A BAT CAMP 133 



On the morning following our arrival, we set to work, on the 

 right shore of the bay, to cut a path up the steep hills which rise 

 immediately from the water. This caused so much noise, how- 

 ever, that nearly every animal and bird was- scared from the 

 neighbourhood ; and since we could only proceed along the 

 summit of the hills, where such specimens as were shot were in 

 danger of rolling down the steep sides and being lost, after setting 

 a number of traps, we returned to the boat and set out to explore 

 the bay. 



The little basin at its head was surrounded by steep hills, but 

 on the right a stream flowed through a gap in the latter. Beyond 

 this the land sank, and opened out into a seemingly interminable 

 mangrove swamp, through which the river wound deviously. 



From the mangroves overhanging the stream we obtained 

 several nests of a sunbird {Ay-achnechthra, sp. nov.). These in 

 shape were something like an old-fashioned net purse, covered 

 with lichen, and were suspended from the ends of branches. The 

 entrance was in the side, and in each we found two pale-brown 

 eggs mottled with a darker pigment. 



Half-an-hour's row brought us to the end of navigation, and 

 at that point we met with a vast colony of fruit-bats {Pteropus 

 iiicobaricus), occupying the mangroves on either side of the river. 



At a small computation, several thousand animals must 

 have been hanging head downwards from the branches, and the 

 surrounding atmosphere was impregnated with the musty odour 

 of their bodies. When we disturbed them, they gave vent to a 

 continuous " skirling " noise, somewhat like the song of cicadas, 

 but less shrill in tone. 



By nature they are very fearless, and the majority merely 

 stared inquisitively ; a few spread their great wings and flapped 

 heavily away for a short distance, and others crawled actively 

 along the branches back downwards. 



All the females carried, clinging to the breast, a young one of 

 about one-third full growth ; these the mothers hugged to them- 

 selves with a folded wing, but when unsupported, the young found 

 no difficulty in maintaining its position, by means of its excessively 



