POISONOUS PLANTS A.ND SCENTED BEETLE. 431 



While cutting wood in the forest not far from the 

 watering place, our seamen and carpenters suffered very 

 considerably from the virulent acrid sap of the Exccecaria 

 Agallocha, or a plant closely allied to it, which produced 

 violent itching and inflammation of the face, hands, and 

 wherever it came in contact. I remember, that near the 

 Morotabas entrance of the Sarawak river, the party sent 

 on shore to cut wood, were also much annoyed by the 

 acrid juice of a plant with a large, brownish, spherical 

 berry, and smooth shining leaves. Not being then in 

 flower, it was difficult to say to what genus it belonged, 

 but most probably it was the Stagmaria verniciflua of Dr. 

 Jack. Besides the chance of scorpion and snake-bites, 

 and the certainty of being punished by innumerable mus- 

 quitoes, a large species of Tabanus is very annoying to the 

 naturalist in these forests, alighting on the exposed parts 

 of the body, and producing a sharp bite; but the pain 

 however is momentary, and not so poisonous as that of 

 the mosquito. 



Clinging to the flower-balls of a delicate-leaved Mimosa, 

 were numbers of splendid bronze-green beetles, of the 

 genus Aromia, which emitted such a powerful scent of 

 attar-of-roses around, as to impregnate the air for some 

 little distance. That showy looking insect Purpuricenus 

 (Eurycephalus) maxillosusQliv., or a closely allied species, 

 with black and red velvety elytra, was found clinging to 

 the bark of trees ; and, alighting on the leaves in sunny 

 spots, on the slightest alarm taking flight and soaring 

 high above the trees, was a splendid TJierates, a beetle of 

 the family of Cicindelidtf, remarkable for then* powers of 

 volitation. The species I obtained had large strong jaws, 



