IN BORNEAN FORESTS 



[chap. 



brain of an irritated bee the idea of a weapon of defence for itself, 

 its home, and its progeny may have arisen, is possible ; but the 

 manner in which Nature has gratified such a wish by providing 

 the sting and the venom is inexplicable, or at the least in the highest 

 degree wonderful. 



The clearing which I mentioned above had been made for the 

 coffee plantation, for which Mattang had been finally selected as the 

 best adapted site, after the rejection of Mts. Poe and Gading, 

 as stated in the preceding chapter. For this reason, the Tuan 

 Muda and Mr. Martin came to stay with me during September 



1 2 3 



Fig. 24. — (1) flowering branch of the tapang, Abauria excelsa, the largest 

 tree in Borneo, (about § natural size). (2) a flower enlarged. (3) section 

 of ovary, ditto. (4) ovary with one stamen, a petal and a sepal in situ. 

 (Figs. 2-4 enlarged about -f .) 



at " Vallombrosa," in order to superintend about a hundred Dyaks 

 who were engaged to fell the forest. It had been decided to leave 

 at intervals some of the bigger trees, that they might protect with 

 their shade the young coffee-plants, a practice which I think is not 

 without its drawbacks. It was useful to me, however, to have all 

 this tree-felling going on, for I was able to collect specimens of a large 

 number of trees not yet represented in my herbarium. Unhappily, 

 many of the felled trees were not in blossom. 



I have already mentioned the tapangs. A very big one grew 

 not far from my house in the neighbouring ravine, a majestic giant 

 of incredible height. My desire to obtain specimens of the flowers 



108 



