2 DUTCH BORNEO-EXPEDITION. 



derzoek der Nederlandsche Koloniën) decided to send out, 

 with the aid and under the protection of the Colonial 

 Government, a scientific expedition to Dutch West-Borneo. 



With the geological part of the researches the Society 

 charged Prof. Molengraaff at Amsterdam , with the bota- 

 nical part Dr. Hallier , at that time Assistant of the Bo- 

 tanical Institute at Buitenzorg (Java), while I had the 

 honor of being entrusted with the zoological part in its 

 whole extent. The medical care of the expedition was 

 placed in the hands of Dr. Nieuwenhuis , a surgeon in the 

 Colonial Military service, who at the same time under- 

 took the study of the Anthropology and Ethnography of 

 the natives. 



Our principal task was to explore the basin of the Ka- 

 poeas River ') and to proceed from there , if circumstances 

 should prove favorable, along the Mahakkam River to Sa- 

 marinda on the east-coast of the island. 



In order not to interfere too much with the different 

 special tasks of the expedition, the Society very wisely 

 decided to give each member of the party the utmost pos- 

 sible liberty as to the choice of his special exploring ter- 

 ritories and as to the time to be expended upon them, 

 though without entirely leaving out of sight the character 

 of the expedition as a whole. This measure undoubtedly 

 contributed greatly to the success of the different divisions. 



The Geologist does not need , as a rule , to make very 

 long stays at one and the same place ; his task , on the 

 contrary, being to travel continually and to visit as many 

 different places as possible so as to get a clear idea of the 

 geological structure of the country. The Zoologist, however, 

 and in a not less degree also the Botanist , are obliged to 

 spend a considerable time in one certain well-adapted and 

 restricted locality. Collecting, preparing and preserving 

 botanical and still more zoological objects not only require 



1) AH the geographical names in the letterpress and the accompanying map 

 are written in Dutch, and consequently oe must be pronounced like uh. 



Notes from tlie Leyden JMuseuixi, Vol. XllX. 



