328 TWO YEAPwS IN THE JUNGLE. 



perfect and the efifect of the echo highly weird and impressive. It 

 seemed fully a quarter of a minute that the echo reverberated iu 

 the top of that rocky dome. As a further experiment, Mr. Syers 

 discharged his rifle, and the report sounded Uke a deep boom of 

 thunder, prolonged and rolling, echoing in the dome and at the 

 farther end of the long gallery with a long-continued roar. 



Under the dome the floor began to rise as we progressed, and 

 sloped up all the rest of the way to where the cavern terminated 

 in a narrow cleft. This portion of the floor was covered with a 

 thick deposit of bat guano, loose and dry, but there were very few 

 bats in the cave. 



All these caves are about thi'ee miles east of Batu, and nine 

 from Kwala Lumpor, in a northerly dii'ection. The whole hill is a 

 soUd mass of white crystalline Hmestone, and its greatest height is 

 about three hundred feet. Besides catching bats in the caves, the 

 Jacoons say that they often retreat to them for safety at certain sea- 

 sons when the woods are overrun by wild elephants and other dan- 

 gerous animals. 



We made several other hunting excursions in different direc- 

 tions from Batu, always under good guidance, but, although we 

 often saw the tracks of wild cattle, we were never fortunate enough 

 to fall in with the animals themselves. The inevitable krah monkey 

 (Macacus cynomolgus) was often seen and sometimes shot. 



Squirrels were plentiful, and besides two other species {Sciurus 

 ephippium and bicolor) we shot several specimens of the beautiful 

 black and white Sciurus Rafflesi. 



The Malays and Jacoons brought us many specimens of the 

 pretty little mouse-deer (Tragulus napu and kanchil), several small 

 Feline [Felis marmorata and Bengalensis), and two species of civet cat 

 ( Viverra), all of which they caught in traps for our especial benefit. 

 We collected a few bright birds also, and one rhinoceros hornbill. 



Having spent a week at Batu with both pleasure and profit, we 

 sent our elephant bones, rock specimens from the caves and other 

 dead weight down to Klang by the river, while we packed up and re- 

 turned to Kwala Lumpor. On the ride back IVIr, Syers' pony went 

 down when at full gallop and gave him a temble fall, which, but for 

 the protection of his thick pith helmet, might have resulted very seri- 

 ously. It would have sent almost any other man to bed for a week, 

 but my plucky friend insisted on his ability to cai*ry out the pro- 

 gramme, and would scarcely let me rub him with my favorite 

 remedy. 



