376 Journal of Travel and Natural History 



regretted that I had not yet seen the flying squirrel in motion, and was surprised 

 to hear tliat Dr Buchanan had observed about a hundred of them every 

 evening for several weeks, near Philadelphia, on two tall oaks, in the autumn 

 when acorns and chestnuts were abundant, and when they had spare time to 

 play. They were amusing themselves by passing from one tree to another, 

 throwing themselves off from the top of one of the oaks and descending at a 

 considerable angle to near the base of the other ; then inclining the head 

 upwards just before reaching the ground, so as to turn and alight on the tnmk, 

 which they immediately climb up to repeat the same manreuvre. In this way 

 there was an almost continuous flight of them crossing each other in the air 

 between the two trees. " — {A Second Visit to the United States, by Sir Charles 

 Lyell, p. 303.) 



Before leaving the zoology of Dr Collingwood's book, we shall 

 just quote one suggestion for the obtaining of small birds : — 



"The Klings" (a race from the Coromandel Coast of India, of whom con- 

 siderable numbers are settled about Singapore) "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 Banyah, 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 ringing in the branches above, he 

 noiselessly blew the pellet, and dowm fell the bird to the ground, stunned, or 

 it might be killed. A little practice, one would imagine, would enable a per- 

 former to play upon this instrument, not wantonly, we would hope, but for the 

 purpose of procuring small birds when they are required for j^reservation without 

 injuring the plumage. " (p. 267.) 



We can endorse Dr Collingwood's suggestion, and say, from 

 personal trial of the South American blow-pipe, that a moderate 

 degree of skill is not difficult to attain. 



Dr CoUingwood saw the diamond mines, or rather diamond 

 washings, in Borneo. For the most part diamonds are of small 

 size, but of a brilliant water, although large ones have been occa- 

 sionally 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 6 to 18 feet below the surface, and in strata some- 

 times several feet thick, the diamonds are sought for with varying 

 success by a large number of Malays, who sinks shafts at a distance 

 of 20 feet apart in the shallow parts of the river. 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 work- 

 ing place of each party. Their next important stock in trade 



