SIR THOMAS STAMFORD RAFFLES. 87 



has excited more interest than the celebrated upas, 

 or poison tree, of which as many wonderful stories 

 have been told as of the centaur, the Lernean hydra, 

 or any other of the classic fictions of antiquity. 

 These extravagant fables have often been refuted 

 by naturalists ; and it is only among the ignorant, or 

 the dupes of the poet and the popular orator, that 

 the romances on the subject of the upas find be- 

 lievers. A fatal poison is, no doubt, prepared 

 from the sap, mixed with various other substances ; 

 but without this process it is said to be harm- 

 less. 



Of the useful or domestic animals, Java may be 

 said to be deficient ; neither the elephant nor the 

 camel is a native; the former is rarely imported, 

 and the latter is unknown. Neither the ass nor 

 the mule is found; but there is a fine breed of 

 small horses, strong, fleet, and well made. A still 

 finer breed is imported from Bima, on the neigh- 

 bouring island of Sumbawa, which, by competent 

 judges, has been said to resemble the barb in every 

 respect, except size. They seldom exceed thirteen 

 hands, and in general are below this standard. 

 The bull and cow are general, and the breed has 

 been greatly improved by the species introduced 

 from continental India. The most essential animal 

 is the buffalo, from its being generally employed in 

 agriculture. Goats are numerous, but sheep scarce ; 

 and both are of a small size. 



The aggregate number of mammalia in Java, has 



