A VISIT TO THE BIRDS’ NEST CAVES. 47 
the black nest is different from that building the white nest; 
they pointed out two sizes of birds, asserting that the small one 
built the ‘‘ Sarong Putih” (i. e., white nest), and the larger the 
*Sarong Itam”’ (7. e., black nest). This, however, is a mistake, 
the difference in size being that usually found in the two sexes 
of all birds. I collected here a number of land-shells I had not 
seen down below in the forest, and noticed many ferns, begonias, 
orchids, and other plants new to me. 
The Malays told me to be sure to return at five o’clock, as I 
should then see the most wonderful sight in all Borneo, the 
going out of the Bats and the return to roost of the Swifts. 
I accordingly took my seat on a block of coral limestone at the 
mouth of the cave at a few minutes before five; soon a rushing 
sound was heard, and, peering over the circular abyss leading 
into Simud Itam, I caw columns of Bats wheeling round and 
round the sides in regular order; at a quarter past five they 
began to circle up, rising into the air in a corkscrew flight, 
which led them round a high tree growing on the side of the 
chasm opposite; having reached a certain height, a detachment 
would break off and fly away rapidly. I counted nineteen flocks 
go off like this, each flock consisting of many thousands, and 
then they commenced to pour away in a continuous stream, and 
continued to do so until it was too dark for me to see them any 
longer. Ata quarter to six the Swifts began to come into Simud 
Putih, at first in tens, then hundreds, and at last they, too, 
streamed in continuously; and when I went to sleep at midnight 
they were still flying in in undiminished numbers. As long as 
there was any daylight left, I found it impossible to catch any 
with my butterfly net, but as soon as it was quite dark it was 
only necessary to wave the net in the air to secure as many spe- 
cimens as | wanted, although they must possess wonderful 
powers of sight in the dark to fly about in the deepest recesses 
of their caves and return to their nests, in places where no light 
ever penetrates. 
Shortly before sundown a pair of Kites made their appear- 
ance, and taking their station over the bat chasm would every 
now and then clumsily swoop down into the thick of the Bats, 
generally securing a victim every time. I shot both these 
marauders, which proved to be Haliaster indus, a very beautiful 
but common bird; head and breast pure white, back and wings 
