A MOXTII WITH THE DYAKS. 423 



sheen which is not to be found on dry, preserved specimens. The 

 longest wing feathers measured two feet seven inches in length, and 

 the two long tail feathers, three feet two inches. One such bird as 

 this, a creature fit for Paradise, compensates for a thousand petty 

 annoyances. My last lamp chimney broke to-night, of its owti ac- 

 cord, which is a calamity indeed, for the lamp is now useless. 

 When my candles are all gone, the evenings wiU be very long. 



"Saturday, November dth. — Just as I was starting out, a curi- 

 ous porcujiine [Atherura fascicidata) was brought in, which had 

 been caught in a pheasant snare. Most unfortunate^, the snare 

 had caught three of the legs and so badly chafed and cut the skin 

 as to greatly damage it. It was a very singular animal, twenty-six 

 inches in total length, of which the tail was nine and a half ; the 

 body was covered with flattened, gray spines an inch and a half 

 long. I left Perara to remove the skin, with strict injunctions to 

 work carefully ; but when we retui-ned, three hours later, he came 

 to me and plaintively said, * Can't skin that animal, su- ! ' 

 Sure enough, the skin was in ruins, the tail off, and also one leg, 

 and the body torn in many places. On examination I found the 

 skin had no more strength than a sheet of wet writing-paper, so 

 we reconsidered the previous motion and took the complete 

 skeleton, but saved the skin for purj^oses of identification. Being 

 pretty well tired out, I decided to rest during the afternoon, and 

 the clerk of the weather took advantage of our remaining in-doora 

 and sent down a rain. 



" November 11th. — Le Tiac brought in two more atheruras, and 

 as Perara declared it was impossible to skin them successfully I went 

 to work and skinned both. Both were injured on the legs by the 

 snare, and it requu'ed careful work to make skins of them. "When- 

 ever Professor Ward wishes to take the conceit out of one of his 

 young taxidermists I will tell him to have one of these wet-pajDer 

 skins mounted. If I am not mistaken there will be some bad 

 language used by somebody before these skins are mounted ' in the 

 highest style of the art.' 



" I have not seen in this region a snake of any kind until one 

 was brought in to-day. It was only five and a half feet long ; head, 

 underparts, and tail a beautiful vermilion ; two narrow, white 

 stripes along the back, one along the side, and the intervening 

 space bluish black. Two more flying dragons came in at the same 

 time. 



" The women of ovu* village have begun to make the children 



