less true, that there are times when nothing is visible to
AA

354 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (CH. X-XT.

the eye, although apparently all the conditions for their
appearance are fulfilled.

Indeed, the influences which cause marine animals of
the kinds enumerated above to rise to the surface and float
upon the sea, would seem to be very obscure and capri-
cious. For although it is a rare circumstance that the
towing-net fails in securing some animals which would
otherwise have escaped observation, it is nevertheless com-
paratively seldom that they are in such numbers, or so
conspicuous, as to attract attention from the mere fact of
their floating ; and when they do so, it is not unfrequently
under conditions which would at first sight strike the
observer as anything but felicitous. Thus, when it is
considered how delicate is the texture, and how fragile the
structure of the majority of floating animals, it would at
once appear that fine weather and a calm surface would be
a combination of conditions most favourable to them.
The ripples and waves of a disturbed sea would be, to all
appearance, sufficient to mutilate or even to destroy such
tender animals. And yet calms are by no means the only
occasions on which they come to the surface; indeed, they
exhibit a singular caprice in this respect. Thus, on one
occasion, in lat. 12° N. and long. 58° E., when the sea was
without a ripple, Porpite, and various other Acalephs (jelly-
fishes) floated in considerable numbers, with occasional
Carinarie, and the water was moreover alive with myriads
of small Crustacea, which congregated in dense patches of
a reddish colour. The sunshine lighted them up—like
thousands of little sparks—as they rapidly darted about
just below the surface. But, on the other hand, when in
lat. 5° N. and long. 85° E., we experienced one of the most
perfect calms it has ever been my good fortune to witness,

Cu. XXI.J THE TOWING-NET. 355

in which every possible condition favourable to floating and
delicate animals seemed to be fulfilled; yet not a visible
speck broke the mirror-like smoothness of the blue sea from
morning till night, excepting only the shoals of flying-fish,
which from time to time relieved the somewhat monotonous
scene with the life of motion.

Floating animals, then, are of such a character as to be
either visible or invisible from the point of Observation.
The invisible ones are so minute, or so transparent, that
they can only be recognized when taken in the towing-net
—a bag of muslin or bunting with wide mouth, and which
being let over the side of the vessel, skims the surface of
the sea. The contents, indeed, are not unfrequently so
delicate, that even when thus captured, and placed in a
vessel of sea-water, they can only be perceived when held
in a favourable light, or followed by means of some speck
of colour which distinguishes them as they move along.
The small Gymnophthalmatous Meduside (naked-eyed Me-
dus) are of this kind, and may be very abundant, but
would otherwise pass unnoticed; and it is seldom that the
net is put down without securing various beautiful forms
of such transparent Meduse, as well as Berdes, &c., and
small gelatinous masses, usually more or less torn by con-
tact with the net. Many minute bodies doubtless pass
through even the finest meshes; and it is evident that
the net can only be used to advantage when the weather
is fine, the sea tolerably calm, and the ship not sailing
too fast.

I have never found the net entirely empty, excepting on
one or two occasions, in the Singapore Straits; for although
the nature and variety of its contents varied much, it most

usually contained a great deal that was interesting and
AA2

356 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XXT.

curious. There was not unfrequently a well-marked differ-
ence in the character of its contents by day, as compared
with its captures during the night. Thus, for example,
after being down for an hour or two one evening, I drew it
up with a solid mass of minute Zoée; but although anchored
at the same spot, in the produce of the succeeding night
there was not a single Zoéa, but in their place transparent
Crustacea (Leucifers), Entomostraca, kc. The glass-crabs
also (Phyllosoma) always made their appearance in the
night net. These curious little Zoée, now known to be the
young condition of some species of crab, had enormous eyes,
and grotesque helmets spiked before and behind. On the
occasion referred to they appeared to be all of the same
species, and nowhere else were they in such profusion,
although sporadically met with, especially on the coast of
Borneo.

I have elsewhere stated that the east coast of Formosa
yielded perhaps the greatest variety of minute and incon-
spicuous, but at the same time highly interesting and
curious, animals to the towing-net. Off Kackaou a single
haul has produced a crowd of Entomostraca (minute Crus-
tacea with a jerking locomotion), little Meduse and Annelids ;
the Pteropod, Creseis; the tube-worm, Cerapus; blue
Porpite ; minute Globigerine ; and numbers of little fat
crab-like Megalopas, now known to be an advanced stage of
Zoéa in the development of Crustacea. Sometimes rarer
and more remarkable animals occurred, as the shelled Ptero-
pods, Spirialis, Cleodora, and Hyalea; transparent Firole,
arrow-shaped Sagitte, inert glass-crabs (Phyllosoma), ele-
gant hyaline Crustacea (Alma and Squillerichthus, &c.),
active shrimps of various degrees of transparency and
minuteness, the oceanic nudibranch Glaucus, the spider-like

Cu. XX1.] ‘ PELAGIC HYDROZOA. ¢57

marine insect Halobatis, the anomalous Pterosoma, with
every now and then little greyish-yellow swimming crabs
(Lupea pelagica), either side of whose carapace was deve-
loped into a long spine; and several minute fish, among
them young flying-fish and Hemiramphi.

Besides this assemblage of animals, Hydrozoa (jelly-fishes)
often abounded, more particularly pelagic species of the
orders Physophorid, of which the Portuguese man-of-war
(Physalia) is an example, and Lucernaride or umbrella-
form Acalephs, like those thrown up on our own shores; of
the former, perhaps, Velella, Physalia, and Porpita occur
more frequently than any others, and usually in company
with one another—the first two especially seldom seen one
without the other. The Physalie and Velelle look like large
bubbles as they drift by at a little distance, but their per-
sistence attracts attention, and their rich colours cannot fail
to strike the most unobservant, especially when of large
size. Exposing considerable surface to the wind, they sail
along with the faintest breeze, and in a gale are huddled
together in fleets, and stranded in great numbers upon the
nearest shore. I saw thousands of both at the mouth of
Kelung harbour, Formosa, after bad weather. The Porpite
are less common, but usually occur in considerable numbers
when seen at all—looking like beautiful and sharply-cut
gun-wads, with delicate radiating markings, and surrounded
with a fringe of deep-blue tentacles. ‘The number of these
three forms of Hydrozoa must be enormous, and their range
very remarkable. I have found them extending over 55° of
latitude, and have no reason to believe this to be the limit.

In lat. 12° N., near Socotra, and again in 5° N., near
Ceylon, I was not a little surprised to observe in great num-
bers a small fly of a yellowish-brown colour, hovering over

358 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Ca. XXT.

the calm sea, flying in gyrations near the surface, and occa-
sionally settling upon the water and flying off again. I
watched this insect, as I presume it to have been, with much
interest, and was greatly disappointed at my unsuccessful
attempts to secure a specimen, owing to the rapidity—
10-12 knots—at which we were proceeding; but I saw them
so often, and watched them so long, that I could not be
mistaken in the fact. This little yellow fly I subsequently
saw in the North Atlantic, between 30° and 35° N. latitude.
While under steam in the calms, being occupied in the
attempt to fish up some of the floating Acalephs and
Ascidians, I repeatedly observed it settle upon the water,
then rise and take a short erratic flight over the surface—
but in vain did I essay to capture a specimen.

A notable circumstance occurred in the Indian Ocean in
lat. 25° §., just south of the Mauritius. For several days
in succession the net produced Halobatis,* glass-crabs,
Velelle, and the beautiful oceanic shell Janthina, of a rich,
deep violet colour. But what struck me as very remarkable
was that with the sole exception perhaps of the dark Halo-
batis, everything which the net contained was either trans-
parent and colourless, or tinged more or less deeply with
the rich violet of Janthina, which indeed nearly approached
the sapphire-blue of the deep sea. There were small violet

* The occurrence of this singular hemipterous insect at sea is at least very
remarkable. There appear to be several species, of which I met with two,
one on the coast of China and the other some 500 miles from land in the
South Indian Ocean. That they are veritable marine insects I think cannot
admit of a doubt, though how they exist in the open ocean is a mystery.
They are of a deep bluish-black, with six legs, the two hindermost furnished
with a delicate brush on the inner side of the tarsus. The abdomen is
remarkably undevelopéd. Although taken occasionally in the towing net, I
did not find them common, and never observed any movement after capture,

owing to their delicate soft bodies being injured by the passage of water and
other things through the net.

Cn. XXI.J INFLUX OF STEPHANOMIAS, 359

shrimps, little violet crabs, Physaliz with violet blue threads,
beautiful crystalline Crustacea, almost transparent, but
tinged with violet. Small as these objects were, they would
have escaped observation except for the towing net; but had
they been larger, their colour so assimilated with that of the
sea, that they would have been equally invisible from the
ship.

In the Indian Ocean from Anjer to Natal, in April and
May, although constantly on the watch I never saw a
single floating object. This certainly appears strange, but,
as before observed, the combination of apparently favorable
conditions by no means always results in great numbers of
floating animals. The reverse of this was curiously illus-
trated on one occasion when lying in the spacious harbour
of Kelung in North Formosa, and although I have detailed
the circumstance already, I must allude to it again here.
The weather on this occasion was wet and boisterous, but
nevertheless myriads of Creseis swarmed in the harbour,
filling every mesh of the towing net, and giving the water a
rippling movement and twinkling aspect, from the millions
of little pairs of fins in constant motion. As the rollers
came in from the north-east, great quantities of curiously-
carved gelatinous Stephanomiade floated by, and as the
afternoon advanced, and the rain increased, so also did these
singular organisms augment in numbers, spite of the adverse
circumstances which accompanied them. It was one of the
very few days on which the sea might be said to be alive with
curious animals; notwithstanding that there existed at the
same time a combination of circumstances under which one
would least expect to see such a phenomenon.

It becomes a curious question, whither go all these pelagic
animals, whose home is the wide ocean, when they are not

360 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (CH. XXT.

observed upon the surface? Why are they not more fre-
quently seen ? and why are the occasions so rare in which
they are observed in such profusion? There must be cir-
cumstances connected either with their physical constitution
or their modes of obtaining food, with which we are entirely
unacquainted, but which must materially influence their
movements. Doubtless they are sunk below the surface a
short distance when not seen, for we cannot suppose that,
short-lived as they may often be, they are suddenly produced.
like a crop of mushrooms in damp weather. They must exist
somewhere, and a common influence probably regulates. their
movements, which perhaps need be but slight to bring them
into view, or to carry them once more out of sight.

I never obtained the Pyrosoma in the towing-net, nor
did I ever see them floating upon the surface. Yet these
oceanic animals doubtless abound, and if I am right in
attributing certain luminous appearances to them, they
must most commonly float at a distance of two or three
fathoms below the surface, though I have on one or two
occasions seen the luminous body whirled to the surface in
the eddy of the ship’s wake.

With regard to the Hydrozoa of the order Lucernaride (the
covered-eyed Medusz of Forbes), on the comparatively few
occasions when they appeared upon the surface, they were
usually in great abundance, and not in great variety. Thus
in the upper part of the Red Sea, on the 10th of March, a
species of Aurelia appeared in great numbers; and two days
after, we passed through a shoal of Rhizostomas. Four
days later, in the Gulf of Aden, we again encountered shoals
of Aurelia, apparently identical with those of the Red Sea,
the two shoals being separated by about 1400 miles. Again,
in October, we passed, on the west coast of Borneo, off

Cu. XX1.] SHOALS OF JELLY-FISHES. 361

Cape Santubon, through a number of magnificent Pulmo-
grades. The upper part of the umbrella was pilose, or
hairy, with long papille; the circumference was fringed
with slender tentacles, and the pedicels gave rise to magnifi-
cent grape-like masses, the whole being of a delicate white
colour, and fully 18 inches in diameter. In the following
month, in the strait which separates the island of Singapore
from the Malay peninsula, I observed a great number of the
same beautiful Pelagian, and accompanying it some speci-
mens of a small and elegant, brown, torquoise-studded
species, similar to one I had already obtained in Victoria
Harbour, Labuan, and in which it may be here mentioned
I found a small crab within the umbrella, beneath which it
appeared to reside.

To show, however, the vast numbers of these animals
which swim freely in the ocean, I will mention that, in the
Atlantic, in lat. 34° S. and long. 17° W., we encountered a
shoal of Acalephs, all of the same species, the individuals
of which were among the most beautiful in form and colour-
ing that I have ever met with. They were of a delicate ame-
thystine tint, speckled all over with a deeper colour; the
umbrella was semitransparent, and the whole form wonder-
fully graceful. Just before sunset we passed through them
for a space of two hours, during which time we had tra-
versed ten miles. Supposing that this shoal were at least
as broad as long, it was easy to calculate roughly that there
could not be less than thirty millions of individuals con-
stituting it, an estimate probably far below the truth. Well
might Spenser exclaim in the “‘ Faéry Queen,” —

‘*So fertile be the floods in generation!”

It occasionally happened that the observation of a shoal

862 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. X XT.

of Hydrozoa pointed out some curious facts from which
interesting deductions might be made. Thus, while passing
through the Indian Ocean, in lat. 18° N., during an entire
day (March 17), we passed through shoals of Aurelia, meeting
from time to time patches in which they were too numerous
to be counted, and in each of which there were many hundreds.
A noticeable fact I remarked with regard to them, was
that, without any exception that I could discover, these
Aurelie were, during the whole day, swimming in the same
direction, or with the wind. We were steaming nearly due
east, and a breeze was blowing a little south of east, and
the umbrellas were all inclined one way, and pointing in the
direction towards which the wind was blowing.

On another occasion, in a dead calm, on a beautiful day,
off the river Min, I observed great numbers of a large white
species. The edges of the umbrella were frilled, and nu-
merous long and delicate threads stretched out straight and
parallel‘; but what struck me as singular was, that these
threads did not all float in the same direction, as though
drifted from the animal by wind or tide; but although they
were several feet long, they formed three or four distinct
bundles, which stretched out straight, but in different and
often opposite directions from the body of the animal, from
which it appeared that they were propelled by a voluntary
effort.

In passing through Banka Strait, owing to the number of
rivers (the Palembang and others) which flow out of the
island of Sumatra, the water was found to possess only
seven-tenths of the saltness of the ocean; but notwith-
standing this comparative freshness, I observed a number
of large white Rhizostomas floating just below the surface,
and apparently unaffected by this peculiar condition.

Cu. XXI.] VARIOUS FORMS OF ACALEPHS. 363

The only exception I met with to the rule I have men-
tioned (namely, that when Hydrozoa floated, they appeared
in considerable shoals of one species only) occurred in the
great calms which we encountered in the North Atlantic
Ocean, in the first fortnight of July, and which extended
more or less over upwards of a thousand miles, during
which, on two or three occasions, I saw several species of
Hydrozoa mingled with vast numbers of compound Asci-
dians. Some of them were new and strange forms of Be-
rooids, with lateral expansive lobes upon which iridescent
bands of cilia were placed, and approaching in appearance
the genus Eucharis of Escholtz. One of these is figured
at the head of Chapter XXIV. Some were abundant,
others but few in number, only appearing occasionally, and
therefore very difficult to capture from a moving ship. One
of these I did succeed in taking; but there were at least
three or four species besides the Velelle and Physalie.

The most magnificent specimens of the last-named richly
coloured animals (Physaliz) occurred in the Atlantic Ocean,
near the Equator. On the 19th of June, in lat. 18° S. and
long. 22° W., wind S.S8.E., therm. 77°, bar. 30°10, the sea
was moderately calm, and from time to time during the day
splendid individuals of Physalia pelagica sailed by, attracting
attention, even when far off, by their large size and brilliant
colours. They had the appearancé of beautiful prismatic
shells standing upright upon rich blue cushions, the shell
being radiated from the base or cushion to the circum-
ference, which was fringed with a rich and bright rose-
colour. They were not in great abundance, but one would
float by every five minutes or so.

The largest Physalia which I examined measured as
follows :—

364 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XXT.

Extreme length of bladder... .... 8 inches.
Greatest vertical circumference... .. 104,
Height of bladder above water...... Be 4

But this was considerably reduced from the natural height ;
for the rose-coloured crest had collapsed, which would have
added at least 2 inch to it, making a total of 84 inches in
height above the water. I had judged them to be about
8 inches long, before I captured one, by the expedient of
throwing into the water a piece of wood of ascertained
length, which I carefully compared with the animal as it
floated near it. No one on board the ship had ever seen
such magnificent Physalie, although they had been at sea
many years. Some thought at first that they had seen
them as large in the West Indies, but they were fain to
confess at last that the large one I measured exceeded the
largest they had ever seen. I saw these large Physalie
subsequently on more than one occasion, the last being in
lat. 26° N., though higher than this somewhat smaller
specimens occurred.

The stinging propensities of these Hydrozoa were not
generally known, but were destined to make themselves
evident at the expense of one unfortunate man. A boat
happened to be lowered early in the day, and one of the
crew, seeing a large Pltysalia float within reach, took it up
with his naked hand. The threads clung to his hand and
arm, penetrating to the axilla and down the side, causing
the man to yell with agony. He was quickly brought on
board, and as soon as he reached the deck, ran about like
a frantic maniac, so that it took several men to catch him,
and when secured and the proper remedies applied, he rolled
about for a considerable time, groaning with pain, His arm

CH. XXI.] PORTUGUESE MAN-OF-WAR. 365

was red, inflamed, and swollen, and remained so for some
hours after the occurrence.

One circumstance in relation to these large Physalie

_struck me as being very remarkable. Each one as it floated
by had beneath it what at first I took to be its mass of ten-
tacles and polypites; but, on more close observation, I
found that the appearance was due to a shoal of small
fishes accompanying the hydrozoon under protection of its
appendages. ‘The fishes were of various sizes, from 2 to 6
inches long, transversely banded, and looking in the water
precisely like the pilot-fish (Naucrates ductor). There were
perhaps a dozen of these accompanying fishes clustered to-
gether beneath the bladder of each Physalia. Every Physalia
had its cluster; but this peculiarity was observable, viz. that
under small Physalie the fishes were small, while under
large specimens they were correspondingly large, being in
fact, always proportioned to the size of the man-of-war
which they accompanied. Unfortunately I did not discover
this curious fact till late in the day ; and when the boat was
down in the morning I was unaware of it, or I should have
made a point of attempting to secure a specimen of so inte-
resting a fish.

What the relation is which exists between the fish and the
hydrozoon I cannot say; but this correspondence between
the sizes of the two animals seems to indicate that the fishes
do not capriciously select their protecting Physalia. It is
known that certain fishes harbour in the threads of the
larger Lucernaride, or umbrella-form Acalephs; but I be-
lieve they have not before been noticed to accompany the
Portuguese man-of-war.

The presence of these fishes also accounted for a remark-
able circumstance I had observed earlier in the day. A large

366 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XXT.

Albicore swimming near made a sudden dash apparently at a
Physalia, but did not take it; returning, however, presently
to the charge, it made a clean sweep, no trace of the Phy-
salia being left. Doubtless it was the small fishes which
accompanied it, rather than the Physalia itself, which stimu-
lated the Albicore’s attack. .

In lat. 24° N. and long. 363° W., we encountered the
Sargasso sea, and with it that crowd of animals which feed
upon those floating pastures. The Sargasso weed made its
appearance in large patches, usually upon the surface, but
sometimes, apparently sunk to some distance below it. It
varied considerably in appearance—was sometimes dark-
coloured, dense, and compact, and covered with berries—at
others pale and lanky, and with few berries. The masses
were round and shapely, and usually scattered somewhat in-
discriminately over the surface, but occasionally a long streak
of collected bunches extended as far as the eye could reach,
in the direction of the wind. By hooking up masses of this
weed many curious animals were obtained, of which per-
haps the most abundant were small crabs (Planes linwana),
many specimens being found upon each tuft of Sargasso;
next to them in abundance was Scyllea pelagica, an oceanic
nudibranch of very peculiar form, of which usually there
were several on each tuft of weed. Its general colour is
a lightish brown, and its long narrow foot is well adapted
for crawling along the stems of the Sargasso; and from its
back rise two pairs of broad, somewhat rectangular pro-
cesses, while a pair of large rounded ones spring from the
head. When these animals were placed in a glass of sea
water they immediately turned over by the weight of these
processes, and sank to the bottom, having a most grotesque
appearance—the two pairs of body processes looking like

Cu. XXI.] SARGASSO SEA. 367

two pairs of hairy legs, and those of the head like a pair of
long drooping ears, and the whole animal singularly like a
long-haired Scotch terrier. The spawn of Scyllea I often
found twined in a narrow cylindrical coil in a very intricate
manner around the leaves of the Sargasso, and enveloped in
a gelatinous substance. Here and there a curious little fish
(Chironectes), of various shades of a rich brown colour, lived
on the weed—the pectoral fins bent in a singular manner,
and looking precisely like hands, by which it grasped firmly
on to the Sargasso. It was most curious to watch one of
these fishes in a globe of water, where it lived a consider-
able time, and readily came to be fed with little scraps of
meat. But here again a remarkable circumstance was to be
noted—viz., that all the inhabitants of the gulf-weed were
more or less of the same colour as the weed itself. The
little crabs here were all brown of various shades—the
fishes were brown—the Scylleas were all brown—so
that a uniform tint pervaded the whole, and it was
difficult to perceive the animals in the weed, unless they
were in motion. The Polyzoa and minute Zoophytes (Cam-
panularia), as well as minute Annelids, which grew upon
the weed, also afforded interesting occupation for the
microscope.

I had been told of a large crab having been seen to swim
past the ship; and I one day captured such an one in the
towing-net, a species of Neptunus (N. pelagicus), which must
be a terrific scourge to these populous communities. With
considerable swimming powers, and pincers of a peculiarly
trenchant character, such as usually accompany the flattened,
paddle-form of posterior legs, this monster appears to wander
from patch to patch of Sargasso, depopulating one of these
floating pastures, and then making for another, which it

368 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. X XT.

clears in like manner—a very tiger of the seas. It was of a
clouded reddish-brown colour.

On the 4th July, in lat. 804° N., and long. 36° W., we first
encountered an immense shoal of compound Salpe (Salpa
pinnata), which were no less remarkable from their interest-
ing and most singular forms and structures, than from their
abundance and the vast area over which they spread. In
the water they were perfectly transparent, but for two pink
linear bodies, and a yellowish brown canal, which seemed to
gain brilliancy of tint from being seen through some depth
of blue sea. These Salpe were united in sets of various
numbers by a rectangular gelatinous pedicle, which sprung
from the inner side of the body, and met a similar pedicle
in another individual. There was sometimes a single Salpa
floating, sometimes two, three, four, and so on up to 11 or
12, which were united together in such a manner as to pre-
sent the appearanee of the carpels of an orange; and not
unfrequently a second series of individuals was added out-
side the circumference of the original spheroidal mass. This
outer series was never so numerous as the inner one; but
consisted of from four to six individuals, united to the com-
mon centre by pedicles of a correspondingly increased length.
They floated by in immense numbers, usually in an oblique
position, but without any great apparent locomotive powers—
certainly not so great as those possessed by umbrella-form
Acalephs.

Upon withdrawing one of these clusters from the water,
I found that the individuals were united by a knife-like edge
at the extremity of each pedicle, which readily separated,
so that the compound animal very easily became detached
and independent. This accounted for the very various num-
bers in the groups which I had observed. Each individual

Cu. XXT.] COMPOUND SALPA. 369

was in every respect precisely like the other, and each con-
sisted of a tough bag of transparent jelly, open at each end,
through which the water freely flowed. The apertures were
large and gaping, and opened alternately, admitting and ex-
pelling the water—the opening at the upper end of the
animal, which admitted the water, being of a distinctly
valvular character. In nearly every one of these animals I
found a small crustacean (Hyperia), which swam freely
about in the cavity of their body, and seemed perfectly at
home there—not probably taken as a prey, but a voluntary
tenant, which could swim in and out of the Salpa at pleasure.
Few Salpz were without one of these, which was distinctly
visible through the transparent walls of the body—so trans-
parent that when placed in a white dish the whole animal
became invisible, but for the three coloured structures
which they all contained.

Besides the single Salpe I have mentioned, and which
were evidently fragments of a compound animal, there was
also a kind differing considerably from them, yet having
a family likeness, and which Vogt considers the simple
form of Salpa pinnata. It was very rare compared with
the compound form, of a fish-like aspect, transparent, open
at both ends, with apertures similar in form to the other,
but with no process for joining on to other individuals.
On each side of the body was a row of beautiful crimson
linear bodies, occupying rather more than the middle third
of the margin ; and its anatomical details, readily observed
through its glass-like walls, were very beautiful. I only
managed to secure one of them, though the others were .
floating by in myriads.

Associated with the compound Salpwe were others of a

smaller size, but in every other respect closely resembling
BB

870 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cx. XX.

them. These were of the size of a very small orange, and
differed from the large forms above described chiefly in the
fact that they were invariably perfect in their association,
and of a perfectly spheroidal form; never floating in twos
and threes, but always associated in numbers of eight or
nine to twelve or thirteen—also never having an outer
series, as in the larger kind; nor did I observe in any of
them the little crustacean so common in the first-men-
tioned. But in form the smaller were mere miniatures of
the larger; and in their anatomy I could detect no differ-
ence. I imagined that they were a young condition of those
first described; but this supposition was considerably
shaken by the fact, that of the myriads I noticed I never
could see an intermediate form between the two. Their
union by long pedicles, meeting also by a knife-edge in the
centre, was more distinctly visible than in the first form,
and the effect produced was a stellate arrangement of perfect
symmetry and great beauty. This form is also considered
by Vogt to be of the same species as the larger one, and
thus we have the curious phenomenon of these compound
animals—whose union of several individuals to constitute
a compound mass is in itself one of the most remarkable .
circumstances met with by the naturalist—assuming two
distinct forms in their united condition, as well as having
a simple or celibate form, which never connects itself in
compound masses, but always remains single, and retains
its own proper individuality.

The number of these animals associated in one globose
mass varied. In one I counted nine, in another ten, in an-
other thirteen. The mouths of all did not, as far as I
could make out, open simultaneously, and the upper mouth
had precisely the same construction as that of the first-

Cu. XXI.] CHAINED SALPA. 371

mentioned, viz., with a fish-like profile, the opening being
produced, not by the movement of both lips, but by a
moveable flap of the lower or inner enclosed lip, which alone
acted. They moved slowly by a rotatory motion, but ap-
peared also capable of projecting themselves along. All
these gelatinous animals, although themselves transparent,
when seen from above had a delicate green tint, and when
deep down, this green tint became so intensified that they
appeared absolutely luminous. But they were none of them
luminous in the dark, as I satisfied myself.

For eleven days we passed through shoals of these com-
pound Salpe, during the greater part of which time it was
perfectly calm weather. I did, however, see them beneath
the waves, when a stiff breeze had raised a considerable
amount of commotion in the sea. During these eleven days
we had passed from lat. 804° N. to lat. 414°, that is over eleven
degrees of latitude, or nearly 800 miles, during the greater
part of which they were thickly abundant. Nor were they
alone, but were associated with numerous oceanic Hydrozoa
of several species, some of which I have already alluded to
as of new and strange forms, but which unfortunately could
not always be captured from a moving vessel.

While watching these animals, I one day saw two mag-
nificent objects, which I took to be clusters of chained
Salpx, and which were truly wonders of the deep. One of
these consisted of five or six large Salpa-like bodies, forming
an oblique line, each one of a bright and delicate green
colour, and with a large rich ruby spot which shone in the
water like carbuncles. The other was a long convoluted
and delicate chain, which might be compared to a necklace
of diamonds set with brilliant rubies, the whole waving

gracefully in the currents of the water, just as though Venus
BB2

372 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cx. X XI.

had dropped her girdle as she rose from the sea. But how-
ever it deserved the name, it was not the rare Cestum
Veneris, but undoubtedly a chain of Salpe.* They were
near one another, and seen nearly at the same time; and as
it was impossible to get them, I immediately made a sketch
of them from observation. Singularly enough, on a subse-
quent day, in a dead calm, I once more saw both these
objects in close proximity, and was able to verify and correct
my sketch. Wewere at the moment getting up steam ; and
although a boat was lowered for another object, by which
an interesting discovery was indeed made, these beautiful
creatures had drifted out of sight, and scarcely was the ob-
ject of its being lowered attained when the boat was recalled,
and we were going through the shoals of marine wonders,
propelled by the screw at six or seven knots an hour. How
I longed to be in a sailing ship, with no steam at com-
mand to hurry one on just as the most interesting moments
arrived !

* For these two objects the reader is referred to the engraving on the
opposite page.

Chains of Salpeze

To face Page 372.

CHAPTER XXII.

OBSERVATIONS AT SEA.

Flying-fish—Their Range—Object of their Flight —Always away from the
Ship — Mode of Flight— Absence of Vibration of Wings—Nature of
Impulse—A Flying-fish Hunt —Albicores—Abundance of Flying-fish—
Trichodesmium, or Sea Dust—Red Sea Conferva—Abundance of Con-
ferva in the China Sea—Its Range — Cases of Red Discoloration —
Microscopic Characters of Sea Dust—Oscillatoria—Observations of Former
Voyagers — Horizontal Rainbow — Development and Peculiarities —
Changing Aspect of the Sea— Natural Colour of the Deep Sea— Changes
in Shallow Water—By Rough Weather—Father Secchi’s Spectroscopic
Observations.

ALTHOUGH few animals have been more often referred to
than the flying-fish, and their habits described by many ob-
servers, the accounts concerning them are so conflicting that
I was anxious to arrive at an unbiassed conclusion upon
certain points respecting these interesting creatures, and I
lost no opportunity of watching their movements with that
end in view. I did not notice any flying-fishes on approach-
ing the Equator, until reaching lat. 194° N. in the Red Sea ;
but we afterwards found them as high as 26° N. in the
Western Pacific in summer. In the Southern Hemisphere
we lost them in 203° S. in the Indian Ocean, and did not
meet with them again till 14° S.in the Atlantic, (perhaps
because it was winter in that part of the world), and finally
parted with them in about 26° N.

The statements made regarding their mode of flight by

374 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu XXII.

various observers differ so much that I wished to clear up,
at all events in my own mind, any doubt or confusion which
might exist on this point. The common impression ap-
pears to be that they emerge from the water either to escape
from their enemies below, or out of mere wantonness; and
that they disport themselves in the air for a certain time,
which lasts as long as their wings remain moist, beyond
which time they cannot maintain themselves above the water.
But the difficulties of observation are quite sufficient to
render it easy for a casual or inaccurate observer to be mis-
led, and it is only after close and continued attention that
I have convinced myself of one or two circumstances about
which I was long uncertain.

In the first place, I became convinced that flying-fish
never leave the water for their aérial journey without some
real or imagined cause of alarm; that they never fly in the
air to indulge their sportive humour, or to give vent to their
exuberant spirits, but solely to escape from some peril
which threatens them in the sea beneath. Their flight, there-
fore, is not that of a cheerful and happy animal indulging in a
nierry sport, as when unwieldy porpoises roll about on the sur-
face on a summer’s day; but it is the despairing and frantic
attempt of a terrified creature to escape an imminent danger,
which, though it may not always be successful, is more likely
to be so in the case of such as are well provided with service-
able wings, than of such individuals as are not so well fur-
nished. My reasons for this opinion are, that they always
rise from the ship’s cutwater or bow, and fly directly away
from it; nor do they ever fly towards the ship unless palpa-
bly pursued by some voracious fish. A shoal will rise simul-
taneously from the ship’s bows, and fly away in a series of
straight but radiating lines, dropping irregularly into the

Ox. XXII] FLYING-FISH. 375

water again, only to rise immediately once more, as simul-
taneously as if seized with a common panic; and thus they
rise and fall two or three times, taking a course inclined about
45° to that of the ship, until ultimately a few only of the
shoal may be seen emerging here and there at some distance
on the ship’s quarter. The only two instances in which I
ever observed them fly against the ship’s bows happened
when they were pursued by Bonitos, or Albicores, a short
distance off, when they became so terrified that they flew in
all directions, blindly endeavouring to avoid their agile ene-
mies; and I have been informed that under these circum-
stances they have sometimes flown in their terror so high
above the water that they have fallen upon the deck of a
ship. So also on two occasions I have known them fly into
a cabin through the open port, attracted by a light burning
within ; but whether from the same kind of fascination which
attracts the moth to the candle, or whether in consequence
of the pursuit of Albicores, I am, of course, unable to say.
Again, I may mention the fact that in situations in which we
know flying-fish to abound, the day may pass without any
being seen; nor, although the weather may have been fine
and calm and inviting to the fish, did they emerge from the
sea upon spontaneous excursions. Nor have’I ever seen
them flying at a distance from the ship, unless at a time
when I could also see that they were pursued by Albicores,
&e.

Next, with regard to their mode of flight. A shoal ofa
hundred or so will rise simultaneously,—some proceeding a
considerable distance, say from one hundred to one hundred
and fifty yards, without falling into the water, while indivi-
duals will drop after proceeding a few feet; and it is quite
impossible in such a shoal to single out one for satisfactory

376 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XXII.

observation. I found it best to watch for a single one, or
two or three, and endeavour to follow their course; but the
suddenness of their emergence from’ the water, and the
rapidity of their flight, always away from the eye, made it
difficult for a long time to detect the method of their loco-
motion. In general terms it may be said that they leave
the water at a very acute angle, and, as a rule, not more
than two or three feet above the surface, rising as the crests
of the waves rise, and falling with their troughs, often
touching the water, and, in many cases, dashing right
through the tops of the waves without impeding their
flight, lessening their speed, or materially altering their
course. Moreover, no difference was visible in their speed
and length of flight, whether they flew in the direction of
the wind or immediately against it; so that the idea of their
being borne along by the wind was out of the question. It
was very evident, therefore, that the impulse of their flight
was not all acquired before they left the water, for if so they
would rise and fall at the same angle, and their course in
the air would be in the form of an arc. Nor could they,
under these circumstances, possibly fly a hundred yards
without falling into the water. Indeed, whatever the primary
impulse might be, it is evident that it could not carry them
along over the surface of the water for any considerable dis-
tance, still less could it hurl them against the crests of the
waves, and that in the very teeth of a strong breeze, without
impeding their progress.

At the distance at which the flying-fish were from the eye
before observation could fairly be brought to bear upon them,
it was extremely difficult to detect anything like vibration
of the wings, nor could it be said that it absolutely did not
exist. But as some propelling power, while in the air, was

Cu, XXII] FLIGHT OF FLYING-FISH. 3T7

absolutely necessary to account for all the phenomena of
their flight, I was disposed to believe that a rapid vibration
existed, similar in character to that of the wings of a fly;
and I sometimes thought I could detect something of this
kind in the change of prismatic colours which played upon
their wings in the sun-light. But on one of the occasions
above referred to, on which a flying-fish escaping from a
Bonito flew towards the ship, I watched its approach, and
saw it ultimately fall into. the water immediately beneath
me; and I was absolutely certain that the wings were in a
state of perfect rest.

The opportunity of watching the evolutions of a somewhat
larger species in the Atlantic, however, at last, I believe,
supplied me with the clue which I sought. I then became
convinced that every flying-fish, as it leaves the water, has
its wings in a state of rapid vibration,—not so rapid as that
the eye cannot follow them however,—and thus it gains an
impulse in a horizontal direction. As soon as itis thus fairly
launched, the wings assume a state of rest, somewhat in the
position of those of a pigeon in the act of alighting, and thus
they continue until the fish at length drops into the water.
But when it meets, and is struck by, the crest of a wave, if
it emerges from it immediately, as frequently happens, it does
so with a similar vibration of the wings to that with which
it first left the water; and each time it strikes a wave a
new vibration succeeds, as though the contact of the water
produced an automatic vibration of the wings which kept
them above the surface. Each contact with the water, then,,
is followed by a vibration of the wings, producing a fresh
impetus; and in their lengthened flights over smooth water,
I early remarked that they occasionally touched the water in
their progress, the touch being probably provocative of a

378 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu, XXII.

new vibration which would carry them forward, although
too far off to be observed. But when the fish meets with
a succession of wave-crests, it takes a more or less zigzag
course, changing its direction each time it emerges from the
water, and at the same time waving from side to side after
the manner of the sailing flight of a large sea-bird.

Crossing the Equator on June 19th in long. 22° W., I
was witness to a remarkable scene, in which the poor flying-
fishes played a conspicuous part. The whole day long the
path of the ship was beset with a number of large fishes
(Albicores), which played sad havoc among them. The
Albicores were about 5 feet long, extremely active and bold,
darting to and fro under the cutwater, and raising the flying-
fishes in terrified shoals. Every now and then they would
leap in a graceful curve 8 or 10 feet out of the water, and
on several occasions one would make a succession of such
leaps among the shoals of flying-fish, and, singling out one,
catch it in the air, the victim being distinctly seen between
the jaws of the monster as he fell into the water. It was
an exciting and interesting scene to witness the leaping
and splashing of the great Albicores, which pursued their
prey with the rapidity of an arrow, and the frantic efforts of
the flying-fishes to escape, which were often ineffectual.
Leaving the water as usual in simultaneous shoals, they fled
-before their enemies usually at right angles to the ship’s
course, the wind being abaft; but I remarked, as an un-
usual circumstance, that after flying a little way they always
veered round before the wind, so that their flight was almost
universally bent in the form of a boomerang. Accompanying
the Albicores were two smaller red fishes, which did not
leaye the water, but which were evidently in pursuit of small
flying-fishes. I several times saw rise before them a little

Cu. XXII.J] ALBICORES AND FLYING-FISH. 379

flying-fish, not more than 2 inches long, such as I had never
seen before, and which only seemed capable of propelling
itself a yard or two through the air.

At ten o’clock in the morning we hove-to, for the pur-
pose of practising with shot and shell at a target; and for
an hour the boom of 68-pounders, and the crash of 110-
pounder Armstrongs, added to the splash of the shot and
shell, might have been imagined to be sufficient to frighten
the Albicores, &c., away. But although I did not notice
them as long as we were lying-to, no sooner did we continue
our course than the scene was resumed with renewed activity.
One of the Albicores seized a hook baited with a rag, which
was hung over the bowsprit, but the line was not strong
enough for his violent plunges, and he carried it all away.
They did not leave the ship all day; and in the afternoon
I noticed two of them swimming close beside the bridge.
They accompanied us at least two hours, always in the
same spot, keeping pace with the ship—every now and then
diverging after a passing flying-fish, but returning again to
their station beside the bridge. How long they had been
in that position before they were noticed I cannot say.

Flying-fish must be extremely abundant. On some days
the shoals seen on the wing must have amounted to many
thousands; and even when none were seen, proofs some-
times existed of their great plenty. Thus, when lying for
several days on the edge of the Pratas Reef, in the China
Sea, not a single flying-fish was observéd on the wing, yet
when I went among the gannets’ nests upon the island, I
found that every bird sitting upon the nest had four or five
large fresh flying-fishes in its stomach, which it disgorged
before taking wing. These were probably taken in the
water by the birds. At Kelung, in North Formosa, I saw

380 : RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XXII.

great quantities of flying-fish of a large size (about 18 inches
long), which had been dried and packed in barrels, and
were probably intended for exportation to Amoy.

T have hitherto purposely avoided speaking of a floating
object which naturally attracted considerable attention on
various occasions—not on account of its novelty, for it has
been written about over and over again, and referred to by
many travellers—but on account of: its abundance and fre-
quency in the seas in which my voyages were chiefly made.
This substance is what is known to mariners under the
various names of spawn, whales’-food, sea-sawdust, and
other terms which are equally incorrect, for the substance
is really a confervoid growth, to which the generic name of
Trichodesmium has been applied by Ehrenberg. It has
long been believed that the Red Sea derived its name, which
signifies the same both in Latin, Greek, and also in modern
Arabic, from an occasional red discoloration of its waters
—a discoloration which was first observed by Ehrenberg in
1823, when spending some time on the coast of the upper
part, and carefully examined by him, as well as by Montagne,
by means of specimens supplied to him by an observant
traveller. Both these savans agree that the substance dis-
coloring the waters of the Red Sea is of a vegetable nature,
being in fact a filamentous Alga, which has received the
name of Trichodesmium erythreum—of a blood-red colour
—which often covers large areas, and appears and disap-
pears somewhat capriciously. Observers in other parts of
the world have met with a copious deposit from time to
time which appears to be of the same nature; and although
it does not appear that this deposit is always of a red
colour, it has been referred by competent botanists to the
same species, which has since been renamed T. Ehrenbergii

Cu. XXII.] CHINA SEA CONFERVA. 331

—hbecause a second blood-red species, T. Hindsii, had been
found off the west coast of S. America. It is somewhat
singular that both these speciés should have the charac-
teristic red tint—a tint which I have never seen assumed
by any of the vast quantities of Trichodesmium which have
passed under my notice.

I saw none of this red appearance in my passage down
the Red Sea, nor any indication whatever of the existence
of Trichodesmium therein; but first observed it in the
Indian Ocean in lat. 5° N., and long. 70° E., when I entered
the remark in my journal that the sea had a dusty appear-
ance, as though myriads of minute bodies were floating in
it—an appearance rendered very distinct when the sun
shone upon it. I fancied these motes might be minute
animals, which perhaps produced the luminous sparks
so often visible at night; but having succeeded in getting
some of the water, I found that the objects in question
were little bodies, which under a lens presented the appear-
ance of sheaves of minute fibres, constricted in the middle,
but loose at the ends, like sheaves of corn in miniature.
It was not, however, till we were east of Singapore, and
fairly in the China Sea, that this peculiar phenomenon be-
came visible in all its remarkable features. Nearly every
day, while traversing this sea, more or less of Trichodes-
mium was to be seen, and not unfrequently the sea was
covered with a thick scum like that which settles upon a
stagnant pond, only of a yellowish brown colour. In very
calm weather this scum formed a regular, smooth pellicle
in the water, thrown up here and there into folds and rugo-
sities. Such a scum would sometimes cover the sea more
or less for nearly the whole day with little interruption. If,
however, a moderate breeze was blowing, and the sea raised,

382 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XXII.

instead of a uniform pellicle, the dust would be arranged
in long irregular parallel lines, or bands, extending un-
broken as far as the eye could reach, and taking the
direction of the wind. On one occasion we crossed a
single band of this character, the only one seen on that
day.

The frequency of this appearance in the China Sea may
be judged of by the fact that out of four times that I crossed
that sea, I observed the sea-dust to be more or less abun-
dant during three of them, and assuming one or other of
the appearances described. The fourth time was in winter
(December), and during the height of the monsoon, the
wind being very boisterous and the sea very rough, so that
this substance was doubtless so thoroughly washed and dis-
persed by the waves as to be indistinguishable amid the
turmoil and foam. The most northerly point at which I
observed the accumulation of Trichodesmium forming a
pellicle upon the surface, was at the north entrance of
Formosa Channel, in lat. 252°; and it is somewhat remark-
able that I should have seen none south of the Equator in
the Indian Ocean, Rhio Strait being the most southern
locality. On one occasion indeed, in lat. 283° S., it mani-
fested its presence by the same indications by which I first
noticed it, namely a scintillating of the scattered sheaves
below the surface—a fact which I proved by examining the
water; and in the Atlantic, in lat. 80° S., the same appear-
ance was closely followed by two or three bands or streaks,
in which it was quite dense, discoloring the water.

But it is worthy of notice that on all these occasions the
colour of the Trichodesmium was the same, viz. a yellowish
brown, and never at any time red, or approaching it—much
less the rouge de sang of the French botanists. On only

Cu. XXII} MICROSCOPIC APPEARANCE. 383

two occasions did I ever observe the sea discoloured by red
matter—once by myriads of minute red Crustacea, in the
Indian Ocean, and again by a dense mass of red gelatinous
worms in Formosa Channel—but never by Trichodesmium.

The characters presented under the microscope by the
specimens I first obtained in the Indian Ocean have been
already alluded to; and although the ultimate elements of
the various specimens were the same, I met with two dis-
tinct forms of Trichodesmium, one on either side of the
Malacca peninsula. That on the west side was in the form
of a miniature sheaf of corn, while that of the China Sea was
a cylindrical bundle of fibres, more or less pointed at one
end, but obliquely truncated at the other. This was also
the form it assumed on the other occasions on which I
examined it. Both these, however, consisted of bundles of
cellular fibres of the same character. The bundles were
cream-coloured and opaque, and a lens showed that the
ends were fimbriated, owing to the component fibres being
loose at their extremities. With slight compression these
fibres were seen to be cylindrical filaments of unequal length,
combined together and interlacing one another, forming an
intricate net-work, which resembled unfinished basket-work
with the long ends of the osiers sticking straight out. Each
filament was long, symmetrical, and unbranched, with a
rounded extremity, and even, hair-like outline—divided by
transverse septa into rectangular cells half as long as broad ;
and each cell contained some. grains of chlorophyll in the
centre, which rendered it opaque. Continued pressure, how-
ever, discharged part of this substance, rendering the cell-
walls distinct, and ultimately the filament broke up into its
component cells, which presented various facets to the eye—
some round and some rectangular, proving its confervoid

384 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. ([Cu. XXIE.

character—being in fact composed of a linear series of
tubular cells.

No movement took place in any of these cells; -but mingled
occasionally with this was another microscopic vegetable,
spherical in form, and bristling with minute rays like a
miniature Echinus—and about as large as a pin’s head.
This proved under the microscope to be entirely different in
character from the confervoid just described, and was indeed
an Oscillatoria. It possessed also a gelatinous envelope,
which I never could find in the Trichodesmium, but was in
much smaller quantities than the latter.

The naturalists of Captain Cook’s third voyage observed
the substance I have described about New Guinea, and the
sailors called it sea sawdust. Peron saw it extending for
20 leagues from east to west, of a greyish colour. Darwin
noticed it near the Abrolhos islets, and says he met with an
allied, but smaller, species off Cape Leeuwin, Australia ;
but none of the observers appear to have looked upon it as
an every-day phenomenon, as it certainly appeared to be in
the China Sea. Moreover, although it has been settled that
the conferva observed by these travellers in different parts
of the ocean is of the same species as that which discolours
the Red Sea, I am myself very strongly of opinion that this
is an error, and that it will be found that several species of
this remarkable little Alga exist in different parts of the
world. The two forms I have described are both of them
in many respects different from Trichodesmium Ehrenbergii
—nor have they much in common with the second recog-
nised species, T. Hindsii.* .

* For a more complete account of this substance, the reader is referred to a
paper recently read at the Royal Microscopical Society, and which will be
found in the ‘‘ Microscopical Journal” for April 1868.

Cu. XXII.] HORIZONTAL RAINBOW. 385

I have alluded in some parts of this volume to remarkable
atmospheric effects occasionally met with in the open ocean ;
but none were more singular than the horizontal rainbow
which I witnessed on May 5th, in lat. 25° 19’ S., and longi-
tude 54° 13’ E. The weather was very fine and bright, and
we were sailing gently along with a-light breeze, when I ob-
served signs of a squall blowing up from the 8.S.H. I was
sitting reading on deck at the time, and immediately went
over. to the port gangway to watch its approach. It was
about half-past one p.m., and the sun was therefore in the
N.N.W., exactly opposite the approaching squall, upon which
was already developed a rainbow of low altitude (12° to 15°).
While gazing at it my attention was arrested by a yellowish-
brown haze upon the horizon immediately under the centre
of the arc, which, although very faint, appeared from its
position to have some connection with the squall or with the
rainbow ; and I was thus induced to watch it attentively.
At first it was a mere indefinite tinge of colour on the distant
horizon, and for two or three minutes it seemed to undergo
no change; but at length by slow degrees it increased in
intensity, and then appeared to spread over the water, look-
ing as though a cloud of reddish dust was hanging over the
sea. For some minutes I was quite at a loss how to account
for it, but carefully watched to see what would be the up-
shot. Itnowrapidly intensified in brightness, and presently
became prismatic; then slowly spreading forward across
the sea towards us, it at length presented the appearance
of a brilliant horizontal bow lying upon the sea, its apex just
capping the horizon, and its hmbs seeming to fade away upon
the water halfway between the eye and the horizon. As
the horizontal bow increased in intensity the vertical one
gradually faded away, and quite vanished immediately after

ce

386 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XXII.

the former had reached its greatest brilliancy, which was
most marked about the centre or apex.

In the horizontal bow the red colour was upon the outer
or convex side, while in the vertical bow the red was on the
inner or concave side. The horizontal bow was therefore the
primary bow, and the vertical bow the secondary or reflected
one. Hence we had the remarkable spectacle of a secondary
bow appearing before the primary bow was at all developed,
and fading in proportion as the latter reached its greatest
intensity. The vertical bow, however, was always much
less bright than the horizontal bow ultimately became. This
latter, when once the prismatic colours became fully de-
veloped, seemed rapidly to approach us from the horizon,
the limbs appearing to shoot forward, becoming broad, and
spreading a wide coloured space upon the blue water on
either side; and the bow, when complete, had somewhat of
a horseshoe-shape, as though foreshortened. When it had
reached its greatest intensity, being then of amazing bril-
liancy, it suddenly faded and disappeared, and the vertical
bow, which had been growing very faint, disappeared at the
same time. Throughout the whole duration of the pheno-
menon the apex of the horizontal bow maintained precisely
its original position upon the horizon, namely, where I had
first been struck by the appearance of the luminous haze ;
and from the time I first observed this appearance till the
moment when the whole vanished was about ten minutes.
During this time a small drizzling rain fell, which was
scarcely sufficient to wet the deck, and the squally effect
passed away to the south-west.

But while it might happen that no peculiar phenomena
attracted attention in the sky, nor any living animals were
visible in the water, it was always interesting to observe the

Cu. XXI1.] ASPECTS OF THE SEA. 387

ever-changing colour of the sea. The surface of the ocean
is not the monotonous plain which some would make it out
to be; it is ever varying with a succession of aspects both of
form and colour. Now it is smooth and glassy, now break-
ing into dimpled smiles, the dvypiOyov yedacpa of the
dramatist, now capped with foam and breaking all around
into white horses, and now rolling in majestic billows, which
I for one never tire of watching, as they bound along from
afar off as though they meant to engulf the ship, and then
raising her gently up to their highest crest, poise her above
the boiling plain, and as gently lower her again into a smooth
hollow valley, the emerald sides of which are streaked with
foam. The sudden and rapid changes, and the ever varying
prospect, form as near an approach to the wavy, skimming
flight of a sea-bird as can well be imagined.

Nor is the colour of the sea more monotonous than its
other aspects. Nowa pale sapphire blue, it deepens into
ultramarine, and then again into intense indigo, or blue-black.
Again it may assume a pale yellow-green colour, and become
bright emerald ; and when the setting sun bathes the clouds
with gold, the sea partakes of their glory, and dazzles the
eye with a flood of light, which fades away like the dying
hues of the dolphin through shades of purple and rose, until
it once more assumes its twilight tint of deep indigo-blue.

The natural colour of the deep sea when perfectly at rest,
in fine weather, is a rich violet blue, of an intensity and in-
describable brilliancy which no pigment ever equalled. Nor
is this colour in any degree dependent upon the blueness of
the sky in the way of reflection, which not only does not
cause, but in no way assists in intensifying the blue of the
sea. For not only is this colour of the sea to be observed
when the sky is cloudless, but also when, although bright,

cc 2

388 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. ([Cu. XXII.

scarcely any blue sky is visible, the whole vault being filled
with rolling white cumuli. But anything which intercepts
the light of the sun changes at once this rich violet-blue into
some other colour. If it is a passing cloud, or the shadow
of the ship, while all around is bright, the sea becomes under
its influence indigo-blue ; whereas if direct light is altogether
excluded, as on a dull cloudy day, the sea becomes of a deep
blue-black, or even leaden hue. Thus I have seen it lead-
colour and of a bright blue. within a space of two’ hours,
when the weather has changed from dull to fine. The same
effect is also produced when the sun gets low, although it
may be clear. .

Near the shore, or in soundings, as it is expressed, the
sea is never of this rich violet-blue, probably because the
depth of water is not sufficient for the light to have its full
and true effect. Moreover, the sea being beautifully clear
and transparent, at a moderate depth the nature of the bot-
tom has a perceptible effect upon the colour of the water.
Usually under such circumstances the colour of the sea is
olive-green, a colour which I have observed extending for
70 or 80 miles from land off the south coast of Africa; and
nearer than this, when the water is shallow, it often has a
variegated ‘appearance, directly due to the various growths
of weed and the irregularities of the sea-bed.

But even in deep-sea the water is not always violet-blue
or. indigo; but under the same conditions of light, the
smoothness or roughness of the surface is accompanied by
gradations of colour between blue and yellow. Thus ona
fine day, such as, if also smooth, would have produced the
characteristic violet-blue, the surface being ruffled, a fine,
light-blue tint was everywhere visible, but more usually
a shade of green; a circumstance which was particularly

a

Cu. XXII.] COLOUR OF THE SEA. 389

marked when, after squally weather, we were in a latitude
in which the soundings marked in the chart were 2350
fathoms, but the sea was of a light-green colour; and the
remark I have entered in my journal was that for some two
or three days past, during windy weather, the sea has lost
its blue colour, and to-day seems washed out. This peculiar
phenomenon I attribute to’ the commotion which the sea
has undergone, having entangled air. with the water; and
although no masses of foam are anywhere visible, myriads
of minute air bubbles, mingled with the water, modify the
usual absorption. of light, and reflect more or less of the
yellow. rays., That this is the proper explanation is con-
firmed by a fact I have more than ofce noticed, viz. that
when, in fine weather, the sea has been of the ordinary
dark-blue colour, the wake of the ship has been marked by
a path of light-green water for a long distance behind.

That blue is the natural colour of the water is moreover
proved by the fact, that whatever the colour of the sea under
the changing influences of light and shade, whether dull and
leaden, or bluish-green, the water in the screw-well,—upon
which we look directly down, and which is liable to no
lateral reflection or disturbing influences such as the open
sea must of necessity be subject to from the angle at which
our eyes regard it,—is always blue, sometimes pale, some-
times dark; but under the most favourable circumstances,
of an intensity which frequently attracts the admiration of
those to whom it is an every-day occurrence. I think it
was Sir Humphry Davy who attributed this blueness -of the
sea to. the presence of iodine; but I cannot help thinking
that it is an inherent property in the water, just as some
shade of the same colour appears to be an inherent property
in the air of the atmosphere, that is to say, that sea-water,

390 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cn. XXII.

as such, in sufficient quantities, absorbs the red and yellow
with their compounds, rejecting the blue and violet for the
benefit of our eyes.

Father Secchi of Rome, in examining the water of the sea,
found that the spectrum of its colour lost its red. rays first,
and at a slight depth; after which, as the depth increased,
the yellow and green rays successively disappeared to a
great extent, and the water assumed its violet-blue tint.
And in some researches which he has lately been making
upon the colour of light transmitted through masses of ice,
he finds that the red rays are very faint, being ‘mostly ab-
sorbed, while the richest blue was transmitted, so that in a
grotto of ice the flesh-tints of the human face assumed
that ghastly appearance which is seen when a homogeneous
blue light is burning ; and he comes to the conclusion that
the true colour of water is blue, mixed with violet.

CHAPTER XXIII.
THE LUMINOSITY OF THE SEA.

Nature of the Phenomenon—Phosphorescence a Misnomer—Classification of
Luminous Phenomena—Sparks always visible—Their Cause—Luminous
Sheath to Ship—Singapore Harbour—Simon’s Bay—Noctiluce— Scene
on the Chinese Coast—Moon-shaped Patches of Light—Not caused by
Meduse—Often spontaneous—Probably Pyrosomas—Recurrent Flashes—
Colour and Appearance spontaneous—Depth of the Animals—Examples
of Recurrence—Milky Sea; its Rarity—Conditions of Luminosity—Non-
luminous Animals—Rationale of Luminosity—A Correlative of some
other Force—Contractility—Luminous Envelopes—Range of Luminosity
among Animals.

THERE are few subjects of study more interesting than the
luminous appearances presented by the sea under various
circumstances, and the least observant person cannot fail to
be struck with the remarkable phenomena which in the
course of along voyage he must perforce sometimes witness.
That the sea, the great extinguisher of fire, should be turned
into flame—that the darkness of night should be iluminated
by the luminous glow which bathes every ripple, and breaks
over every wave—that globes of light should traverse the
ocean, or that lightning flashes should coruscate no less in
the billows of the sea than in the clouds of the air—are all
facts which seize upon the imagination, and enforce attention
and consideration. Nor is the interest lessened by the
knowledge that all these phenomena are produced by ani-
mals, whose home is in the great waters—that not only do
the fiery bodies of large animals give out steady patches of.

light, but that of the myriad animalcules with which the sea

392 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Ca. XXIII.

teems, like motes in a sun-beam, each contributes its tiny scin- ,
tillation, the aggregate forming a soft and lovely radiance.

The luminosity of the sea, its appearance, and its nu-
merous forms—the various conditions under which it became
manifest—and, as far as practicable, the causes which pro-
duced it, were subjects to which I was anxious to pay espe-
cial attention. For, although some of these points had
already engaged the attention of competent observers, who
have elicited much curious and valuable information, few of
them have had the opportunity of watching the phenomena
for a long-continued period, or over a wide extent of ocean.
Much therefore undoubtedly yet remains to be learned
regarding them; and I shall in this chapter collect together
the various scattered observations which I carried on at
every available opportunity during the space of a year and a
half. Not a night passed while I was at sea without my
looking out for luminous appearances, jotting down any-
thing novel or unusual, and, whenever practicable, making
an examination for the determination of the cause and modus
operandi of the luminous manifestation. And although the
bright moonlight nights were often very beautiful, I not
unfrequently bewailed the invisibility of the luminous ani-
mals whose light was temporarily extinguished by the
superior effulgence of the lunar rays; and I longed fora
return of the dark, but no less beautiful star-light nights,
the brilliancy of which compensated for the absence of the
moon, without putting a stop to my observations upon the
luminosity of the sea.

Before detailing the remarkable phenomena which pre-
sented themselves to my notice from time to time, let me
say that I purposely avoid using the word phosphorescence
when speaking of these appearances—a term very gene-

Cx, XXTIT.] CATEGORIES OF LUMINOSITY. 393

rally, and at the same time very loosely applied by most
observers, but which has no right to any place in the de-
scriptions of luminous phenomena as exhibited by the
sea. Phosphorescence is here a misnomer, and an even
greater misuse of terms is it to speak of phosphorescent
matter. There is no phosphorus in the case, nor any-
thing allied to it, except in the abstract meaning of the
word; neither is there any combustion; but the light is,
sui generis, the product of causes of an entirely different
category from those which have to do with the light-pro-
ducing properties of phosphorus. Nor is the light of a
material character, such as could be spread upon the end
of a match, like phosphorus; and although in some few
cases the luminosity has appeared to cleave to extraneous
substances, there can be little doubt that in such cases
the light had a different origin, and was of a different
character from the ordinary forms of animal luminosity
exhibited in living organized bodies.

But we will first state the facts, and draw some conclu-
sions afterwards. And it will make the subject clearer if
we follow a methodical arrangement, and group the facts in
an orderly manner. I would therefore classify all the cases
of luminosity which have come under my observation, under
the following five heads :—

1. Sparks, or points of light. a

2. A soft liquid, general and wide-spread effulgence.

3. Moon-shaped patches of steady light.

4, Instantaneous recurrent flashes.

5. Milky sea.

The first of these, or the appearance of points or sparks
of light, is by far the most common, and in different degrees.
may be said to be all but universal. Whether the other

O04 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XXIII.

forms of luminosity are exhibited or not, sparks of light in
greater or less abundance are scarcely ever absent. The
sea, more particularly when agitated, sparkles with brilliant
points of light, varying in size from that of a pin’s head to
that of a pea, and of greater or lesser permanency—some
being almost instantly extinguished, while others retained
their light for an appreciable length of time. I do not think
I ever looked at the sea on a dark night without seeing
some few sparks, even though I might have entered a
remark that the sea was ‘not luminous to-night.” But
usually these sparks are abundant, and on occasions they
present a wonderfully brilliant appearance. On one occa-
sion, when this phenomenon was unusually striking, on the
coast of China in lat. 26° N., on drawing up bottles full of
water, and pouring it out in the dark, the water sparkled
brightly as the luminous points ran over; but a close
inspection revealed nothing in the water but a few minute
Entomostraca. On another occasion, when some water
which had been left in a basin exhibited luminosity at night,
I got a very brilliant spark upon my finger, and taking it to
the light, it proved to be a minute crustacean of the same
division. I do not mean to say, however, that these sparks,
when thus appearing as distinct and segregated scintilla-
tions, are always due to Entomostraca. There are many
other minute creatures which exhibit luminosity; but I wish
to draw a distinction between this form and that next to be
described, which appears to be mainly due to one organism,
which, owing to its occasional great abundance, produces
phenomena conveniently distinguishable from this common
and almost universal one. :

The second form of luminosity then to be noticed occurs
comparatively rarely. It consists of a soft, usually greenish

Ox. XXIII] SCENE IN SINGAPORE HARBOUR. 395

light, which only makes its appearance when smooth water
is disturbed, and is only seen in calm weather. This indeed
appears identical with what we see nearer home, as on the
shores of Ostend and in the estuary of the Mersey. This
form of luminosity I have observed on only three occasions,
but each time under similar circumstances; and I have
reason to believe that the cause is the same on all occasions,
whether in the eastern seas or in the Mersey. On the 5th
of July, being on the coast of China, in lat. 27°, the weather
in the afternoon became dead calm, and after sunset I
remarked that the sea was beautifully luminous, but alto-
gether without conspicuous sparks or points of light.
Wherever the ripples caused by the advancing ship rolled
away, they were crested with bright green light, and the
ship’s hull appeared to be enveloped in a luminous sheath.
On this occasion the effect did not last long, and I did not
examine the water microscopically.

The next time I noticed this form of luminosity was in
Singapore Harbour, on November the 6th. The wind was
east, thermometer 76°, weather fine. The water was like
glass, smooth and beautiful, and exhibited no light except
when disturbed ; but every oar-stroke of the boat in which I
was rowed produced eddying circles of brilliant light, and a
lovely soft green glow crowned every ripple from the bows.
The scene was perfectly fairy-like. As we pulled among the
shipping, under a brilliant tropical star-Lit sky, we left a fiery
wake which widened behind us. [Every splash in the water
was like a shower of diamonds, and a myriad of minute
sparks leaped up when I took water in my hands and poured
it back into the sea, and the aggregate of these multitudinous
and brilliant scintillations made up this delicate luminosity,
which I never saw so beautifully exhibited as upon this

396 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. ([Ca. XXIII.

night. The following night the same effect was visible, but
scarcely so intense as before (wind N.E.,. temp. 76°), and
on the third night: (the wind being E., and temp. 75°) I
again observed it. After this I was ‘absent from Singapore
two nights,.and on my. return I no longer. noticed’ the
luminous effect.

On each of, these three nights; I carefully examined the
water. As filled a bottle, bright sparks of light’ adhered
to my hands, or on bringing it to the lamp. I found that it
contained a number of small globular greenish bodies, which
floated upon the surface for the most part, but appeared to
have the power of freely moving in the water. On ‘closer
examination these bodies proved to be Noctiluce; and during
the night I observed that the contents of.the bottle fre-
quently flashed with bright and rapid coruscations. I had
no difficulty therefore in coming to the conclusion that the
peculiar luminosity in the harbour was due to the presence
of innumerable Noctiluce.

On the 24th of May, lying in Simon’s Bay, Cape of Good
Hope, the water was again luminous, in a manner similar
to the occasion just alluded to. The weather was fine, wind
W.N.W., light; bar. 30°04, therm. 60°. On examining
the water closely, I found that, as before, the luminous
effect, though soft, subdued, and apparently uniform, was
really due to innumerable small sparks; and. on bringing
the water to the light, I found numerous Noctiluce in it
precisely similar to those observed at Singapore. ‘They
were not, however, in sufficient numbers to have produced
all the light, for in a wine-glassful of water there were on
an average not more than a dozen Noctiluce. But besides
these bodies there were a great number of motes in the
water, many of which appeared, by their rapid jerking loco-

Cu. XXIIT.] _NOCTILUCA. 397

motion, to be minute Entomostracous Crustacea. They
were so minute that, by the imperfect light on board ship,
I long’ tried in vain to secure one to place under the micro-
scope. Besides’ these were also some larger species of
Entomostraca.

The Noctiluce may be described from these specimens :—

they measured from 3+, to z¢5 of an inch in diameter ;
they.were somewhat kidney-shaped, and of a pale greenish
colour when seen with the naked eye, closely resembling
Volvox in appearance, but with a much less active move-
ment. They had, however, powers of locomotion, though
the means were not apparent under the microscope. They
had a dark nucleus, usually irregular, but in some cases
spherical and well defined. The circumferential outline
seemed very faint (on account of their globular form), and
their general aspect was very variable. A kind of slit ap-
peared to extend through two-thirds of the body, from which
faint lines radiated, usually having a double outline, and
not reaching the circumference of the sphere, but often
terminating in large, round, granular bodies of various sizes.
The. whole body was studded with minute spherical inter-
-spaces (vacuoles) of various sizes, which strongly refracted
the light, like oil globules; but slight movements, which
appeared to be taking place in an almost imperceptible
manner, soon changed the whole aspect of any individual
Noctiluca while under observation, so that the description
or drawing of one minute did not answer for the next. Each
Noctiluca had a large curved cilium projecting beyond the
body, by means of which they are believed to move, ap-
parently taking its rise from the nucleus.

‘The form of luminosity due to Noctiluce, although very
striking, yet, owing to its softness, appears to be completely .

398 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XXIII.

extinguished by moonlight, even when the moon is young.
It was exhibited, only less marked, on the two following
evenings, and on the third we left False Bay, a locality
which has been remarked as very frequently exhibiting this
beautiful phenomenon.

On the 7th of July, in lat. 28°, on the coast of China,
only two days after the occurrence of this form of lumino-
sity as first described, a heavy swell coming in from the
south-west was met by a north-east wind, and the ship
rolled tremendously. The sea was beautifully luminous,
every wave breaking with a pale light, which was visible
at a considerable distance, so that the whole sea was
streaked with light; and again that peculiar phenomenon,
of the ship sailing in a luminous sheath, was visible (see
page 142). I mention this case, because it was one of the
most striking instances of general luminosity which had
come under my notice: it appeared to be compounded of
the.two forms I have already described.

The third form of luminosity to be described, consists
of moon-shaped patches of steady white light, which I have
found to be a very common phenomenon under certain cir-
cumstances. Next to the occurrence of sparks, and always
accompanied by them, this form of luminosity is most fre-
quently seen, and does not appear to be confined to any
particular locality. I first observed it in the Mediterranean,
on the first night on which the absence of the moon allowed
it to be visible; and I have since found it to be no less
frequent in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean, the China Sea,
and the Atlantic north and south of the Equator. It is
most commonly visible in the wake of the ship, and consists
of numerous round patches of light, closely resembling the
appearance of white-hot shot, of various sizes, beneath the

Cu. XXTIJ.] CAUSE OF MOON-SHAPED PATCHES. 399

water at different depths. Sometimes, when deep down,
they were pale, and of a whitish colour, with indistinct out-
line, and of large size; but when nearer the surface, they
, were smaller and more distinct, and assumed a pale greenish
tinge. They usually remained visible for eight or ten se-
conds, but sometimes less. As these appearances were just
such as might be presented by the umbrellas of large Me-
duse, were such present and luminous, I was strongly in-
clined, at first, to attribute them to this cause; and the
fact that on one occasion (about a week after I left Eng- ,
land), I saw these moonlight patches in the Red Sea on
the evening of a day on which the ship had passed through
a shoal of Aureliw, led me to attribute them to their pre-
sence. I supposed that the Aureliew, struck by the screw,
gave out their light under the excitation of the blow, and
floated away luminous and dying. But I was forced to
abandon this theory afterwards; for I have since many times
watched for floatmg. Meduse before the light failed, and
have not seen ove for days and weeks together, and yet the
moon-shaped patches have been as bright and as abundant
as before. And again, when we have passed through a thick
shoal of Meduse towards evening, the luminous appearances
have not been more marked than usual, but even less so.
Moreover, having secured specimens of these Acalephs,
they have not exhibited any luminosity whatever during
the night. Although, however, I ceased to regard the
Acalephe as the source of the luminous patches in
question, there can be no doubt that the great numbers
which are always visible immediately under the stern, are
due to the fact of the eddies of the ship exciting the emis-
-sion of light in certain animals capable of exhibiting lumi-
nosity. Not, however, that similar appearances are never

o

400 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XXIII.

seen in other situations where they are unmolested, though
I must say that in my experience this is rare. Thus, in
the Indian Ocean, in lat. 124° N. and long. 55° E. (bar. 30°,
therm. 82°), among other appearances I noticed now and,
then a large luminous patch, with a roundish, irregular
outline, pass by, emitting a pale and steady light, although
out of the path of the ship; and on August 17th, being in
a small boat on the coast of Borneo, in a strong breeze,
after dark, I observed deep beneath the surface, and entirely

_ apart from any influence of the oars, the appearance of large
globes of white light, shining persistently and spontaneously
in considerable numbers.

Although I long and constantly watched for, the bodies
which produced this remarkable and frequent luminous effect,
I did so for a considerable time in vain. In vain I attempted
to penetrate below the surface in search of any animals which
could possibly originate the light. Although I could dis-
tinctly see the bottom of the ship’s rudder, 19 feet deep, I
could never detect a trace of any living thing within that
depth by day; but no sooner did darkness supervene than
they were often in the greatest abundance. It was on June
Qnd, in lat. 283° S., and long. 9° E., that I was at length
witness of a circumstance which seemed to elucidate the
question. Looking as usual over the stern, there were
plenty of moon-shaped patches, accompanied by sparks un-
usually large and bright. The patches were remarkably
persistent, and could be traced for nearly half a minute after
the ship had passed. They were evidently at a considerable
but varying distance below the surface of the water. When
far down they appeared large and faint, and ill defined;
but when nearer the surface they were smaller, brighter, and
better defined. As I watched, one of the bright bodies

Cn. XXTIT.] FLASHES OF LIGHT. 401

whirled about by the eddy of the rudder, came absolutely to
the surface, and exhibited a nearly rectangular form of great
brilliancy, of a pale green colour, and, as far as I could judge,
about six inches long by two broad. It instantly occurred
to me that it was a Pyrosoma, and that this Ascidian was the
usual cause of the phenomenon, the circular form of the
patches being only an illusion produced by the diffusion of
the light through a certain depth of water. I continued
watching for a long time in the hope of seeing another ; but
although so good an opportunity did not occur again, many
seemed to come near the surface, diminishing in size, but |
increasing in brilliancy as they did so—one in particular,
very low down, suddenly gave out a dazzling brilliancy, which
produced a momentary effulgence in the water all around.

I may mention that on a moonlight night, when the moon
has been dimmed by fleecy clouds, I have been able dis-
tinctly to recognise these moonlight patches ; but when the
moon has shone out clearly they were no longer visible.

T have now to describe the fourth form of luminosity ex-
hibited by marine animals, viz., momentary recurrent flashes
of light. This form is nearly as commonly seen as the moon-
shaped patches already described, which it very frequently,
although perhaps not always, accompanies. If, however,
the latter are well marked, the flashes are almost sure to be
visible. I first observed them in the Indian Ocean, north
of the line, and, since then, in the China seas and Atlantic.
This appearance is very striking, but can only be seen under
favourable circumstances, i.e., when the night is dark and
the sea smooth. An indistinct transitory patch of lght
appears in the water as evanescent as a flash of lightning,—
so rapidly does it come and go that it is difficult to fix the

exact spot where it occurred. The brightness of the flash
DD

402 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XXIII.

varies probably according to the depth of the animal pro-
ducing it below the surface,—sometimes it is of considerable
brilliancy, and sometimes so pale that it would not have been
noticed but for its suddenness. The colour is always whitish,
and the form of the flash round, brightest in the middle, and
becoming indistinct at the circumference. I have on some
occasions seen these flashes occur in such numbers and with
such rapidity that it would have been impossible to count
them; though, more commonly, sey were comparatively
few and far between.
_ But that which interested me most in these flashes of

light was the fact that they always occurred at a distance
from the path of the ship. Although I have seen them
accompanying the moonshaped patches of light in the ship’s
wake, the places from which I could best observe the flashes
were the forecastle or the gangways, when they could be
seen in the smooth water several yards distant from the
ship’s side, and entirely uninterfered with by the ship’s
motion. This fact proved to me that there were spontaneous
emissions of light by some animals deep below the surface,
which voluntarily, and at intervals, gave out a bright corusca-
tion. Moreover, although rarely, on following with the eye
the spot where the flash appeared, it could be sometimes
seen to re-appear further astern, as though the emission was
recurrent at definite intervals, as has already been described
in the case of the luminous beetles called fireflies at Singa-
pore. J have also noticed on one occasion that the flash,
instead of instantly disappearing, was followed by a faint
glow, which vanished gradually; but whether this was an
optical illusion of the retina or not I cannot be sure, though
I believe not.

Whatever may be the animals which produce these lumin-

Cu. XXIII.] SPONTANEOUS EMISSION OF LIGHT. 403

ous appearances, they must habitually swim at a considerable
depth. I never was able to make out any definite outline of
the light, which always appeared more or less spherical with
faint edges, and sometimes the size and faintness of the
flashes seemed to prove that the light must have been dif-
fused by its passage through a great depth of water, which
would also account for the whitish appearance of what is
probably really greenish light. But I am strongly of opinion
that the sources of the flashes and of the moon-shaped
patches are identical—in the one case emitting their light
spontaneously, and in the other under the excitation of the
eddies produced by the ship, and especially by the screw-
propeller when at work.

Before quitting the subject of these flashes I must not
omit to mention that while at Singapore, having taken some
small Meduse in a towing-net in the straits, I placed them
in a glass which stood by my bedside. In the night I ob-
served them flashing brightly with instantaneous flashes, of
the same character as those above referred to, although not
the slightest shaking was applied to the bottle or irritation
to the animals. So also the Noctiluce of Singapore har-
bour, which I kept similarly in a bottle, flashed frequently
with rapid and bright coruscations; and I am strongly dis-
posed to believe that luminous marine animals, in health,
and acting spontaneously without external irritation, always
exhibit their luminosity in this manner; and that it is only
when strong excitation is applied that they give out a steady
but temporary glow.

There remains but one form of luminosity to be noticed,
which, although I have never been so fortunate as to witness
it myself, has been observed by others who have been longer

atseathan I was. ‘This is what has been called milky sea, an
pDDdD2

404 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. ([Cu. XXIII.

extraordinary phenomenon of rare occurrence. It has been
described to me by one who has seen it, as a general lumi-
nous glow, not confined to the crests of ripples or to dis-
turbed water, but occurring in perfectly calm weather, and
looking as though the whole sea was composed of a whitish
fluid, like milk, with no conspicuous bright spots or sparks.
Such an appearance reflecting a faint light upwards, illumi-
nates the ship, rendering every part of the rigging plainly
visible ; and inasmuch as it can only be seen in the absence
of the moon, the contrast of the white glowing sea with the
black sky produces an effect calculated to strike the observer
with a kind of awe. Although I have met with persons
who tell me they have not unfrequently seen this pheno-
menon, I am disposed to believe that it is extremely rare.
One who has not really witnessed it at all might erroneously
suppose that such an appearance as I have already alluded
to as having twice occurred to me on the coast of China
(when the ship seemed to be sailing in a luminous sheath),
corresponded to the description of a milky sea; and in a
small way perhaps it did so; and I considered it at the
time as the. nearest approach to that phenomenon I had
ever observed. But the milky sea must be something sui
generis; and I imagine it to be owing rather to a condition
of the water under certain peculiar atmospheric or climatic
influences, than to any extraordinary number of luminous
animals in it. A circumstance which once occurred to me,
seemed to throw some light upon the subject, and confirmed
me in this opinion. Having put down the towing-net in
the Formosa Channel, it collected a number of small Ento-
mostraca, Megalopas, minute Meduse, small Porpite, Ptero-
pods, Annelids, Globigerine, &c., which I placed in a basin
of sea-water ; and not having finished my examination of

Cu. XXIII] CONDITIONS OF LUMINOSITY. 405

them, they remained upon the table during the night. On
stirring the water in the dark, the whole became faintly
luminous, giving out a general glow, as if every particle
were phosphorescent ; the minute Crustacea, &c. appearing
as bright spots in the luminous fluid. If the slimy sub-
stance in which, in some marine animals at least, a lumi-
nous property appears to reside, become diffused through
the water, as it is probable it may be under certain com-
binations of conditions and circumstances, a general lumi-
nosity of the water may result, similar to that observed in
milky sea, while the small sparks, doubtless in great abun-
dance, would remain unnoticed in the universal glow, but
would at the same time greatly enhance the general luminous
effect.

There is a common idea that a southerly wind is pecu-
liarly productive of luminosity in the sea; but according
to my observations, this is an error. The winds most pre-
valent when luminosity has been well marked have been
westerly, north-westerly, or even easterly—south being per-
haps the least frequent; but probably the direction of the
wind has no special influence in the matter. What the
favourable conditions really are, it is as difficult to say as it
is in the case of floating animals generally. I have seen
remarkable exhibitions on one night followed by nearly
absolute darkness on the .next,, the conditions of wind,
weather, barometer, and ‘thermometer, being inappreciably
altered. Probably temperature is as important as any in-
fluence—the luminosity in the Mersey only occurs in sum-
mer. And in rounding the Cape of Good Hope during the
winter season, scarcely any luminosity was exhibited during
the month in which we were passing through the higher
degrees of south latitude.

406 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. ([Ca. XXIII.

The animals which I have observed to possess luminous
properties are not numerous. Many of the more minute
animals taken in the towing-net appear to exhibit them,
more particularly the small Crustacea (Entomostraca), and
small Meduse (Meduside). I have no reason to believe
that the larger Meduse (Lucernaride) as Aurelia, Pelagia,
Rhizostoma, &c., exhibit any luminous powers, having kept
specimens which have invariably failed to do so. Nor
have I any experience of the Physophoride becoming lu-
minous. I have never seen a luminous Porpita or Velella,
and although on one occasion when magnificent specimens
of Portuguese men-of-war had been floating by all day,
my attention was directed to shining spots at night, under
the supposition that they were luminous Physalie, I merely
replied by pointing to a bucket containing one of these
animals, but which was perfectly dark. I have seen a
large prawn give out light after death, and a fresh squid
was illuminated at night with an irregular glow of whitish
light, which remained unaltered as I passed my finger
over the surface. Nor do I believe many of the stories
of luminous fish, inasmuch as a fish rapidly swimming in
a fluid abounding in minute luminous points, as the sea
sometimes does, would present an effect which an unin-
formed or inaccurate observer would readily mistake as
proceeding from the fish,itself, instead of from luminous
points which it disturbed in its passage.

Few luminous marine animals have received greater at-
tention than the Noctiluce, and from them we may perhaps .
gather some indications of the seat and nature of this won-
derful appearanee. M. De Quatrefages concludes, as the re-
sult of his experiments with these Protozoa, that they retain
their luminosity so long as they continue to possess organic

Cu. XXIII.] PROBABLE SOURCE OF LUMINOSITY. 407

contractility. So also in luminous Annelids,—or perhaps, as
better expressed, because the subjects were larger and more
highly organised, ‘‘in the great majority of cases the light
manifests itself in scintillations along the course of the
mouscles alone, and only during their contraction.” The
light is entirely unaccompanied by heat, nor is there any-
thing analogous to a combustion, either active or slow, of
a chemical nature. So also K6lliker, in his examination of
the luminous property of the glow-worm (Lampyris), came
to the conclusion that there was neither combustion nor
phosphorus in the case; but that it was the product of
a nervous apparatus, and dependent upon the will of the
animal.

Ever since, many years ago, I became acquainted with
Mr. Grove’s researches upon the Correlation of Physical
Forces, I have looked upon that ingenious theory as the
rational explanation of animal luminosity. Light, heat,
electricity, magnetism, motion, and chemical force, are all
interchangeable, and each may manifest itself in the form
of the other; but although these are called the physical
forces, who can say that they are not organic forces also ?
One of them, which long since would have been regarded as
eminently inorganic, is now fully recognised as an organic
force, produced by vital organs, and regulated by the will
of the animal exhibiting it. I allude, of course, to electri-
city, an agent which is possessed by several fishes, and we
know not by what other animals,—a force which is produced
directly through the agency of nervous power, for the re-
gulation of which a special cerebral lobe is recognised. If
this nerve force or vitality can display itself in the form of
electricity, why should it not do so also in the form of light?
In the more highly organised luminous animals, as in Lam-

408 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XXIII.

pyris (the glow-worm), in which nervous centres exist, there
is a special organ for the development of light, doubtless
regulated by some part of the nervous system. In others,
the contractility of muscular tissue or of sarcode substance,
which contractility is itself a vital act, seems sufficient to
produce the phenomenon in question. In animals which
have no definite nervous system, we can scarcely predicate
the existence of a will; and, therefore, while the glow-worm
and many of the higher marine luminous animals probably
exercise a control over the functions of their light-giving
organs,—in the Noctiluce, and such lowly organisms, any
external excitement which produces a temporary contrac-
tion, is at the same time sufficient to exhibit its correlative
accompaniment, light.

There does certainly appear to be a phase of luminous-
ness which is scarcely of this character, and which takes
place both on land and in water. I refer to a luminous
coat external to the animal, as in the case of the trail of
light left by the little Scolopendra electrica on the ground,
and the luminous mucus which exists in certain Medusa,
and, it is said, Pholads, or boring Mollusks, and which re-
tains its properties apart from the animals. But whatever
may be the explanation of these phenomena, there can be
no doubt that they are no more due to combustion or to
phosphorus than the appearances exhibited by the spe-
cialised organs of the glow-worm, but may more probably
belong to another group of facts, that, namely, which in-
cludes the luminous appearances presented by certain plants,
in which we cannot call to our assistance either nerve force
or vital contractility.

Organic luminousness exhibits itself with a wonderful
range over the animal kingdom; and if we were called

Cu. XXTII.] RANGE OF LUMINOSITY. 409

upon to specify in what classes of animals it has been ob-
served, we should prefer to make a converse statement, to
the effect that, with the sole exception of birds, every class
of animals, under certain circumstances and conditions, has
been proved to be capable of giving out light.

Berodid Ciliograde, from the Atlantic.

CHAPTER XXIV.
THE VOYAGE HOME.

Storm at Hong Kong—Loss of the ‘‘Osprey’”’—Sea-birds at the Cape—
Simon’s Bay—Cormorants—Botany of the Cape—Physical Features of
Table Bay—Cape Town—Marine Animals of Simon’s Bay—Coast of St.
Helena—James’ Town—Napoleon’s Tomb— Ascension—General Features
—Crater—Vegetation—Insects—‘‘ Wide-awake Fair”—Boldness of the
Birds—Turtle Ponds—Varieties of Turtle—Western Isles— Pico—Fayal
—Villa de Horta—Character of Vegetation—Spithead—Conclusion.

On the 24th March I embarked on board H.M.S. “ Scylla,”
21 guns, for the long voyage from Hong Kong to England,
a distance of 18,000 miles. The time of year promised
favourable weather and fair winds, and the promise was, on
the whole, performed. We began by escaping a violent
storm at Hong Kong, for scarcely had we passed Green
Island when the sky became extraordinarily dark and gloomy,

CH. XXIV.] ‘STORM AT HONG KONG. 411

and one of the most tremendous squalls which I have ever
witnessed raged behind us. The blackness which closed in
round three sides of us made it so dark as to give rise to the
general remark that it was like an eclipse. The uniform
and unbroken mass of cloud near the horizon assumed a
ghastly green tint, which was equally unusual and extra-
ordinary ; and the heavy black clouds rolled towards us,
curling over and over, and hanging down in murky festoons
which threatened to form into great waterspouts. For a
long time I watched these effects, untouched by a drop of
rain; but at length it fell, though not heavily ; and with it
came the wind, which lashed the sea into foam, while the
most terrific lightning flashed through the green-black sky.
But we had fair weather ahead, and only the skirts of the
storm reached us, while the full force of its violence was felt
at Canton and Hong Kong. At Canton tremendous hail-
stones, as large as pigeons’ eggs, fell and did considerable
mischief, as well as injury to the population; while at Hong
Kong the storm raged all day with unusual severity.

After a delightful passage we reached Singapore on April
3rd, and once more continued our journey on the 11th.
As H.M.S. “Osprey” was to leave Singapore a few days
after us, and would probably reach the Cape before we left,
it was arranged she should bring us our next mails; and
we had, moreover, exchanged some officers with that ship.
But the “‘ Osprey”? was destined never to reach Simon’s
Bay: she was wrecked and lost off Cape Agulhas, the first
intimation of which reached us after we had weighed anchor
and were standing out from St. Helena, when the Cape
mail arrived, and we were all set speculating by a signal
from the station ship, which we were just within distance to
read—‘‘ Osprey” lost ; all hands saved.

412 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cx. XXIV.

The voyage across the Indian Ocean, from Java Head to
the South African coast, was long and uneventful. As we
approached the coast large numbers of sea birds almost con-
stantly accompanied the ship, of which perhaps the most
common was the fork-tailed petrel (Thalassidroma Leachii).
The first time I observed them was 1300 miles west of Java
Head, where the only intervening land was the Keeling
Islands. They flew about the ship’s wake, skimming over
the crests of the waves, and evidently quite at ease; every
now and then putting out their legs as though touching the
surface, or running along the water. Night and day they
followed the ship for weeks together, never appearing to rest.
But whence they come, where they live, how they sleep or
rest,is amystery. If on the water, why are they not snapped
up by predaceous fish? That some of these birds are of
nocturnal habits is proved by the fact that I have seen, when
24 hours’ sail from Ascension, a bird hovering over the ship
in the moonlight, sailing to and fro across the moon’s disc,
for some hours, and that when no birds had been observed
about the ship for some days. Tropic birds (Phaethon) also
made their appearance in long. 62° E., and lat. 233° S., when
we were 17 or 18 days distant from land in either direction.
But when near the South African coast the fork-tailed
petrels were accompanied by the sooty petrel, or Cape hens
(Puffinus major), Cape pigeons (Daption capense), molly-
mawks (Diomedea chlororhynchus), whale-birds, and even
gannet (Sula capensis), which last I observed at least 70
miles from land. When, however, we were blown off the
coast by a north-wester, the fork-tailed petrels, and molly-
mawks, or yellow-billed albatross, were the only birds which
seemed at home in the gale. The latter are singularly
graceful in their flight. They swim well and rapidly; and

Cu. XXTV.] SEA-BIRDS. 413

when leaving the water assist themselves to rise by their
feet, running quickly for some distance along the surface
until they are fairly above the water. How they propel them-
selves in the air is difficult to understand ; for they scarcely
ever flap their wings, but sail gracefully along, swaying from
side to side, sometimes skimming the water so closely that
the point of one wing dips into it, then rising up like a
boomerang into the air,—then descending again, and flying
with the wind, or against it, apparently with equal facility.
Now and then, but seldom, they give two rapid flaps with
their wings, but to see this they must be watched.

After having been twice repulsed, we entered False Bay
on May 23rd, and anchored off Simon’s Town, where we
were consoled for not having touched at the Mauritius, by
the news that that island was scourged by a terrible plague
which had been brought, it was said, by some Chinese
coolies, and had spread with frightful rapidity, decimating
the inhabitants, more especially however the native popula-
tion, and driving numbers away to seek for safety m more
healthy places. Had we called there we could have held no
communication with the shore, and should have gone out of
our way for no purpose.

Simon’s Bay is a sheltered corner of False Bay, one of
the largest and deepest of the South African bays, which has
the narrow range constituting the Cape of Good Hope be-
tween it and the Atlantic. Ships passing round from the
East have occasionally entered it, believing that they have
rounded the Cape, and hence its name. This bay is, of
course, greatly exposed to southern gales, the rollers from
which run fairly into it; but as the north-west corner is
hollowed out, it forms a well protected harbour, around
which a naval establishment and.small town have arisen.

414 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XXIV.

Here all Her Majesty’s vessels touch in rounding the Cape,
Table Bay being too exposed a situation, with no shelter
from west and north-westerly gales, though in this latter
place all merchant ships anchor. Simon’s Town, as it is
called, is a cluster of white houses at the base of the lofty
and barren hills which connect the Cape of Good Hope with
Cape Town. The shores are piled with boulders of granite,
and more than one large tabular mass appears above the
water, affording resting-places to thousands of cormorants,
which during the day make periodical excursions to the
sandy beaches at the head of False Bay, streaming in long
black lines along the surface of the water, and at midday
leaving without a single occupant those rocks which at morn-
ings and evenings are blackened with their numbers. They
were of the common species—(Phalacrocorax carbo). It
was curious to watch these birds feeding here and there upon
the shore upon substances thrown up by the tide. Standing
in the water just where the waves broke, they would have
been tumbled over by every advancing billow, but, watching
the critical moment, they would rapidly dive under the wave
and thus avoid it, and then proceed with their search till the
next came, when they would repeat the process.

Such numbers of fish-eating birds (and besides these there
were plenty of gannets and terns) argue large quantities of
fish, and Simon’s Bay has the reputation of abounding with
them. I myself saw, when looking over the bay from a slight
elevation, at least half a dozen large shoals at the same time,
splashing about and disturbing the water like so many cat’s-
paws upon the surface. One of these shoals, which I ob-
served close under the ship, consisted of myriads of fishes,
averaging from two to eight inches long.

The first thing which strikes the botanist on landing at

Cu. XXIV.) FALSE BAY. 415

Simon’s Town is the number of Opuntias (Cacti) which grow
upon the rocks, a circumstance at least remarkable when it
is remembered that the Cactaces are an American order, un-
known in Africa. I believe, however, that having been im-
ported from America, they have found a suitable habitat
upon rocks of the Cape, and have readily become naturalized
there, and spread throughout the colony. The representative
orders, Crassulacee and Euphorbiacee, however, abound
everywhere. Great aloes, also, with fruiting stems 20 feet
high—trees of Oleander and Casuarina, and other remark-
able vegetable forms, strike the eye as novel and interesting :
and among the abundant verdure at the foot of the hills
elegant herbaceous Amaryllids and Cape heaths (Ericacee)
meet the eye in every direction.

False Bay, seen from the Cape road which runs south-
ward from Simon’s Bay, has the appearance of a vast lake,
closed in on the opposite side by a long line of craggy peaks,
which are misty and indistinct from distance, and which
bound the eastern side of the bay.- Instead, however, of
closing round the north side, they continue to run on in-
land with a northerly course as far as the eye can reach,
while the precipitous and rugged mountains on the western
side, which arise directly from the sea at the Cape of Good
Hope, also run northward and terminate in Table Mountain,
which slopes immediately upon Table Bay. Between these
the waters of False Bay wash upon a sloping sandy beach,
and a tolerably level plain extends between the two ranges
for a considerable distance, as though it were at one time
deeper and of considerably greater extent than it is at
present. An indifferent road skirts the bases of the hills
on the western side towards Cape Town, which is, in many
places, diverted on to the sea-beach, and at high-tide the

416 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Cu. XXIV.

wheels of the conveyance are washed up to the axles by the
advancing waves. Where, however, a legitimate road exists,
it runs through numerous fishing stations, and beside cot-
tages and gardens betokening a well-populated country.
One suggestive circumstance I remarked in passing the
head of the bay, viz. the frequency with which the fences
were formed of, or replaced by, the ribs and other bones of
whales, proving how- commonly these animals were washed
up on the beach by the southerly winds.

Farther on, the numerous villas, with plantations and
gardens, indicate the proximity to Cape Town, the higher
classes of which almost universally live at a distance from
town, the convenience of a railway from Cape Town to
Wynberg favouring this practice. This, in fact, may be
regarded as the principal suburb of the capital, although
situated at a distance of seven or eight miles from it. It
seems a pity that the railway is not further extended to
Simon’s Town ; but there appears to be no chance of such
an extension, for the colony is unfortunately not at present |
in so flourishing a condition as to be able to lay out so large
a sum of money. Indeed, owing to the much superior
anchorage of Simon’s Bay, it may be anticipated that many
ships now anchoring in Table Bay would prefer the former,
if cargo could be readily transported across to Cape Town,
so that the construction of a railway would possibly tend to
injure the latter place.

Cape Town is handsomely built: the streets wide and
the shops good. Perhaps the finest public building is the
South African Museum, superintended by Mr. E. L. Layard.
I did not observe much in it of special interest, except some
flint implements,, which Mr. Layard pointed out to me as
having been recently found in the colony, and which have

Cu. XXIV.) ROCKS AT SIMON’S BAY. 417

the unmistakeable impress of relationship to those found in
Europe, certainly a very remarkable fact, and wonderfully
extending the geographical area of those early inhabitants
of the earth whose first traces have been so ably followed up
in Great Britain, France, Switzerland, and Denmark.

Attached to the Museum is an admirable library and
reading-room, which includes the munificent gift of Sir
George Grey, the late Governor, and which was rich in
valuable MSS. and early editions of works dear to the
bibliophile.

Mr. M‘Gibbon, the curator of the Botanic Gardens,
kindly accompanied me over that establishment, which
adjoins the Museum. I hoped to have found a collection
of Cape plants in it, but was disappointed, and but few
plants had names attached to them. The Colonial Govern-
ment grants the sum of £250 per annum for its support,
which, it must be allowed, is small enough, and for which
the respectable condition of the garden was ample return.

The sea-shore at Simon’s Bay is strewed with boulders
of grey granite, much exposed, but affording some sheltered
crannies, in which were beautiful natural aquaria, contain-
ing a number of Actinie of a crimson colour, closely re-
sembling our A. mesembryanthemum, as well as others of
a white and buff colour. The dominant mollusk was cer-
tainly Patella (Limpet); not only did numerous forms of
Patella strew the sand, but large and handsome ones ad-
hered to the rocks, overgrown with seaweed, and looking
like little moving pastures. In one of these large limpets
(Patella oculus) which I removed, I found a very pretty
mottled Planaria ensconced under the mantle. Next to
Limpets, Trochi were most common. Two Echinoderms,

both probably new, rewarded my search. One of them was
EE

418 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. ([Cx. XXIV.

an Asterina, most beautifully variegated with bright red,
white, and blue, but extremely variable in pattern, so that no
two of them were alike. The arrangement of the colour was
in spots or papille, precisely resembling the effect of Berlin-
wool work, each papilla being of some definite colour, and
adjacent papille being often strongly contrasted. It was in
considerable profusion on the rocks leading to the Cape of
Good Hope. The other Echinoderm was a small Echinus,
also extremely variable in colouring. There were three
distinct varieties,—the spines of one of a rich scarlet, with
an undergrowth of small olive-green spines, and tentacles of
metallic blue ; the second variety had deep violet spines and
brown tentacles; and the third, pale reddish or buff, the
most common form.

We left Simon’s Bay on 28th May, and on the 8th of
June cast anchor at James Town, St. Helena. The ap-
proach to this remarkable island is very interesting; and
two pointed peaks in the east and west end of it re-
spectively, having steep escarpments towards the sea, and
smooth, gentle descents on the landward side, bear witness
to its volcanic origin, and have every appearance of being
remains of two sides of a great crater, whose other sides had
been washed away or demolished by the inroads of the sea
through long continued ages. Very bold outlines and peaks,
with rich contrasts of light and shade, were developed on
a nearer approach; and when quite close, the points of
interest in the rugged coast greatly multiplied.. Sharp,
serrated peaks,—rows of basaltic crags, with the character-
istic sloping talus of débris at their bases,—gigantic faces
of rock, with thin dykes traversing them irregularly from
top to bottom, at right angles to their cleavage,—all formed
a fine study, and but too rapidly passed before the eye.

Cu. XXIV.] VEGETATION ABOUT JAMES TOWN. 419

One magnificent cliff of black basalt was particularly strik-
ing as we rounded the eastern corner of the island, having
numerous overhanging ledges and ridges of various lengths
running along its face. In two or three spots forts had
been built, connected by covered ways, while at the base of
the rock large caverns were excavated, into which the waves
dashed, casting the spray into their arched depths.

James Town is situated in a narrow gorge which winds
between two lofty barren hills, and extends fully a mile in-
land, where the gorge terminates in a cul-de-sac, at the
bottom of which is situated ‘“‘ The Briars,” a pretty cluster
of buildings, where Napoleon took up his residence upon his
first arrival in the island. In the valley are gardens with
cocoa nuts and bananas, which form a pleasant relief to the
great barren wall of rock everywhere overhanging it. Pur-
suing the path which winds up the left side of the valley, the
rocks are seen to be covered with the prickly pear (Opuntia),
which I had remarked as a naturalized plant at the Cape,
and is here in great abundance, having the reputation of
being an importation from the West Indies. Mingled with
it were great numbers of scarlet geraniums (Pelargonium),
now in full bloom. White Dature (May-apple) and other
plants grew by the road-side, and at the top of the ridge were
pretty and shady woods of willows, with bushes of Buddlea,
the open spots being covered with real English gorse (Ulex
europa) full of yellow blossoms, and growing in a good rich
soil.

From this hill could be seen those points which render
the island historically interesting in connection with Na-
poleon Bonaparte. Looking across a most desolate valley,
the bottom of which was deep and dark, the cluster of build-

ings constituting Longwood might be seen peeping out of a
EE2

420 . BRAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. ([Cn. XXIV.

few trees which crowned the crest of the opposite ridge ; and
down in the valley where it narrowed on the right, and be-
came more pleasing and somewhat verdant, was the spot
where the great Emperor found his last small but sufficient
empire. His bones are no longer there; but the spot is
still venerated by those who hold dear the traditions of the
empire, and who reverence the name of the man whose rest-
less ambition desolated thousands of homes, and covered
France with glory. A massive square slab of stone, sur-
rounded by an iron railing, within which are planted scarlet
geraniums, and over which hangs a stunted weeping willow,
is the true description of this ‘‘last scene of all of his event-
ful history.” The enclosure is small, hilly on three sides,
and planted around with trees, among which the sombre
tints of the funereal cypress are conspicuous.

The island of St. Helena appears to abound with beauti-
ful views and varied scenery, and I very much regretted
having to leave it without a fuller exploration ; but we weighed
anchor next day, and, with a fair wind, stood away for
Ascension, and once more cast anchor off George Town on
the 18th of June.

The volcanic island of Ascension, as approached fromthe
sea, has not so striking an appearance as St. Helena; but
owing to its peculiar and predominant rufous colour, and
desolate aspect, it is not a little remarkable. Sloping rocks
of the roughest lava, broken here and there by sandy bays,
stretch along the shore, and the island consists of an irregular
series of conical hills of various heights, above which towers
Green Mountain, 2800 feet high, whose summit is crowned
with trees and green fields, and offers a strong contrast to
the other hills, which are reddish or brown, according to the
colour of the ashes and cinders of which they are composed.

Cu, XXIV.] ASCENSION. 421

The settlement of George Town is entirely naval in its cha-
racter, being formed of a number of departmental officers,
and of marines, who are all borne on the books of H.M.S.
“Flora,” 40 guns, which lies off this place, and whose cap-
tain is styled the “‘ Captain of the Island.” Everything is
conducted with the strictest reference to naval discipline,
and the island is nothing more nor less than a ship ashore.
The landing-place is very indifferent, mere steps cut in the
rock, and therefore entirely inaccessible in bad weather. It
is well known that the great waves of the Atlantic often set
in upon the rock in the form of rollers, even in fine weather,
and it can never be predicted when they may make their ap-
pearance ; but whenever they do so all communication be-
tween the ships and the shore is cut off, except by signal.
It is one of the duties of the master of the ‘‘ Flora” to di-
rect a flag to be hoisted on the signal-hill when this state of
things occurs, and that is pretty frequently.

As our stay was to be limited to one day I was thankful
that the weather was calm and the sea permitted us to land ;
and having done so, I bent my steps in the direction of
South-West Bay, with the intention of visiting ‘‘ Wide-awake
Fair,” and at the same time exploring some of the geological
features of this remarkable island. The whole of Ascension
is an erupted mass, the antiquity of which can only be judged
of by the worn condition of its surface; but it is entirely the
product of a once active, but long since extinct, volcano.
Green Mountain, the culminating point, is probably the °
parent cone, around which a great number of secondary
cones and craters are clustered, the rough trachytic lavas of
which run sloping to the beach round the greater part of the
island.

One or two tolerable roads have been formed, which greatly

422 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. ([Cu. XXIV..

save the labour of walking in a country where the surface of
the ground is heaped with rough and sharp-pointed cinders,
which look like the product of a myriad furnaces, and to
which the “‘ black country ” of Staffordshire is a trifle. From
these arise conical hills of a reddish colour, covered with
fine ashes, which crackle under the feet, and from out of
which peep the rounded overhanging ledges formed by molten
lava. Down these hills streams of water have poured during
the brief and uncertain wet seasons, forming water-courses
which run between the rounded knolls, which look like roches
moutonnées at the base, and intersect the lava-fields down to
the beach. For rain falls occasionally on the island, though
unfrequently ; and on the day of our arrival it was wet: it
rained all night, and next morning Green Mountain was
enveloped in cloud. Other hills are hollow and crateriform,
the sides formed of loose masses of slag or clinker of various
sizes. Up one of these I clambered, and found the interior
deep and cup-shaped, but incomplete on one side, the bottom
being a small level deposit of ‘mud and sand, produced by
the washings of the cinders in wet weather; among these
cinders I found several fragments of exploded volcanic bombs,
such as are described and figured by Mr. Darwin in his notice
of the island.

From this elevation the view was most striking: a deep
and broad rocky valley in the fore ground, covered with
screaming sea-fowl, beyond which arose an irregular series
of naked and desolate conical hills piled one above another
in chaotic confusion, but surmounted by the verdant and
fertile heights of Green Mountain, upon which may be de-
scried trees, meadows and pastures, like the Delectable Moun-
tains seen afar off by the pilgrims.

Tt must not be supposed, however, that the surface of the

Cu. XXTV.] INSECTS OF ASCENSION. 423

island is absolutely without vegetation. The cinders in
many places are incrusted with white and gray lichens (Par-
melia and Roscella). Some are overgrown with more luxu-
riant species, as Physcia cesia, and I also observed a deep-
green incrusting lichen on the sea-shore. Many spots, also,
in the water-courses, are quite cheerful with patches of bright
green, and several flowers spring up here and there which
have escaped from the gardens on Green Mountain. I was
informed that some person had been in the habit of scatter-
ing seeds over various parts of the island. I noticed two
species of grasses, a Sonchus, an Aster’ with scented leaves,
&c. The most common plants, however, were the castor-oil
(Ricinus), a very handsome yellow poppy with prickly white-
veined leaves, and a large-flowered plant (Vinca rosea) which
is known on the island as the Madagascar Rose, and is re-
ported to have been imported from thence.

Among this vegetation a few insects occur: large red-
winged locusts fly about among the rocks, and a fat black
cricket is common—TI also saw a pale brown one, but could
not catch it. A little moth, very prettily marked, is com-
mon wherever a certain succulent plant occurred, and flew
‘about among the rocks, settling for a moment and then
taking wing again, unless it happened to get in the shelter
of a crevice in the honeycomb of a cinder, where it seemed
to consider itself safe.* A somewhat larger pale brown
moth I also noticed from time to time; but it flew rapidly
and was aided by a strong breeze which was blowing, and
appears usually to be blowing, over the island. Besides

* My friend, Mr. Stainton, informs me that this little moth is Hymenia
reourvalis, of Fabricius, and that the British Museum possesses specimens of it
from, Jamaica, Sierra Leone, Ceylon, Bagdad, India, China, Australia, and
New Zealand. To these localities must now be added Ascension, so that this
little feeble insect is literally cosmopolitan.

424 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XXIV

these insects I saw carrion flies upon the rocks, a bunting
spider, and numerous small carrion beetles (Dermestes) in
situations to be presently mentioned.

The lava and cinders in the neighbourhood of South- West
Bay are whitened here and there by the dung of sea-birds ;
but the extraordinary scene of the breeding-place of the
terns, or wide-awakes, and called ‘‘ Wide-awake Fair,” is a
long valley situated about half a mile from the sea in the
south-eastern part of the island. The approach to this
valley is indicated by an overpowering odour arising from
their deposits, which, however, do not accumulate as in some
guano islands. Seen from the hill above, this valley looks
as though a light fall of snow had partially whitened it; but
in no place was there any appreciable depth of deposit. The
birds themselves are in immense numbers, hovering over the
valley, screaming and making various discordant noises,
which, heard at a distance, sound like the murmur of a vast
crowd. They are elegant and graceful birds, glossy black
above and snowy white beneath, with white foreheads, straight
compressed beaks and long forked tails: they measured 2 ft.
6 in. from tip to tip of the wings, which are long and pointed.
As soon as a visitor makes his appearance among the nests,
numberless birds arise screaming in the air, and form a com-
plete canopy over his head; some, bolder than the rest, fly
so close that it is the easiest thing in the world to knock
them down with a stick, and it is even necessary to strike at
them occasionally and give them a slight tap to admonish
them not to use their bills against one’s face. Meantime
crowds of little ones, of all ages and sizes, some covered with
a grey down and others almost fully fledged, run hither and
thither, tumbling over the stones in their hurry to escape
from the intruder. Here a chick has but just broken the

Cu. XXIV.) “WIDE-AWAKE FAIR.” 425

egg, and‘the parent bird is nestling over it, and does not
leave it until you arrive so close that you could stretch out
your arm and take it up. Eggs lay scattered all over the
place, deposited in little hollows in the sand, about as large
as the palm of the hand, which is all the nest that the
‘‘ wide-awake ” considers necessary; and in several of the
rocky crevices in which these eggs were deposited the skele-
ton or half-decayed body of an adult bird, but more fre-
quently a young one, upon which a number of carrion beetles
were busy, showed where it had died and rotted beside the
nest.

At the particular season at which I visited this singular
spot, the birds were in every stage of growth, from the newly-
hatched chick to the bird with first year’s plumage, flying
with the rest. Eggs also were abundant, but never more
than one in the same nest; and although the parent bird was
in some cases sitting upon fresh or half-hatched ones, in a
great many instances the eggs were cracked, and either rot-
ten or dried up. Many that I picked up felt light and
empty, although scarcely injured, and others which I broke
contained carrion beetles or their grubs. The eggs were
very variously marked, and had not a little variety of form:
the common appearance of them was round at one end and
pointed at the other, about the size of a plover’s egg, and in
colour a whitish ground, blotched with faint purplish and
distinct rich brown blotches, which often formed a ring round
the larger end; but some which I noticed were long and
pointed at both ends, and without blotches, but speckled
with small purplish and brown spots. There was no other
kind of bird, however, visible in the whole valley.

It would be easy for any person to fill a sack with adult
birds, although he possessed no other weapon than a stick ;

426 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. (Cu. XXTV.

and too many of the visitors are not content without maim-
ing a number in mere wantonness; so that the poor birds
can hardly be said to dwell unmolested ; nevertheless, as
long at least as they have nests and eggs to look after, they
evince what I should characterize as boldness rather than
tameness. I should consider the Solan geese on the Bass
Rock as tamer than the ‘‘ wide-awakes”’ of Ascension.
Before leaving the island I visited the turtle-ponds, where
these animals are kept in store; for Ascension, barren and
desolate as it is, has yet one product in which it is not
exceeded by any part of the world, viz., turtle. The sandy
bays of the island are visited by great numbers of these un-
wieldy and valuable reptiles, which, entirely marine and
oceanic in their habits, visit the shore solely for the deposi-
tion of their eggs, and are secured on these occasions by
being cut off from their retreat to the sea and turned over on
their backs, and then conveyed at leisure to the reservoirs
provided for their reception. The sandy shore adjoining
George Town, I was informed, is no longer so rich and
profitable a beach as it once was, the reason probably being
that turtle, like birds of passage, return again and again to
the same spot to deposit their eggs; and on this beach, as
being most accessible, the greatest number of turtle have
been turned, so that but few visit it at present. No one but
the government authorities is allowed to interfere with this
source of emolument, and the turtle form a staple article of
food upon the island, being served out twice a week; but
the animals are sent to persons in authority in England, and
are supplied to merchant ships at the rate of £2 10s. each.
The season was just over when I visited Ascension, and the
turtle-ponds contained eighty-two animals. These ponds,
two in number, were on the sea-beach, each 50 or 60 feet

Cu. XXIV.] TURTLE. 427

square, and three or four feet deep, and the sea is allowed to
wash into them through two grated channels. All the turtle,
however, were in one of these enclosures, and could be seen
swimming about, ever and anon raising their stupid-looking
heads above the surface and snorting out a jet of water,
They seemed to crowd together in one corner, where each
wave as it broke sent a rush of fresh sea-water into the
pond. Numerous small fishes and crabs swam about them
unmolested ; but on inquiry I learned that they are never
fed, although they are not unfrequently kept in the reser-
voirs for a year or more after capture. They were very
variously marked, some with large black spots, others with
indistinct radiating streaks upon the plates, and several had
a large white patch in the middle of the carapace. One in
particular was conspicuous from its very peculiar form. “In-
stead of being gently rounded as usual, the carapace was
high and terminated in a ridge, which, as it swam about,
was elevated fully six inches above the water—a conforma-
tion which it appears occasionally, although rarely, occurs.
While I was watching them, preparations were made for
getting one out of the pond. A negro walked into the midst
of them, and having selected one, he tied a cord round one
of the anterior fins, by which it was pulled by several other
negroes out of the pond by main force, and laid upon its back
on a small four-wheeled carriage prepared for it, in which
helpless position it was dragged away without a struggle.

On the lava rock adjacent, where the waves break
with great violence, numbers of beautifully coloured crabs
(Grapsi, n. s.) ran actively about; the pools abounded with
large purple-spined Echini, ensconced in round hollows, and
beaitiful azure and banded rock fish ; but the only seaweed
I observed was the cosmopolitan peacock’s-tail (Padina

428 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. ([Cn. XXIV.

pavonia). My exploration, however, was necessarily brief, as
I was obliged forthwith to rejoin the ship.

A long succession of calms, with occasional light winds
from the north-east, carried us so far west, and consumed
so much coal, that it was determined to make for the Azores,
and put into the port of Horta, in the island of Fayal, for
fresh supplies. Accordingly, just as we had left the Sargasso
Sea behind, we came in sight of the islands on July 11th.
The first sight of the western isles from the south is very re-
markable ; the island immediately east of Fayal, called Pico,
towers up to the height of 7600 feet, and the pointed apex
appeared just above a belt of cloud, and seemed to reach the
very skies, its apparent height being greatly magnified by
this circumstance. All the morning, as we neared it, the
clouds varied but little, and the black top seemed almost to
overhang the ship. Nor was the island of Fayal less in-
teresting, although in a different way. The whole southern
side, gently sloping from a long ridge towards the shore, was
most beautifully cultivated, and mapped out into yellow fields,
interspersed with green patches high up the hill side; while
numerous white cottages were dotted over the landscape.
Many parallel ravines running down the slope afforded
sheltered spots, in which white houses were clustered ; and
the whole formed a delightful picture of fertility and repose,
which gradually opened up new points of beauty as we came
nearer.

“Standing on the forecastle admiring this picture, I could
turn to the calm sea in which clusters of Salpe were swim-
ming, accompanied by various species of jelly-fish, while
flocks of sea birds sat here and there upon the water, and
porpoises rolled about merrily. Presently the trenchant fin
of a shark appeared right ahead ; and leaning over the bows,

On. XXIV.] AZORES. 429

I watched him swimming hither and thither, until he was
nearly under the cut-water, when, to my delight, I observed
it to be a large shark of the hammer-headed species (Zygena
malleus), twelve or fourteen feet long. While he was fully
in view he suddenly darted off out of danger; but his fin
could be seen for some time after on the quarter.

As we rounded the east side of Fayal to enter Horta Bay
we passed two great shapeless rocks, one of a dark brown
and the other red, which showed the volcanic structure of
the island ; for all this fertility and verdure cover an extinct
volcano, and even yet shocks of earthquake are not un-
frequent. It was like the cloven hoof peeping out from
under a gorgeous robe; but even one of these rocks was
terraced with vines on the landward side.

The Villa de Horta is a charmingly situated place, and
looks extremely pretty from any point, set as it is against a
background of highly cultivated fields and hills; while the
majestic mountain of Pico, on the other side of the bay,
forms a fine object from the landward. When disencumbered
of clouds, however, it did not appear nearly so lofty as when
we first saw it. Small craters may be seen upon its sloping
sides, as well as some cultivation and a few white houses;
but it is said that the great cone occasionally smokes. Only
a week or two before my visit a small island was thrown up
in the sea near St. Michael by volcanic agency.*

* During the past year the Azores have been the theatre of unusual volcanic
excitement, extending from December 1866 to August 1867. On May 25th
last, between half-past two and midnight, there were experienced no less than
fifty-seven distinct shocks of earthquake. Five days later the ground was in
constant motion—and on the Ist of June there was a violent earthquake and
volcanic eruption, the day after which the sea was covered with a layer of
sulphur—the water appeared to boil, and jets were thrown up. On the 4th of
June sulphuretted hydrogen fumes were given out; there was an earthquake

430 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. ([Cu. XXIV.

The streets of Horta were quiet and very hot, and the people
of all classes (Portuguese) extremely polite. Here we pur-
chased fresh beef at fourpence halfpenny per pound, and small
fowls at four shillings the dozen. Priests and nuns, the latter
with enormous heavy black hoods, which gave them an extra-
ordinary appearance, abound ; and, if report spoke correctly,
the people stand in some awe of the former. The Free-
masons, particularly, were forced to hold their meetings by
stealth, owing to the anxiety shown by the priests to become
acquainted with the masonic mysteries. Outside the town the
walks are not so pleasant as appeared from the sea; for the
roads are all sunk between lofty rough stone walls, and there
is no shelter whatever from the rays of the sun. The chief
crop seemed to be rye, which was ripening for the harvest.

I was much struck in my walk in Fayal with the great re-
semblance which its natural productions bore to those of this
country. The road-side vegetation, which was all I could
observe, seemed quite familiar to me, and I gathered the
following common British flowers as I went along, viz.,
Geranium molle, Lapsana communis, Sisymbrium officinale,
Verbena officinalis, Cotyledon umbilicus, Veronica officinalis,
Trifolium album, Malva rotundifolia, and Hordeum sylvati-
cum. The common white butterfly (Pontia) crossed my path
from time to time ; and I saw, and heard sing, the chaffinch
(Fringilla ccelebs) for the first time since I left England.

As we quitted Fayal the island of St. George had the
aspect of a long rugged rock, with steep sides, cut into
numerous ravines, all having an uniform neutral tint, dashed
here and there with green. Terceira lay in the distance
among the clouds of the eastern horizon; and Gloriosa we

on the 27th, and a slight oscillation. on the 17th of August, since which it
appears that the volcanic forces have been more or less at rest.

Cu. XXTV.] RETROSPECT. 431

passed near enough to see that it was cultivated and mapped
into fields, and had a large town on the west side, near which
rose a sacro monte of considerable size, whose white chapels
glistened in the sun.

A favourable breeze brought us in a few more days into
the Channel, and on the 21st July we dropped anchor at
Spithead.

In conclusion, and by way of retrospect, I may safely say
that any one who will undertake such a voyage as that whose
incidents I have recounted in the foregoing pages, will find
himself amply repaid by the stores of information which he
will insensibly but surely acquire by the constant observa-
tion of the phenomena around him; and he cannot fail at
once to enrich his own mind, and to benefit science, if he
will only faithfully use the opportunities which fall to his
lot. These opportunities of course will vary with circum-
stances, and are unfortunately, under the most favourable
conditions, not all that could be desired or wished; never-
theless they will sometimes occur, even in the most adverse
cases, and so much is to be learned of marine animal life
within the tropics, that the most striking and novel facts
come to light when least expected or looked for. Whenever
the dredge can be used, a rich harvest is almost sure to
result—proportionate to the rarity of the opportunity, which
in my experience was very great. But much may always be
done by a diligent investigator upon the shore, or by wading
in shallow places. And even when at sea, one need never
be idle, for there is abundant occupation for the microscope
and the pencil in the contents of the towing-net, or in the
numerous organisms which may be observed in occasional
calms. The great drawback in a ship of war is the necessity

432 RAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. ([Cge. XXIV.

for using steam when no longer propelled by the wind, and
the difficulty of procuring a boat to be lowered when any-
thing unusual or novel is seen floating, and which might by
this means be easily procured. On my way home I often
devoutly wished I was in a sailing vessel, that I might have
revelled in the wonderful richness and variety of animal
forms which nearly a thousand miles of calms afforded ; and
doubtless greater opportunities would be enjoyed in a cruise
with an intelligent merchant captain, than in a man-of-war
—especially if in the latter case one is hampered by the
crotchets and caprices of an unsympathetic commander.
The chief drawback to travelling in merchant vessels would
be of course their more limited range, and their avoidance
of intermediate ports—circumstances which, however, might
or might not be hostile to researches of this nature. They
would, however, naturally avoid reefs as they would poison ;
and interesting land journeys would seldom be possible to
those using them.

I cannot help feeling great regret that the wonderful
advantages which fall to the lot of many of our naval officers
are so totally lost. They have their duties on board ship to
perform, it is true, but that some of them should not have
learned to relieve the dull and unendurable monotony of
sea life by such studies is to me unaccountable. The
medical officers especially, whose education would most fit
them for these pursuits, and who have by far the most
leisure at their disposal, might be expected to follow them
with no less of advantage to themselves than of benefit to
science; but it is only one in a thousand who troubles him-
self to observe what passes around him, or makes any
exertion to share in the reputation acquired by a few of
their fellow-surgeons, such as an Adams, or a Macdonald.

Cu. XXIV.) CONCLUSION. 433

Indeed there seems to me to be more hope of valuable
materials being accumulated by the better class of merchant-
skippers than by any branch of the naval service; and I am
acquainted with several merchant-captains who bring home
at the conclusion of every voyage industriously-formed
collections and intelligently-written observations, which are
of much interest, and are yearly becoming of more import-
ance. I have been at some pains to bring about this end,
and have to some extent succeeded, though time alone can
evolve a more complete and general practical result. The
Admiralty has long since issued a useful scientific manual
for the use of its officers, which affords them every
information as to what, and how, they should set about
observing; but, as far as I had an opportunity of seeing,
it meets with general neglect from those for whom it was
written. Whether the time will come when the fleet of Her
Majesty’s vessels which visit every sea, and which are
stationed for months or years together upon interesting
coasts otherwise little known, shall be looked upon as
sources of scientific material which shall bear any propor-
tion to the opportunities enjoyed and the treasures spent
upon them, is a question which cannot now be splved; we
can only hope that a very desirable change im this respect
may by degrees be brought about, which cannot fail to be
greatly to the advantage of naval officers as a class.

APPENDIX.

nd

VocaBULARY of words used by the natives of Sau-o Bay, Hast
Coast of Formosa (see Chapter VIT.).

One.

Two. lu-sah.
Three to0-roo.
Four s6o-pah.
Five

&tah (or issah),

1é-mah (or e-mah).

I. Numerals.

Six in-um.
Seven pé-tou.
Eight ah-roo (or ah-loo).
Nine sé-wah.
Ten sté-rei.

Ten is also represented by wén-ei, thus—

Eleven .
Twelve. .

won-ei is-sah.
won-ei lu-sah.

won-ei too-roo.
won-ei se-wah.

Thirteen
Nineteen .

But éwenty requires the other word for den, as :—

Twenty
Twenty-one .
Twenty-two .
Twenty-nine
Thirty .
Forty

and so on to nimely.

Hundred. A
One hundred (100)
Two hundred (200)
Three hundred (300)
One thousand (1000
1866. ri ‘

see-Vvoo.
is-sah see-voo.
lu-sah see-voo.
too-roo see-voo.
is-sah ¥a-Ta-Tan.
issah fa-fa-Tan

lu-sah sté-réi.

lu-sah sté-réi is-sah.
lu-sah sté-réi lu-sah,
lu-sah sté-réi se-wah.
too-roo sté-réi.
soo-pah sté-réi ;

ah-loo see-voo in-um sté-tei in-um.

Head

Hand

Eye.

Nose

Teeth

Hair

Whiskers (also bend

Man (male) .
Woman (female) .

SAU-O VOCABULARY.

2. Parts of the Body.

hoo-roo.
roo-kahp.
mah-tah,
hoo-ndong.
bun-ga-réw.
woo-kéose.
moo-miose.

3. Personal.

(The first includes boys, the sasoud girls, )
Children (boys or a

Old man
Old woman .
Mother

Themselves (i.e. the eae shoviines)
The wild aborigines of the hills

The Chinese

4, Articles of Dress and Furniture.

Coat .

Stick

Belt (either that a-
round waist, or fillet
around the head) .

Hat (native bamboo)

European hat

Jacket

Trowsers .

Shoes

Petticoat .

Bag or pocket .
Cigar
Beads
Bottle

hoo-ldose.
baa-Tam.

baf-oon.
TO-CO.
Koo-boo.
hoo-loose.
kwun.
la-po.
lap - pi- yan,
or ma-san.
roo-boose.
tai-poot.
e-toose.
bYas-co.

435

Calf of the leg . rah-pan.
Buttock . poo-noon.
Breast ta-roo-nah.
Arm ree-mah,
Knee too-sol.
Thigh pa-na-ni-yan.
Foot ree-kan.

ma-roo-nah-nee.

ta-roo-ang,

soo-niss.

na-ka-lan.

vai-va-lam.

te-na,

Ka-ba-lan,

Ma-too-mal.

Bo-soos.
Wood broo-oor.
Silk . see-reet,
Fishing-net tchti-e.
Roof of house rah-poo.
Linen see-u.
Pearl button “tow-ear.
Merino nee.
Red tape . trang-e-tang.
Knife sa-rick,
Worsted ong-lee-pee.
Cotton : . see-rah,
Thread (of native

manufacture . . tim-re-an.

Native cloth ha-bah,
Shirt rc rap-pou.

FF2

436

Dog wah-soo. Hen’s eggs . $00-S00-se-na,
Pig ma-wo-nee, Fish vow-hoot.
Goat . » koo-loo boo-lan. Fishing ta-pong-i-tchue.
Padi bird (Heron) ah-larm. Butterfly boo-row.
Cock . : » drach-hook (gut- | Crab. wah-fang.
tural). Echinus ka-na-sow.
Hen tee-na-na,
6. Articles of Food.
Sugar (loaf) wan-ing.
Rice Dfass.
Boiled rice : mai-ee..
7. The Elements, ce.
Rain oo-rahn. Fire ra-mah.
Wind vart-lee, Brass pa-oo.
Sun 7 é ner-lun. Tron bah-liss.
Surf (on beach) naf-een, Silver (coin) pe-lah.
8. Miscellaneous.
Reed-pipe wah-koo-par-in. | Copper cash . ka-ri-sew.
Wood-pipe . kwa-ko, ' | Rice-straw (thatch) fra-mi.
Broom . kai-sing. Lily . ; 800-a-yee.
Matchlock rah-pil-sa. Grass (or dried lily
Tree baf-in. straw) brun.
Slate va-Vvow. Yes ai-e.
Hills ta-kefr. No mo.
Junk wa-pi.
9. Names of Men.
Sai-ah-nee. Too-bah.
Mah-now. | Pah-keek.
10. Names of Women.
E-pai-ee. Sing-ow.
Kin-lee-yan. Ar-pee (a young girl).
Moo-hoot. * Sow-bahn.

APPENDIX.

5. Names of Animals.

DIALECT OF KE-LUNG. 437

Note.—All the above words are to be pronounced just as they
are written, with English pronunciation. An accent has been
placed upon some syllables, just to show the prominent part of
the word ; and the circumflex over the r’s shows that they should
be trilled or rolled. The r’s and I’s were in many cases used
indifferently by the same person, and appear to be interchange-
able.

One thing is especially worthy of remark as differentiating
these people from the Chinese, viz. the number and strong
pronunciation of the r’s in their language, while it is well
known that the Chinese cannot sound that letter at all—thus, for
rice, all Chinese say lice. ,

I may perhaps add to this a few words of the dialect used by
the Chinese inhabitants of Ke-lung ; as follows—

Numerals.

One . : ; . tehee. Nine . d : . chew.
Two . : ‘ . nung. Ten . ; : . chap.
Three . ‘ . sah, Eleven : . . eet.
Four . 3 a . see. Twelve F . . eet-gee,
Five . F Q . gaw. Thirteen . , . eet-sah.
Six. : - . lak. Fourteen. ; . eet-see, &c.
Seven . ‘ ‘ . tcheet. Thirty : ‘ . sab-chap.
Eight . . : . pooie. Forty . . : . see-chap,

Parts of Body.
Head . : . Kow-moon. Hair é ‘ . tow-en.
Breasts. ‘ . sa-woie. Teeth s . . tchu-e-kee,
Nipple. : . knee. Chin . : . tsui-tu.
Eye . : : . mat-chew. Tongue . . . tgee.
Ear . : 3 . @yah, Neck , i . am-koon.
Nose. ° ; . pee. Buttocks . ‘ . kart-chung.

Mouth F . tchu-e, Hand : ‘ . tching-towa.

438

Shell .
Button
Hat

Bamboo hat

Leaf

To write
Stick .
Pencil

APPENDIX.

Miscellaneous Words.

soo-ma. Rain . .
du-wu. Dog .
bo. Chicken
looi. Boy (or girl)
tcheung. Boy
seow-pah, Girl
kwoi-a. Man

pee-at. Woman

haw.

gow.

koo-ey.

ginna,
tehapoi-ginna.
sawo-ginna.
tehapoi-tworang.
sawo-tworang.

INDEX.

—_4—_

Aborigines (tame) of Formosa, 104
costume of, 106
characteristics of, 108

(wild) search for, 107
Acridotheres cristatellus, 319
Actinia, new genus of, 198, 259

floating, 353
gigantic fish-sheltering, 150
Aden, 8
marine animals at, 9
Admiral, visit of Chinese, 116
Advantages enjoyed by naval officers,
432

Agincourt island, 123
Agriculture of the Dyaks, 214
Agri-Horticultural gardens, 253
Albatross (yellow-billed), 412
Albicores, 366, 878
Alexandria, 4
Alima hyalina, 56
Alligator, 193
bird, 230

Alpheus (habits of), 136
Amphibious habits of Malay chil-

dren, 245
Ants, 232, 291
Apes-hill, Ta-kau, 39
Aplysia, 98
Ascension, 420

vegetation and insects of,
423
Asterias, 191
Asterina, 197, 418
Atlanta Peronii, 55
Atmospheric phenomena, 146
Attaps, 214
Aurelia, 360
not luminous, 399, 406
Azores, 428
volcanic disturbance at, 429

Bamboo, 63, 214
Banca Straits, 213 a

Barking lizard, 169
Batangs, 236
Bear rock, 3
Beccari, Signor, 216
Beetles of Formosa, 71

Labuan, 177
Beggars at Canton, 717
Bells at Manilla, 296
Berlidah, 235
Beréoids in the Atlantic, 363, 410
Birds of the Delta, 6

between Pratas and Formosa,

of Ta-kau, 44
of Makung, 50
of North Formosa, 79
of Labuan, 167
at sea, 412
Bird-keeping in China, 319
Birds’ nests, edible, 230
Black islet, Haitan Straits, 131
Boat life in Canton river, 333
songs of Malays, 233
women in China, 18
their infants, 19
Bogue forts, 331
Bombok, 239
Bornella digitata, 9
Botanic garden, Cape Town, 417
Boulder clay at Tam-suy, 61
Boys of Formosa, 45, 79
Makung, 47
British character of Azores flora, 430
Brooke, Sir James, 163, 206
Charles Johnson, 206
Bugis, 250
prahus and imports, 250
Butterflies of Labuan, 181
Daat, 185
at sea, 143

Cairo, 6
Calamaris annulata, 160

440

Calamary, 49
Calm at sea, 10
Calzada at Manilla, 301
*Camphor tree, 156
trade in Formosa, 66
laurel, 157
Canaries, 321
Candle-flies, 255
Canton, strangeness of, 330
and Hong Kong, intercourse
between, 328
Cape Town, 416
vegetation, 414
Caricature plant, 15
Carpenter bee, 190
Case of moon-blindness, 309
Catamarans, 38
Cavern at Kelung, 86
Sarawak, 233
Centipedes, 174
Centralisation of Chinese, 250
Cerapus tubularis, 56
Ceylon, 10
Chains of Salpax, 371
Chama, 147, 149
Chameleons, 171
Chersydrus granulatus, 305
Chick-chack, 168
reputed luminosity of,
169
Chinese new year, 311
character of the, 326
at Singapore, 249
Chironectes, 367
Christianity, prospects of, in China,
351
Chock-e-day, Formosa, 101
Chops in Canton ‘Streets, 334
Chromodoris, 125, 149
Chuy-teng-cha, 78
Cicadas, 175 si
Cinnamon, 267
Citadel of Manilla, 294
Climate of Singapore, 258, 260
Labuan, 198
Cloth (native) of Formosa, 106
Coal-mines at Kelung, 91
quality of, 95
Labuan, 157
company, 159
Cobra, 171
Coccinella in the desert, 7
Cock-fighting at Manilla, 301
Cocoa-nut trees, 188
planting in Singapore, 272
beetles, 272
Coenobitee, 186
Coffee-planting, 267

INDEX.

Coleoptera of North Formosa, 71
Labuan, 177
Colour of oceanic animals, 358, 367
the sea, 387
Comatula, 137, 194, 258
Compound Salpz, 368
second form, 369
Contractility produces light, 408
Coral fish, 96, 147
reef, 146
Corals, living, 147
Cormorants, 414
Correlation of forces, 407
Cotton cultivation, 266
Council of diamond-washers, 227
Coutts, Miss, 209
Craig island, 118
geology of, 121
Crackers in China, 311
Cranes in Mediterranean, 3
Creseis, 99, 359
Cricket in Kelung cave, 87
Cycloclypeus, 126
Cymbulia, 99

Daat island, 185, 188, 196
D’Almeida, Mr. José, 264
Dammar trees, 157
resin in coal, 160
Datu of Sarawak, 224
Defects of Chinese government, 340
Deformities of Chinese, 337
Delta of the Nile, 5
Dendractinia, 198
Density of population in Formosa,
81

Dentist, mountebank, 282
Desecration of graves in Labuan,
178
Desert of Suez, 7
Diamonds, 224
washing, 225
bird, 230

Diet of the Chinese, 338
Difficulties at sea, 152
Discontent of Chinese people, 343
Dogs at Makung, 48

Dyak, 217

eating in China, 339
Domestic animals of Formosa, 82
Doria, Marquis, 216
Doridopsis rubra, 259
Doris Barnardii, 51

mantle cutting, 196

exanthemata, 218
Draco volans, 212
Dragon flies, 188, 231
Dredge in Pacific, 125

INDEX.

Dredge lost, 127

Drongo, black, 79

Duck boats, 76

Durian, 271

Dutch occupation of Formosa, 36

end of, 58

fort at Makung, 47

Dyaks, 206
first view of, 226.
girls, 226, 230, 238, 240

Earthquake at Manilla, 297

Echinus, variable species of, 418

Eclipse of the moon, 221

Electric snakes, 173, note

Elephants in Borneo, 216

Elevation of beach at Kelung, 90

Enoe, 198

Entomostraca, red, 130
luminous, 394, 405

Eucharis, 363

Eulima on star-fishes, 191

European influence in China, 344

False Bay, 413
luminosity of, 396
fish numerous in, 414
Fa-tee nurseries, Canton, 335
Fayal, 428
Felis macrocelis, 217
Fiery Cross Reef, 146
Fire-flies, 235
intermittent light of, 254
making, 228
Firola, 55
Fishes living within Actinie, 151,
197
among threads of
Physalia, 365
Fishing operations at Kelung, 88
Flies at sea, 142, 320, note
Flint implements at the Cape, 416
Flora of Middle island, Haitan, 132
Flowers of Sarawak, 215
Fly on the ocean, 357
Flying-fish, 3, 11, 31, 83
range of, 373
vibration of wings of,
377
abundance of, 379
Flying lizard, 212
squirrel, 210
foxes, 212
“ Formby,” the, 133
Formosa, character of aborigines of,
35

oD
treaty ports in, 37
mountains of, 37

441

Fort Zeelandia, 56

Fowls, dyed pink, 217
Frigate bird, 29

Frogs eaten in China, 338
Fungus, luminous, 199 ©

Galeopithecus, 210
Gambier at Sarawak, 210
_ Singapore, 254, 270
Gambling in China, 279
licensed, 282
floating houses at Canton,
333,
Gamboge, 269
Gannets, 13, 29
of Pratas island, 30
Gelasimi, 40
Glaucus, 55
Glow-worm, luminosity of, 407
Gold in Formosa, 96
at Sarawak, 225
fish at Canton, 336
Golden lilies, 314
Gorgonia, stinging, 197
Grackle, 321
Grammatophyllum, 256
Grapsi, 122
Grass-cloaks, 19
Green Mountain, Ascension, 420
Gutta-percha, 268

Hadji, chief of Sarawak, 224
Haitan island, 129
Halobates, 358, note
Hantus of the Dyaks, 207
Head-hunting, 179
house, Serambo, 237
Bombok, 240
Helix Brookei, 197
Hemiptera of Labuan, 177
Hermit crabs, 186
Hirundo esculenta, 229
Hoa-pin-san, 124
Holothuriz, 149, 192, 197
Hong Kong, 16
beauty of scenery, 17
highway robbery in,
822
Hornbills, 231
drumming of, 239
Horsburgh lighthouse, 287
Horses in Formosa, 67
Hyalea tridentata, 56
Hymenia recurvalis, 423, note
Hymenoptera of Labuan, 190

Iguana, 170
Image Point, Ke-lung, 90

442

Insects of Ascension, 423
Insecurity of Labuan, 180
Hong Kong, 325
saa eects movements in China,
2

oe of Manilla government,
30.

James Town, 419
Java sparrow, 15
Johore, shores of, 288
Joss house at Pratas island, 26
Jungle of Labuan, 155
Junks, 16
masts, 189

Kabalan village of Sau-o, 103
Kaleewan river, 102
Kalong, 212
Ke-lung, arrival at, 82
island, 83,118 |
people of, 83
Keramidia, 259
Klings, 245
women, 246
dhobies, 247
religious ceremonies, 248
bird-catchers, 257
Kok-si-kon, 58
Kok-singa, 58
“ Koong-haye,” 313
Ko-tou, 313
Kubong, 210 :
Kwang-yin hills, 65

Labuan coal mines, 157
quality of, 158

settlement of, 163
Ladies of Formosa, 45
Lake habitations, 14, 244
Land crabs, 40, 42

Dyaks, 207
Language of China, a barrier, 349
Lanterns (Chinese), 316
Leaping fish, 41, 287
Leiothrix luteus, 320
Lichens of Ascension, 423
Light correlative with nerve force,
407
Lightning in the tropics, 12
Ligia, 51
Literary examinations in China, 341
Longwood, 419
Love grass, 155
Lucernaridx, 360
Lucky stones, 313
Luminosity of the sea, 391
* categories of, 393

INDEX.

Luminosity of Singapore harbour,
395

spontaneous, 402
not dependent on wind,
404
Luminous sheath to ship, 395, 398,
404
patches, 398
flashes, 401
fish, 406
mucus, 408
what classes of animals
are, 409

Mandarin of Makung, 51
Mbang-ka, 67
visits ship, 68
of Tam-suy, 69
processions at Canton, 317
“ Mandarin’s leg,” 138
Makung, 47
absence of trees at, 50
Malays of Singapore, 242
women, 243
villages, 243
Manilla, 293
Marattia, 232
Mariveles, 293, 306
Martin, Mr., Sarawak, 209
Marundum reef, 218
Mbang-ka, Formosa, 66
“ Meerschaum,” 148
Megapode, 168
Melia, new species, 150
Memorial on Western Education, 346
Mestizas of Manilla, 295
Middle island, Haitan, 130
Milky sea, 403
Milvus govinda, 40
Mimosa, 259
Min, river, 138
Mina bird, 321
Modulus eaten at Makung, 49
Mollusca of Labuan, 193
Monkeys in Formosa, 40
Labuan, 165
Moon blindness, 308
shaped patches of light, 398
explanation of, 400
Mosque of the Klings, 248

Napoleon Bonaparte, 419
Nepenthes, 155
Neptunus pelagicus, 367
Nibong palm, 202, 214
Nipa palm, 259
Noctiluce, 259

at Singapore, 395

INDEX.

Noctiluce at False Bay, 396
description of, 397
flashing of, 403
contractility of, 406
Nocturnal marine animals, 356
Notonectz, 59
Nudibranchs, 9, 51, 98, 125, 135,
149, 195, 259
Nutmeg, 261
tree, 262
disease, 263
causes of, 264
recovery of trees, 265

Ocypoda, 25
Oliva erythrostoma, 50
black variety of, 193
Ophiocoma, 219
Opium smoking, 283
value and imports of, 284
Chinese, 285
Opuntias, 419
Orang or Mias, 166
Orbitolites, 20, 126
Oryctes of cocoa-nut, 272
Oscillatoria, oceanic, 384
Osprey (H.M.S.) lost, 411
Ostreea canadensis, 78

Padi bird, 44
fields at Ta-kau, 42

Padina, 51, 198, 427
Pagoda, 140

anchorage, 139
Pako, 319
Palm island, 90
Paludine, 42
Pappan island, 185, 196
Parang (Dyak), 226
Pasig river, 302
Patella oculus, 417
Pawnbrokers’ warehouses, Canton,

835
“ Pearl ” river, 316, 332
Pekin memorial, 346
school of languages, 346

Pelagia, projection of threads %,,
362

Pelagic animals, 351
Penang, 14, 261
Peninjau, Mount, 235
view from summit, 238
Pepper, 271
Peronia, 97
Pescadores islands, 46
Petreis, fork-tailed, 412
Petroleum in Formosa, 96
Labuan, 160

443

Phasma, 161
Phosphorescence, 392
Photography, 52
Phyllidia, new species of, 219
Phyllosoma, 56
Physalia, 357—363
stinging powers of, 364
fishes in threads of, 365
not luminous, 406
Pico, Azores, 428
Pidgin English, 21, 350
Pigs in China, 43, 217, 388
Labuan, 165
Pi-hi-kun, Formosa, 44
Pill-making crab, 288
Pinnacle island, 118
Pipe gamboge, 270
Piracy on Chinese coast, 182
in Borneo, 205
Pistia stratiotes, 302
Planaria, 218 .
Pneumodermia, 99
“ Poh,” game of, 280
Ponghou harbour, 46
Population of Manilla, 295
Porpita, 357
Prahus of Sarawak river, 221
Pratas reef, 22
island, 23
flora, 24
insects, 24
shells, 25
birds, 28
seaweeds, 25
Proboscis monkey, 166
Provisions, cheapness of, at Makung,
9

Pterosoma, 54

Pulo Brani, 244
Puntinqua’s garden, 335
Pyrosoma, 401

Python, 172

Queen’s birthday, 69

Rafflesia, 216
Railways in China, 348
Rain in Labuan, 198

Sarawak, 215

Arabia,

Ascension, 422
Rainbow, horizontal, 385
Raleigh rock, 117
Rapids on Tam-suy river, 80

Sarawak river, 226, 232
Rats eaten in China, 339
Recruit island, 128
Red beetle of cocoa-nut, 272

444 INDEX.

Red discoloration of sea, 129, 354
Sea, 7
worms, 129
Retrospect, 431
Rhizostoma, 360, 362
Rice embargo, 64
paper plant, 62
“ Ruby,” case of the, 133
Ruin-rock, 89
Rumbling fish, 134

Safety of Canton streets, 326, 329
Sagartia, new species, 131
Sagitta, 55
Sago planting, 278
Salpa pinnata, 368
Salt monopoly, 339
Samarang rocks, 203
Sampans at Hong Kong, 18
Sandstone of N. Formosa, 85, 92
Sanitarium, Rajah Brooke’s, 238
Sarawak, 201
river, 202
flag, 202
exports, 215
Sargasso sea, 366
Sarong, 203, 243
Sau-o bay, 101
Saw-mills of Johore, 286
School at Makung, 48
Scissor-grinder, 176
Scorpions, 27, 173
“ Scylla” (H.MLS.), 410
Scyllea pelagica, 366
Sea, varying aspects of, 386
colour of, 387
sawdust, 380
Seaweeds at Pratas, 25
Secchi’s observations, 390
Sedans in Formosa, 66
Sensitive plant, 256
Sepia, 9
Serambo, visit to, 236
“ Serpent,” joined H.M.S., 22
Shanghai, 144
Shantung lark, 319
Sharks, 259
Shoals of Acalephs, 361
Shwingan passage, 141
Sik-kow, 78
Simon’s Bay, 413
rock at, 417
Simple Salpz, 369
Singapore, 14, 242
scenes in, 252
Sing-songs, 277
Slut island, Haitan, 135
Small feet of Chinese ladies, 21, 45

Snakes of Labuan, 172
Soap-stone rock, 139
Soil of Singapore, 20]
Somali, 8
Southern Cross, 306
Sparks of light in the sea, 393
Spherapceia Collingwoodii, 290
Sphex, cell-building, 190
Spiders of Pratas, 24
Daat, 189
Stars, 6, 146
Star-fish, 191
Steep island, 102
Stephanomia, 99, 359
St. Helena, 418
Stinging hemiptera, 178
Storm at Sarawak, 235
Hong Kong, 410
Streets of Canton, 334
Strombus eaten in China, 26
Sugar-cane, 268
Sulphur springs, 70
geology of, 72
present condition, 73

trade in, 75
Sultan of Borneo, 162
Sumpitan, 257
Surgery in China, 337

Tablet island, 46
Tagalan, 296
Ta-kau, 38
Tam-suy, 60

people of, 64

river, journey on, 75

night on, 77, 79

Tanjong Kubong, 211

Putri, 275
Tarnuh-puti, 203, 209
Theatricals in China, 279
Tia-usu, 124
Tidal line of R. Min, 138
Tigers in Singapore, 253
Timidity of women and children, 48
Tobacco manufacture, Manilla, 303
Tambs at Tam-suy, 64
Téwing-net, 355
Traveller’s tree, 14
Treaty of 1858, 345
Trepang, 150
Trial by jury at Hong Kong, 327
Trichodesmium, 380

abundance of in
China Sea, 382
microscopic exami-

: nation of, 383
Tropic birds, 18, 412
Tropical nights, 306

INDEX.

Tryxalis, 40

Tuan Muda of Sarawak, 206
Tumblers, 320

Tumonggong of Johore, 275, 277
Turtle ponds, 426

Typhoon, 33

Unity of the Chinese nation, 340

Valonia (seaweed), 136

Velella, 357

Victoria peak, 16

Villa de Horta, 428

Visits of ceremony in China, 315

Vocabulary of Formosa dialect, 113
(Appendix)

Volcanoes near Manilla, 298

Wages of Chinese and Malays, 273

Water beetles, 187

snakes, 304
Waterspout, 153
Weather at Manilla, 305
Western trade with China, 345
Whales’ bones at False Bay, 416
Whampoa, 316, 331
Whampoa’s garden, 251
Wideawakes of Craig island, 119

Ascension, 424

Wild night, 142
Window-oyster, 294
Women of Manilla, 295
Wosung river, 143
Wou-wou, 235
Wrecking at Makung, 52

Yang-tze-Kiang, 143

Wariness of crabs, 187 Zoea, 32
Water buffaloes, 43 Zostera, 25
THE END.

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