188 CELEBES. [chap. 



still as effectually as the ivacht-cen-bietje of Southern Africa. 

 Starting as a trimk as thick as a man's leg, it winds erratically 

 through the forest, now wrapping a tree in its folds like some 

 gigantic snake, now descendiag again to earth, and trailing a 

 sinuous course along the ground. This sub-arboreal growth, how- 

 ever, is unnatural to it, and has probably only been produced by 

 the fall of some tree to which it has been attached. Like every- 

 thing else, it is striving upwards for the light and air, and, if it 

 were possible to follow the windings of any one particular palm, 

 its terminal spike would, in all probability be found shooting up 

 like a miniature flagstaff a dozen feet or more above the summit 

 of the trees. A tliick layer of dead leaves covered the gTOimd, 

 some of them of enormous size. As these fell, striking from time 

 to time against some bough, they made a clattering sound audible 

 at no little distance in the airless forest, and on the ground their 

 dry condition when newly fallen rendered noiseless walking a 

 matter of considerable difficulty. Some were blood-red in colour, 

 but for the most part there were few departures from the varying 

 shades of green in which every ]\Ialayan forest is clothed. Large 

 RapliidopliorcB and other dendrophilous plants swarmed up the 

 tree-trunks and shrouded them with their fleshy, fenestrated leaves, 

 and here and there, in damp localities, deep beds of various species 

 of Selaginella covered the ground. As we were in quest of nobler 

 game we left the birds unmolested, but numerous hornbills 

 tempted us to add them to our collection. These birds {Cranor- 

 rhinus cassidix) are of large size, measuring as much as three feet 

 six inches in length, and their plumage, although not iDrilliant, is 

 atoned for, as far as regards colour, by the orange -yellow of the 

 gigantic bill, and the bright cobalt-blue bare throat. They confine 

 themselves usually to the tops of the highest trees, and are con- 

 sequently difficult to shoot. When taking to flight their wings 

 make a noise which is really much like the starting of a locomotive 

 — as described in the imaginary travels of " Captain Lawson " in 

 New Guinea — a serious of loud puffs increasing in quickness as 



