NOTES ON THE FLORA AND FAUNA OF SARAWAK : 



Considered more especially in Comparison with that of 



South Africa. 



By J. Hewitt, B.A. 



The main object of this paper is to record what have seemed 

 to me to be some of the more interesting facts concerning the 

 fauna and flora of Sarawak ; and I have dealt with it in a com- 

 parative manner in relation to that of South Africa in order to 

 emphasise some of the more striking characteristics of both. 



As such the paper lays no claim to completeness in any respect ; 

 and, indeed, I do not think that an exhaustive comparison between 

 the faunas of limited areas belonging to different zoological regions 

 would serve any useful purpose. 



For convenience sake I have referred to the respective faunas 

 as if each were a homogeneous whole : in reality this is very far 

 from the case, especially in South Africa, which has several fairly 

 easily defined zoological areas. 



In Sarawak the whole land area from the sea shore fringed with 

 the picturesque Casuarina trees and from the banks of the rivers 

 right up to the very summits of the mountains is one exceedingly 

 dense forest with no treeless areas whatever. Rains are frequent 

 throughout the year, the air is nearly always saturated with 

 moisture, and the temperature is comparatively but not exces- 

 sively high, a shade temperature of 96 degrees F. being the maxi- 

 mum, whilst in the lowlands the temperature rarely goes below 

 68 degrees F. : such conditions are eminently suitable for the 

 development of a luxurious vegetation, and we actually find in 

 these tropical forests an inconceivable maze of innumerable forms 

 crowded together in the minimum of space. Every tree supports 

 some epiphytic growth, ferns, orchids, lichens, Pandani or mosses, 

 and frequently the tree is so literally covered with epiphytes that 

 it is quite impossible to see the bark of the tree itself ; this is 

 especially the case in the lowland swamps and high up on the 

 mountains which are so often bathed in clouds. 



In the competition for light the trees become very tall, their 

 straight trunks rising in the air to the height of several hundred 

 feet before producing their crown of branches : this feature is 

 found in trees belonging to many different orders, and in some 

 cases — the Dipterocarps, for instance — this applies to the whole 

 group. Again, as it is important for a young tree to reach the open 

 sunlight as quickly as possible the trunk is frequently fast-growing 

 and the wood thereof soft ; and as the soft trunk wood is not 

 strong enough to support unaided the large crown and the great 

 length of trunk above, these trees have developed huge basal 

 flanges which, arising crosswise from the bottom of the trunk, 

 stretch out for a distance of 4 or 5 yards or more. The wood 

 of the flange, being composed of fibres which cross in all directions, 

 is very tough and dense ; such a flange when carefully prepared 

 can be converted into an excellent single-piece dining table of full 



