MISCELLANEOUS NOTES. 497 



the perspiration streamed from every pore, and all things appeared through 

 u mosquito haze — besides leeohes which sucked, and ratan lawyers which 

 clawed like cats. I do not mean to say that all the country is as bad as this, 

 but it is the sort of place you would have to go to, and stay two or three days 

 in, if you wanted to get near a rhinooeros or an elephant, or an orang-utan; 

 and you may reckon on fever as a certainty anywhere, sooner or later. 



There is, however, a good chance to get sport and reputation for anyone who 

 likes to run the risk of visiting the unexplored mountains of the Gayu and Allis, 

 in the interior, at the back of Langkat. These tribes (who in appearance and 

 arms much resemble the Lushais) have a very evil repute for treachery and 

 ferocity ; and the Dutch are (or were in my time) very much opposed to any 

 attempt being made to visit their country. But this probably means that the 

 natives will not put up with the fraud and bullying which too often characterise 

 Mynheer, and Meinherr, and Mossoo too, in their dealings with natives, for 

 a large number were employed on English-owned estates, and gave no trouble. 

 Some of these men have told me that their chiefs would not object to a white 

 man visiting their country, as long as they were certain he was not Dutch. 

 Their country, however, borders Acheen, which is closed to all Europeans. 

 They say that they have abundance of wild cattle, very large and savage, besides 

 plenty of tigers and elephants ; and that it is good country to walk in, not 

 like the " tanah busuk " (rotten country) of the coast. I suppose these 

 accounts must be discounted a little, for, like other Orientals, they tell you 

 what they think you want to hear ; but if anyone would like to try it, I will 

 give him all the information I have. 



No. IX.— "HAS THE BAKRI A KEEN SENSE OF SMELL ?" 

 The following incident sent to the Journal, by Mr. H. M. Hewett, may be 

 ■of interest to the Members. 



" H. and I went out from Khandala on the 14th of December last to the 

 Sukkapatar jungles, with the usual number of coolies, and expecting to obtain 

 the usual amount of shikar. 



However, luck favoured us, and one of our men brought back news of a 

 panther kill close by. We went up and found that it had killed a fine young 

 cow in calf. As beating for the panther was impossible, we rigged up a 

 machan on an adjacent tree, and got into it about 4-30 in the afternoon. 

 After we had been seated about ten minutes H. spied two bakri coming out 

 into the glade from the surrounding jungle. The first bakri walked up 

 towards the kill, and then, when about 70 yards away, lay down in the shade. 

 The second one fed right up to where we were sitting and then sauntered back 

 and disappeared. As he was leaving, the panther — a fine sturdy male-appeared, 

 looked round for a little and then came forward and sat down under a tree. 

 The bakri which had been lying down now got up and fed towards the panther, 

 to within 15 feet of the spot where it was crouching. 



