A VISIT TO THE BIRDS’ NEST CAVES. 45 
not get a specimen. Leeches were very troublesome, crawling 
into boots and down one’s back, generally selecting awkward 
places to bite; and the legs of the whole party were speedily 
streaming with blood. At first I found every bite very painful, 
but after a time this ceased, and on turning down my stockings 
frequently found a horrid leech fully gorged, whose unwelcome 
presence I had not suspected. The track is fairly level, and 
crosses several small streams, which had, however, now dried up 
into a succession of small pools, full of pretty fish, of three 
species ; remarkably tame, they would come up and nibble one’s 
fingers directly the hand was placed in the water. Along the 
path I picked up a number of different land-shells; one very 
pretty kind is about two inches long, of a bright pea-green 
colour. 
At noon we reached our destination, coming quite suddenly 
into the thick forest, to the foot of a sheer limestone cliff running 
up to 900 ft. In this cliff the caves are situate. The path leads 
directly to the mouth of the great cavern, called Simud Itam, 
i.e. the Black Cave. The porch is rather over 100 ft. wide by 
250 ft. high, and the roof slopes up for 110 ft. more; the height 
of this magnificent natural cathedral being 360 ft. The interior 
is well lighted, as there is a large circular hole in the roof about 
200 yards from the entrance on the right, and a smaller one on 
the left, forming two aisles. The walls and roof are rugged, 
grand, and beautifully coloured, shading from black to brown, 
grey, dark yellow, red, and green; the blue sky and sunlight 
shining beyond through the openings make a picture far beyond 
my power to describe in its grand and awful beauty. Here, 
indeed, is a fitting temple formed by Nature to worship her in; 
compared with which the grandest cathedral in the world, the 
work of human hands, sinks into insignificance. 
“The forest growth and Gothic walls between, 
The wild rocks shaped as they had turrets been, 
In mockery of man’s art.” 
High circling above our heads were hundreds of Bats and 
Swifts, and, notwithstanding the enormous heights, the nests 
were seen in clusters attached to the sides and roof. Here and 
there, from seemingly the most inaccessible places, were the 
rattan stages, ladders, and ropes of the nest-gatherers. Indeed, 
until we solved the mystery on ascending the cliff from the 
