THE BIROS OF SOUTH-WEST AND PENINSULAR SIAM. 9 



ing ready for our land journeys, as we bad decided to setid back the 

 launch. We got but little at Manioli. 



Tai'LI. 



We accordingly moved on to Tapli, the terminus of the road 

 across the Isthums of Kra, where we met the I^)rd- Lieutenant who 

 treated us with great courtesy. Here we found (|uarters in a large 

 hard-wood house built originally for the King of Siam when travel- 

 ling across the Peninsula. 



We stayed at Tapli longer than we anticipated though we obtain- 

 ed a few species that we were anxious t j possess fro ii this area, notably 

 the hvo'AdhiW, Her il<>plnt.'< InmtfiiH, and a specimen of the long-billed 

 partridge, Rhlzofhcra lovffiroxtris. After some difficulty we secured 

 ten elephants, the only method of trans}x>rt in this district, but we 

 had loads for twenty, so that our men and equipment had to leave for 

 Tastiii, our next stopping plaee, distant abDut twelve miles and slight- 

 ly on the eastern side of the Peninsular divide, in two detachments. 



Compared with Indian and Burmese elephants, we had always 

 been accustjmel to consider the Malay elephant, as used in the north 

 of the Federated Malay States, a pjor and ineffisient baggage carrier. 

 An average animil can, however, be expected to carry a load of four 

 to five pikuls* and do twelve to fourteen miles a day over ordinary 

 country. The same is true of Pataiii and Bandon anim lis, though the 

 howdahs and panniers are incDuvenient for carrying light and mis- 

 cellaneous loads. 



The local elephants, mostly from the province of Chumjwn, 

 were inferior creatures, with cranky and ill-devised panniers. Their 

 mahouts protested vigorously if they were expected to carry more 

 than H-2 pikuls, and I do not think there was one that t)ok as much 

 as three. Their only merit was that they would do a fairly long day's 

 march. 



For the last three years a cart road has been under construc- 

 tion from Tapli (which is the highest navigable point on the Pakchan, 

 for lx)ats of moderate draught), to Chumpon on the Bangkok rail- 

 way. The total length of the road is about 3(5 miles and the earth- 



* lpikul = 133i lbs. av. 

 VOL.V, NO. 1, 1921. 



