318 Mr. J. D. de La Toudie on 



tsing people, and that there was danger of our being speared by- 

 some lurking savage. We then climbed up through the jungle 

 to a flat grassy teiTace overlooking the plain. It was now 

 so hot that I had to turn back. We crossed the stony river- 

 bed once more, noticing a few birds [jEgialitis, sp., and Mo- 

 tacilla leucopsis) among the stones. On the bank of this 

 watercourse, half a mile or so from the hills, the Chinese 

 have a fort to guard the pass. 



The Bangkimtsing Pepohwans told me that the savages 

 who live among the mountains along the valley and further 

 E. were on friendly terms with them, but that those in the 

 mountains bordering the plain N. of the valley were hostile. 

 There are two places in the neighbourhood of Bamkimtsing 

 where savages come to trade with the Chinese and others. I 

 had no time to visit them, occupied as I was with collecting and 

 preparing specimens. I procured nothing of interest on the 

 way home, with the exception of a Lark {Alauda wattersi) ; 

 this bird was singing on the ground. On getting back to the 

 village I heard that a party had been out pig-hunting that 

 morning. They had shot a sow, which was brought for my 

 inspection. The wild pigs are extremely abundant on the 

 neighbouring mountains, and come down almost ever}^ night 

 to the plain to feed on the croj)s. They are, however, seldom 

 shot, the natives apparently being but poor shots and their 

 powder very bad. 



November \Wi. To-day being Sunday, there was again no 

 going up to the forest, as this entails a start before daybreak ; 

 the heat being still such that the summit of the hills has to 

 be reached before the sun lights up the western slopes, I 

 visited instead a valley some five miles N. of the village. 

 Here are extensive sugar-fields, where Pheasants are said 

 to be numerous. Although Ignacio had a trained native 

 dog with him, and beat the patches of cane assiduousl}^ he 

 failed to put up anything better than a hare and three Quail. 

 One of the latter was probably Turn'ix taigoor. The other 

 two were of the same size as the common Quail, but darker. 

 I shot here a Hwanei [Trochalopteron taivanum). 



As it was yet early, I strolled along the bank of the stream 



