204 THE ARU ISLANDS. [chap. xxx. 



that distinguislied it from that of Borneo and Malacca, 

 wliile, what is very singular and interesting, it recalled to 

 my mind the half-forgotten impressions of the forests of 

 Equatorial America. For example, the palms were much 

 more abundant than I Iiad generally found them in the 

 East, more generally mingled with the other vegetation, 

 more varied in form and aspect, and presenting some of 

 those lofty and majestic smooth-stemmed, pinnate-leaved 

 species which recall the Uauassii (Attalea speciosa) of the 

 Amazon, but which I had hitherto rarely met with in 

 the Malayan islands. 



In animal life the immense number and variety of 

 spiders and of lizards were circumstances that recalled 

 the prolific regions of South America, more especially the 

 abundance and varied colours of the little jumping spiders 

 which abound on flowers and foliage, and are often perfect 

 gems of beauty. The web-spinning species were also 

 more numerous than I had ever seen them, and were a 

 great annoyance, stretching their nets across the footpaths 

 just about the height of my face ; and the tlireads com- 

 posing these are so strong and glutinous as to require 

 much trouble to free oneself from them. Then their 

 inhabitants, great yellow-spotted monsters with bodies two 

 inches long, and legs in proportion, are not pleasant things 

 to run one's nose against while pursuing some gorgeous 

 butterfly, or gazing aloft in search of some strange -voiced 



I 



