202 STRAIT OF BANCA. 



without any of the old customs of rum and feathering- 

 being kept up. The heat was intense. 



Minto, the princij^al port of the large island of 

 Banca, the great tin emporium and Holland's mine, 

 in every sense of the word, was our next destination, 

 where goods had to be exchanged. I landed, to enjoy 

 a stretch in the cool shade of the forest, and here I 

 saw those wonderful insects belonging to the order 

 Orthoptera cursoria, the Walking-leaf [Phyllium) 

 and the Walking-stick (Phasma), the most perfect 

 representation, when in repose, of leaves like those 

 of the jasmin, and of bits of dry branchlets a few 

 inches long. They are very curious, and I collected 

 a few specimens, along with their natural food, to 

 take with me, but they did not live beyond a few 

 days. They are very slow in their movements, 

 especially at starting, as if it took them a little time 

 to recover from their trance or stupor. 



After a few hours, delay we passed through the 

 narrow strait between Banca and the fever-stricken 

 coast of Sumatra. The climate on the latter is said 

 to be deadly to both Europeans and natives. 

 Frequent attempts have been made to clear its forests 

 and jungles, but the hand of death has invariably 

 put a stop to it. Its tall trees, 100 to 150 feet high, 

 which one sees so distinctly in passing through the 



