60 The Gardens of the Sun. [ch. iv. 



across the timbers overhead. The floor was of open 

 lattice-work, or rather parallel nebong laths an inch 

 apart, so that perfect ventilation is obtained ; and these 

 houses are always cool. The owner was not at home, 

 but his wife brought a board and desired " Bongsur " to 

 partition off one of the corner compartments for me, 

 which was soon done ; and getting up the boxes, ham- 

 mock-sleeping gear, &c, the place soon assumed a more 

 comfortable appearance. 



As it was a beautiful clear afternoon I left my " boy " 

 to prepare dinner, and started off to the forest with half- 

 a-dozen of the native boys who had followed from the 

 village. I shot a pretty scarlet-breasted trogan with 

 beautifully pencilled wings, in a large fig tree near the 

 houses. We had a rather rough walk through long grass, 

 in which ugly concealed logs were plentiful ; and the 

 only bridges across the streams were formed of a single 

 tree-trunk, often a very slender one not perfectly straight, 

 so that when a particular part of it was reached in one's 

 journey across, it had a treacherous knack of turning 

 round and landing one in muddy water up to the neck. 

 The natives are used to such slender makeshifts for 

 bridges, and, being barefoot, are as sure-footed as goats. 



We followed one little stream for about two miles, and 

 reached a rocky hill about five hundred feet high, where 

 rhododendrons (R. javanicum) were flowering freery. 

 Hoyas and various orchids were in bloom on the lowest 

 trees ; and it was on bare tree -trunks on this hill that I 

 saw the Veitchian pitcher-plant (Nepcntlies Veitchii) wild 

 for the first time. It has a singular habit of clasping the 

 trunks on which it is epiphytal with its leaves, and many 

 which bear pitchers have the blade of the leaf much 

 reduced. Four other pitcher-plants grew on this hill, 

 namely, N. gracilis, X. liirsuta, N. Ilafliesiana, and the 



