BOOK NOTICE. 211 



of these canoes can be lifted with one hand (though they hold three men) ; and in 

 foul weather (as they always cruise in company) they are made fast to each other 

 by means of paddles seized down athwartships, forming a pretty sea-worthy sort 

 of catamaran. 



The bow is mentioned as of i( tough wood," un-named, strengthened by an outer 

 longitudinal bracing of plaited hide such as is used by the tribes on the American 

 coast of the same sea to make up for the want of toughness in the coniferous woods 

 on which they have to depend. The arrow is of wood, with a long socket of 

 walrus ivory, which loosely holds a barbed copper head, made fast to a lanyard of 

 plaited sinew coiled on the shaft, very much as in the fishing arrows of our own 

 Bhils. The feathers are "rifled," i.e., set on spirally to give a spinning motion to 

 the projectile ; a practice which is reported to exist, or to have existed, amongst 

 some tribes in the north-east of the Indian peninsula. 



From this point Dr. Guillemard, with his usual discretion, gives us a mere 

 precis of the " Marchesa's " movements in well-known waters, till we rejoin her at 

 anchor off Lamery, in the isle of Luzon, 40 miles south of Manilla. Near this place 

 is the lake of Taal, mountain-girt, and probably an extinct crater, 15 miles long. 

 In its centre rises a mountainous island 2,000 feet high, on the top of which is an 

 undoubted crater-lake a mile across, 1 he " Marchesa" stayed only a few hours, 

 and sailed for the Sulu sea. Passing the little isle of Bancoran, it was observed 

 to swarm with big white " nutmeg pigeons" (Myristicivora bicolor), which tempted 

 the travellers in vain. Time pressing, they proceeded on their voyage to Cagayan 

 Sulu. This island lies pretty well in the centre of the Sulu sea and clear of the 

 other islands known by the same name; it acknowledged the suzerainty of the 

 Sultan of Sulu, subject always to the necessity of submitting to that of Spain, 

 whenever and so long as enforced by the arms of that power. This seems to have 

 been the condition of politics throughout the Sulu group at the time of the 

 " Marchesa's" cruise, viz., 1S83. 



Dr. Guillemard thought he had never seen a tropic island " more captivating 

 than Cagayan Sulu" The party explored it for several days ; especially a strange 

 chain of three crater-lakes, side by side on the south coast. The sea has broken into 

 the westernmost and largest lake, Jiwata; but the entrance is only about a cable's 

 length across and 3 feet deep, though inside there is 55 fathoms. It is also partly 

 barred by an islet, a remnant of the crater's rim. The other two lakes contain 

 fresh water; and it is impossible to look at the plan and sketch, illustrating Dr. 

 Guillemard's account of them',- without hoping that a civilized engineer may some 

 day have the chance of cutting through the coral barrier and lava-bar of Jiwata ; 

 and turning it into one of the sweetest little harbours in creation ; with a good water 

 supply cbse by. Until that happens, however, there is a good harbour available on 

 the north coast, discovered by our voyagers, and somewhat prosaically chris- 

 tened by them "Yacht Bay." It has a sandy bottom, and 15 fathoms water; 

 but is not further described in the work under review. " Animal life ap- 

 peared singularly meagre" in the island; but they got a new Mixomis; 

 a large and very rare fruit-pigeon (Carpophaga Pickeringa); and some better known 

 birds. The mammals appear to be rats and one monkey, the " krah" (Macacus 

 cgnomolgus) a common Bornean species. 



