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SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



pursuits. I brought home, however, specimens 

 of Cidaria prunata. Having returned to Ipswich, 

 I sugared at the woods on the 29th, and found 

 Noctua daldii abundant, with a few early examples 

 of Cymatophora diluta, Catocala nupta, one Triphcena 

 fimbria, with Pyralis glaucinalis and P. costalis, 

 neither of which I had taken by this means before. 

 The only noteworthy captures at light during this 

 month were Heliophobus popularis — which yearly 

 increases in numbers, Luperina cespitis, Eugonia 

 tiliaria — remarkably scarce this season, Aspilates 

 ochrearia, and Anaitis plagiata ; the September light 



records being Eugonia, fuscantaria, Polia fiavicincta, 

 which also shares the partiality of Bryophila perla 

 for walls, Noctua glareosa, and Nonagria lutosa (3). 

 The effect of the extraordinary heat of the closing 

 days of this month was exhibited on October 13th, 

 when I took off a lamp, late in the morning, a 

 splendid example of Thera firmata. The season 

 practically concluded with the capture of Xylina 

 ornithopus (rhizolitha) from palings, on which I 

 also saw Macroglossa stellatarum, several Eubolia 

 cervinaria, and one Pcecilocampa populi. 

 28, Waterloo Road, Ipswich; December, 1895. 



IN THE MALAY PENINSULA. 



By Lieutenant Stanley S. Flower. 

 (Communicated by Sir William H. Flower, K.C.B., F.R.S.) 



A T Eastertide last, I was one of a party of six 

 friends, in an excursion which gave some 

 opportunity for natural history observations. On 

 Friday we weighed anchor and steamed into the 

 North Channel, from Georgetown (Penang), about 

 nine o'clock in the morning, but the clumsy-looking 

 little steamer, the " Flying Dragon," soon stopped, 

 the captain informing us that "the engine was 

 tight." After a time the machinery was got: right 

 again and we pursued our way. We had a lovely 

 passage, a favourable wind enabled us to spread 

 a respectable show of canvas which steadied the 

 ship and materially assisted the poor old engine. 

 We, unfortunately, saw no birds or sea creatures, but 

 most lovely views of tropical scenery. First the now 

 to me familiar hills of Penang on the port side, and 

 the palm-covered beach of the Province Wellesley 

 on the starboard. Soon the island of Betels began 

 to get hazy in the distance and fell behind us as 

 we followed the coast-line of the mainland. The 

 groves of palm-trees and strips of shining sand 

 gave place to dull, green mangrove swamps running 

 right into the sea, with, behind them, its summit 

 hid in clouds, the noble mountain called Kedah 

 Peak. We passed close by several little rocky 

 isles, clad from high-water mark to summit with 

 luxurious, beautiful, tangled woods ; on some, at 

 the base of the rocks, were level, sandy beaches 

 with graceful palm-trees shading thatched native 

 cottages and a few long boats lying on the shore. 

 The large, mountainous Lancava Islands gradually 

 got more distinct in front of us, but before we 

 reached them we turned sharp to the right and 

 followed a rudely marked passage towards the 

 mouth of the river Kedah, which was indicated by a 

 break in the line of mangroves and a little white 

 lighthouse. At about three o'clock we were in 

 the mouth of the river, and I saw for the first time 

 a real Malay town, many of the houses standing 

 about in the water on poles. On the left-hand 



side (as we went in) was dry land, and so we took 

 a turn on shore and looked at the ruins of the old 

 Dutch fort, said to be three hundred years old. 

 This town is called Kwala-Kedah. The little 

 steamer had some cargo to discharge, and when 

 that was finished we re-embarked, I being the 

 last to get on. There was no gangway, so we 

 climbed from the wooden pier on to the steamer ; 

 but after I had left the pier, as the steamer was 

 starting, the railing I was about to climb over 

 gave way — the wood was rotten, — and the next 

 moment I was in the water. As the river is 

 noted for crocodiles and there was a strong 

 tide running, my position was not an enviable one, 

 and no one remembered to throw me a life-buoy. 

 However, I swam better than I thought I could, 

 and was soon clambering on to the pier, having 

 saved my topee (hat) en passant. The steamer picked 

 me up and there was no harm done saving that my 

 clothes and boots were wet through, and as we went 

 up stream I changed to dry things. It took rather 

 over an hour going up the river, which winds 

 tremendously. The banks on either side are 

 covered with dense tropical forest, one could 

 hardly see dry land. Under the foliage was 

 mostly slimy-looking mud, and quantities of little 

 creeks left the main river and went winding away 

 among the trees. On the mud everywhere were 

 hundreds of little fish crawling and jumping about, 

 and thousands upon thousands of little crabs of 

 many different kinds, the most noticeable being the 

 cocoanut crabs, which have one immense bright-red 

 claw each. We passed many native canoes sailing 

 on the river — rigging most primitive, simply three 

 or four great palm-leaves, eight or ten feet long, 

 stuck up in the boat. We saw one crocodile that 

 afternoon. 



Every day on the river we saw quantities of 

 birds, — a few crows, some starlings and mynahs 

 where the ground was open by villages, innumerable 



