266 A NATURALIST IN BORNEO 



field-glasses, I lay on my back and gazed for long 

 at their curious antics. There were two or three 

 species, one of which, Anorhinus galcatus, as it fed 

 uttered a strange, mewing noise ; the others had more 

 raucous cries ; sometimes a bird would pluck off a 

 fruit, throw it in the air and catch it, throw it up 

 again, and again catch it and swallow it ; sometimes 

 one would stand on a branch and solemnly jump up 

 and down on it in the most ludicrous manner. One 

 could not help being convinced that the birds were 

 filled with the joie dc vivre, and I felt fortunate in 

 being able to get a good view behind the veil that is 

 nearly always stretched between the naturalist and 

 bird-life in the tropical forest. 



Cox eventually climbed on to the summit of the 

 mountain, but it was a bleak wilderness covered with 

 Pandanus and very poor in animal life, so he descended 

 and moved his quarters to a lower peak known as 

 Mt. Prang. He sent down some interesting insect larvae, 

 and I made up my mind to join him on the peak 

 of Mt. Prang and investigate the habits of these 

 creatures for myself. The second Chinese servant 

 had now fallen ill with fever, and it was only with a 

 great effort that he was able to cook for me, so I left 

 them both with a supply of quinine tabloids and a 

 Dayak to look after them, and joined my companion. 

 I found that he had prepared a fine camp by making 

 a large clearing and erecting a long lean-to ; we com- 

 manded a magnificent view right down to the sea, and 

 could distinguish Kuching very clearly in the distance. 

 The felled trees in the clearing had attracted crowds of 

 Longicorns and Weevils and I soon added very largely 

 to my insect collections. One day was very like another, 



