26 NATURAL SCIENCE. j AN ., 



very fond of the water, remaining a long time beneath the surface. I 

 have seen one leaping off the boughs of a tree into the water, climbing 

 up and leaping off again and again. 



The Berok (Macacus nemestrinus) is not really wild in Singapore, 

 but it is frequently kept in captivity, and, often escaping, remains in 

 a half- wild state, usually near town.' It is common in the Peninsula 

 in the denser jungles. This monkey is the one trained to gather 

 coco-nuts by the Malays, who take them round to plantations to 

 pluck the nuts at one or two cents per tree. The Berok is led to the 

 tree, which it quickly ascends, and at the top awaits instructions. 

 At a signal or word it places three of its paws on the nut required, 

 holding on to the tree with one hind-foot, and then twists the nut 

 round rapidly till it becomes detached and falls. A properly-trained 

 Berok will thus pick any nut on a tree or all those that are ripe, or 

 even select an old nut or younger one according to order, judging of 

 the age by shaking the nut and listening to hear whether the milk 

 rattles or not inside. At a jerk of the string by which it is attached 

 the monkey descends and sits quietly on the ground. A trained 

 monkey is valued at twenty dollars or more. The Berok when young 

 is an intelligent pet, but adults are liable to be vicious. I have never 

 known one breed in captivity. 



The Lotong (Semnopitheais femovalis) is not very common in 

 Singapore, but a few occur in most of the larger jungles. They 

 appear to live in small flocks of six or seven, but are commonly seen 

 singly or in pairs. They are strictly arboreal, never descending to 

 the ground, and are very active, taking immense leaps when frightened, 

 and uttering their wild laughing cry. This cry can be heard far off, 

 and when heard at night is an intimation of the neighbourhood of a 

 tiger or other large wild beast. The Lotong is very rarely to be seen 

 in captivity, and is very short-lived when captured. It appears to eat 

 buds and other green-stuff as well as fruit. I once saw one devouring 

 the flowers of a big wild nutmeg (Myristica superba). There are 

 several other species of Semnopitheais in the Malay Peninsula with 

 apparently similar habits to that of S. femovalis, but it is not easy 

 even to secure specimens, still less to observe their habits. 



The Wa Wa [Hylobates agilis) is common in the Malay Peninsula 

 as far south as Johore, but is not wild in Singapore. Their strange 

 chant, going gradually up the scale and ending in loud wails, can be 

 heard at a long distance in the early morning at sunrise, seldom much 

 later. Their habits are tolerably well known, as they are constantly 

 kept as pets. They are exceedingly affectionate and playful. Beside 

 the above-mentioned song, except a kind of low crooning expressive 

 of sorrow, I never heard them utter any sound. 



The Kongkang (Nycticebus tavdigvadus) is common in Singapore, 

 and often caught by the natives. It remains concealed all day, and 

 at night creeps out and visits the plantain trees to eat the fruit. It 

 is an uninteresting pet, but is often kept as a curiosity. Here, as in 



