112 MR. D. D. DALY ON THE CAVES CONTAINING [Feb. 7, 



was only able, owing to darkness coming on, to visit a few of these 

 caves; the Erahan collectors said that there were 14 of them, and gave 

 us the names of the proprietors and the yield of nests of each cave. 

 The Sigalong caves have all white nests, and the harvest is 

 valued at $12,500 per annum. 



No. 4. The Baturong Caves, near the Madai Caves, Darvel 

 Bay, East Coast, were first visited by Mr. F. G. Cailaghan, the 

 Assistant Resident of Darvel Bay, in July 1887, and the following 

 extract from his official report will be of interest : — 



" The next morning we started for Madai, but, only being able to 

 get four Ehrans as baggage-carriers, the greater portion of our stores 

 was left in the boats. 



" Reaching Madai at about 1 o'clock, I obtained a party of 

 fifteen Ehrans, and started for Baturong at 12. The track lies at 

 the back of Madai and passes close underneath the high hill called 

 Pigtong, and also near another range of the name of Gelass. This 

 latter hill used to produce birds'-nests, but for some reason has not 

 been worked for thirty seasons (?). The nests were of both kinds, 

 black and white. The track lay through flat and rather swampy 

 ground with outcropping of limestone in several places. We halted 

 for the night at the Kiten River. Sri Rajah, who accompanied us, 

 followed as a guide. 



" Leaving the next morning at daybreak, we ascended a gradual 

 slope for nearly an hour, the jungle full of duriaus, langssats, and 

 other fruit-trees. For about another hour we continued along this 

 range, called Bukit Telang, of about 400 to 500 feet high, direction 

 E. by S. 



" On leaving the hill, we met the following tributaries of the Tinkayu 

 River — the Bitaspalino, Natunde-Batas, Segas, and Binnan rivers, all 

 of which are of fair size. The Tinkayu is a fine river, but is not navi- 

 gable to this point, owing to large rapids and falls. The natives say 

 it is about six days' paddle up from the mouth to the first rapids, 

 the noise of which we heard. 



•' The country is very flat between these rivers, and, owing to the 

 heavy rains, a good deal inundated, making travelling very difficult. 



" We reached the Baturong Caves at 2.30 and found the Tedong 

 people had all left, probably four or five days before. Baturong is 

 a hill about 2000 feet high, nearly perpendicular ; it appears to be 

 all of white glistening limestone. It contains fifteen 'lobangs' or 

 holes, out of which Suggin and Selagas appear to be the most valu- 

 able, producing seven and four catties of white nests yearly respec- 

 tively. These two holes are worked three times a year, but the 

 remainder only once. The estimate in the ' Herald,' of Septem- 

 ber 1884, gives the out-turn at one picul yearly, but I do not believe 

 that more than twenty catties or so are gathered. The entrance to 

 the cave is about 40 feet from the ground, a large tree growing 

 up alongside the rock affording a kind of ladder, and from the 

 branches of the tree a kind of suspension-bridge to the cave has 

 been made. I did not attempt therefore to enter the caves, which, I 



