ANIMATED NATURE. 75 



vegetable productions of the island, we pass in order 

 to the animal kingdom, which, however, is not of such 

 an extensive nature as to detain us so long in its de- 

 scription, although some of its forms are highly curious 

 and interesting. 



The larger and fiercer animals are not found in 

 this island ; so that, though its jungles teem with 

 the smaller carnivora, the tiger, which is so abundant 

 and destructive to human life in Singapore, on the 

 peninsula of Malacca, in Sumatra, and in Java, 

 never molests the traveller in these wilds. Of the 

 larger animals, the elephant is said by the natives to 

 exist in the northern parts of the island, but as they have 

 never been seen by any of my informants themselves, 

 I have not put much faith in the relation. The rhino- 

 ceros exists in the interior of the country, but as it is 

 seldom seen, it must be very rare. An animal resem- 

 bling the Malayan tapir has also been described to me, 

 but I have not seen during my travels either of the above 

 three animals, or even traces of their existence. 



The small Malayan bear (Ursus Malayanus) is 

 found on the west coast, but must be much more 

 common in the country of the Kyans, as then* 

 dresses are frequently made of its skin. It is a 

 well-known species, which feeds principally on vege- 

 tables, and climbs the trees in search of honey, 

 frequently going up to the bees' nests on the lofty 

 tapang. Deer are abundant, and of several kinds. 

 The large Malayan rusa, common to the whole Archi- 

 pelago (Cervus equinus), is very common all over the 

 country, and affords excellent sport to the Europeans of 



