62 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.40. 



formation, with but little coral reef around them. Rats of one species were very- 

 plentiful; a very pale Sciurus vittatus was common, so was the ordinary long-tailed 

 macaque. I shot one Pteropus and a pair of Cynopterus, also another bat ( Megaderma?), 

 but it was lost in the jungle. A muntjac (or kijang) is common, but I only had a 

 glimpse of one. As the island is covered with dense unbroken jungle it is almost 

 impossible to shoot them. The animal only occurs on Mata Siri. It is possible it 

 may have been introduced by man. We heard them barking daily, and they must 

 be very numerous. None of the group is permanently inhabited, but Malays visit 

 the islands from Pulo Laut and Pasir to collect turtles' eggs and birds' nests. Evi- 

 dently there have been some clearings and cultivations in the past, as there is sec- 

 ondary jungle in some places which is now almost indistinguishable from the original 

 forest. My crew saw a dugong in the bay. 



Pulo Laut, December 16-29, 1907. Pulo Laut is a large island lying at the 

 southeast corner of Borneo. The strait separating it is about 30 miles long and from 

 1 to 3 miles wide. The depth is 4 to 10 fathoms. The island is 55 geographic miles 

 long by 20 wide. The north end is very hilly, the highest points being about 2,300 

 feet. Most of the rest of the surface is comparatively flat, with isolated hills. There 

 is a large population of Bugis and Banjer people. The higher hills are still mostly 

 covered with heavy forest, but much of the lower land has been cleared for paddy 

 and pepper cultivation. This last is the staple production of the island. Some coal 

 is mined in the hills at the north end. Kota Baru, near the northern entrance to the 

 strait, is the seat of the Dutch Kontroleur of the district, and is quite a busy little 

 place. The mammals of Pulo Laut are as follows: Rusa and Sus barbatus, both com" 

 mon; some very big pig (Sus gargantua?) said to occur; there is said to be a large red 

 flying squirrel; napus were common, and a smaller kanchil was said to be less com 

 mon, but I did not see it; Bos sondaicus may be truly wild (not feral) on Pulo Laut, 

 as it is common on the opposite mainland; it is said to be numerous on Pulo Bira 

 Birahan on the south coast of Pulo Laut; it is only one mile long and must have been 

 introduced there. Gibbons, Nasalis larvatus, pig-tailed macaques, and Mydaus do 

 not occur on Pulo Laut. • 



Pulo Sebuku, December 31, 1907-January 5, 1908. Pulo Sebuku lies east of Pulo 

 Laut, from which it is separated by a shallow strait only a mile wide in some places. 

 The Btrait about the middle has only about a foot of water at low tide. Sebuku is 

 17£ geographic miles long by about 5 wide. The highest point is only about 400 

 feet and the whole island is low but not swampy. The surface is mostly rolling. 

 The inhabitants are mostly Bugis and Banjer people. It is thinly inhabited and the 

 surface is still covered with heavy forest. The soil is red. Some black pepper is 

 grown, and billian wood is cut. The Bugis build small praus here. As the strait 

 separating Sebuku from Laut is so shallow, particularly at the northern end, I had to 

 anchor the schooner near the northern end of the island, between the northwest point 

 and the small coconut-covered island of Manti. Here we lay a mile offshore, just 

 afloat at low tide. Rats were very plentiful in the jungle, Sciurus "vittatus" com- 

 mon; so was the ratufa, which seems much the same as that of Pulo Laut, but is a 

 little smaller. The ordinary long-tailed macaque is the only monkey. A small napu 

 is very common, although I secured but one pair. Pigs and rusa occur, and musangs 

 are said to occur, although I did not meet with them. No tupaias were noticed. 



