CHAPTER VII 



New Year's Day in Kuching — The House on Mattang — Ataps — River- 

 side Plants on the Sarawak River — Nibongs, Nipas, and Mangroves 

 — Air-roots — Seeds which Germinate in Mid-Air — Salak and its 

 Geological Structure — The Menkabang Pinang — Vallombrosa 

 — The Summit of Mattang — A Month at Singapore — " Woodlands " 

 — Tigers — Doria Leaves for Europe — Return to Mattang — The 

 Hair of a Chinawoman — A Singular Ceremony — I arrange my 

 House — Method of Drying Plants — Height of Some Trees — The 

 Bilian — Flowering of Trees — The Dipterocarpe^e on Mattang — 

 Primitive Flora. 



NEW Year's Day was passed merrily at Kuching. The Tuan 

 Muda held a levee in the Rajah's name at Government 

 House, receiving the European residents and the native notabilities. 

 There were games and amusements of various kinds, amongst 

 others a regatta on the river, which came off most successfully, and 

 was especially interesting to us on account of local peculiarities. It 

 was now time to think about finishing my house on Mattang, which 

 I had been obliged to leave as it was, owing to the incessant rains 

 of the previous month. The framework was practically completed, 

 but it had to be filled in and roofed. As I wanted to have a solidly 

 built house in which I could live several months, it was necessary 

 that I should get " ataps " carried up. This is the name of the 

 thatching generally used for houses in Borneo and other parts of 

 Malaysia. It consists either of nipa or sago-palm leaves, according 

 to the locality. At Kuching ataps are usually made of nipa leaves, 

 and last two or three years ; those made with sago-palm leaves 

 are more durable. The ataps in both cases are made with the 

 leaflets or lateral strips, about a yard long and a couple of inches in 

 width, on either side of the midrib of the fronds of the palms in 

 question. An atap is made with a certain number of these leaflets 

 folded across a stick about a yard and a half in length, each leaflet 

 placed so to overlap its neighbour, and the whole held or sewn 

 together with rotang threads. 1 The result is a series of enormous 

 but very light vegetable tiles, which, arranged so as to overlap some 

 four or five inches, form an excellent roof, which is proof against 

 all rain and sun. Moreover, and this is no small advantage in such 



1 From a woodcut on p. 466 of Fea's previously quoted] book on Burma, 

 it is evident that in that country " ataps " are made precisely as in Malaysia. 



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