64 Mr. R. B. Sliarpe on the 



(the same year) I left for Gaya Island, hoping to start from 

 there for Kina Balu in the beginning of May. However, as 

 the oflEicials of the British North Borneo Company stated that 

 some of the interior tribes had been raiding as far as the 

 coast in search of heads, and that it was necessary to send a 

 police expedition inland to punish the very tribes I had 

 intended visiting, all idea of reaching Kina Balu during 

 that dry season was abandoned. 



" A few days after I left for the Padas River, and spent 

 some three weeks on the higher parts of that river, but as 

 birds were very scarce, and ray collections hardly worth the 

 name, I again left for Labuan, In August of the same year 

 I proceeded with three natives to Benkoka, in the north of 

 Borueo, where we remained until the middle of November. 

 On this river my collections were numerous and contained 

 examples of many fine species. 



" In February 1886 I again left for Kina Balu, this time 

 reaching the Tampassuk River; but all attempts to find 

 natives to carry my baggage from there inland failed. 

 Some were willing to go but had no buff'aloes, others had 

 buffaloes but could not go, or, in true Eastern style, would 

 not give a straight answer. After ten days of fruitless search, 

 it came out that nobody would go inland amongst the Dusan 

 tribes, all stating that it would be unsafe ; this I soon heard 

 was perfectly true. The Company's expedition last year never 

 went inland, having received a severe blow on the coast, where 

 seven Bajows ran ' amuck ' amongst the leaders of the force, 

 and killed the four chief ofiicers, thus leaving the rest without 

 leaders. This year another police expedition was formed, 

 and whilst I was doing my best to obtain buffaloes on the 

 coast, attacked a native chief, killed eight or more of his 

 tribe, and burnt down his village; this having occurred 

 within twenty miles of us, without our knowledge. As the 

 temper of the people inland was roused, it would have been 

 unsafe to travel amongst them, so my expedition was re- 

 luctantly abandoned. 



" In March 1886 I left for the Law as River, where I ob- 

 tained specimens of a few interesting species. The same 



