FAUNA AND FLOBA, RATBURI, PFTCHABURL 29 



tance, I cannot say ; if they do not, it would be interesting to find out 

 whether they do drink, or find sufficient liquid in the fruits and leaves 

 of the trees in which they live. Inland, the same species conies down 

 daily to fresh water to bathe, and presumably to drink ; and in 

 captivity this Macaqne dx'inks daily. This long-tailed olive-brown 

 monkey is probably well known to all members, being the one most 

 commonly seen in captivity. 



The mangrove and other trees growing in the tideway were 

 during the day-time black with Fruit Bats (probably Pteropus ecLulis) 

 — the largest colony I saw extending for 300 or 400 yards along the 

 coast. These creatures get restless towards evening, and before dark 

 are on their way to the fruit gardens several miles inland, around 

 the town of Meklong. If disturbed during tu j day, they rise in a cloud 

 and take some considerable time to settle down again in the same spot. 



The Whistling Teal ( Dendrocycna javanica ), associating in ^i 

 docks of some thousands, lay idly on the open water and, having no gun 

 with me, they never seemed less disposed to take alarm. As the tide 

 receded, and the mud flats were exposed, waders and shore birds ap- 

 peared in vast numbers, but I was unable to obtain or 'dentifj'' any of 

 these. Stranded one day on the mud, I was much amused watching 

 the numerous small crabs hurriedl}^ feeding with their "hands," from 

 behind their one enormous claw, raised in an attitude of defence. This 

 species has but the one nipper, which extends right across the body ; 

 and he watches the enemy ( all are apparently enemies ) the while 

 he tucks in from behind this defence, occasionally stopping for a 

 second to remove an indigestible pellet of mud — also with his lesser 

 left hand. 



To members interested in the Fauna of the tideway, I can 

 recommend that corner of the Gulf which is quieter and more secluded 

 than any other part of the Coast, nor are the mosquitoes troublesome 

 during the month of March. 



The Paddy Plains. 



In the years 1908 and 1909 my work lay chiefly in the populous 

 paddy plains. North-east of Ru'buri a,ve found the wide plains 

 with scarcely a tree in sight — jungle and gardens only occurring in 

 isolated patches or on the higher ground of the river banks. With 

 the exception of a few Fishing Cats ( Felis viverrina ), Palm Civets 

 C Paradoxtinis hermaphrodihis ) and a species of Mongoose not yet 



