x] THE CAVE OF THE WINDS 



which coveted morsel he consented to be my guide to the Lobang 

 Angin. 



The Dyak led me to another entrance of the cave, on the land 

 side, also wide, but not so easy of access as that on the river, for 

 we had to climb a steep rock, very rough and beset with sharp points, 

 in order to reach it. On this side, as on the other, the cave presented 

 a spacious hall which extended deep into the mountain in a winding 

 manner, branching off into lateral corridors leading to various out- 

 lets. Nearly in the centre of the large hall-like portion, in a deep 

 fissure of the vault, is the breeding place of the true edible-nest 

 swift (Collocalia nidifica), its gelatinous nests being attached to 

 the nearly vertical rock. There were none now, for the Dyak 

 who was with me as guide had been there on the very day previous 

 for the purpose of taking them. From him I learnt that a small 

 mouse-like animal inhabits the cave, in' : holes in the ground. 

 I saw a goodly number of these holes, but nothing of the animal 

 itself. I searched in vain, too, for blind Coleoptera, and any other 

 special cave creatures. A good deal of loose earthy soil, undoubtedly 

 carried in by water, is to be found in this part of the cave, as in the 

 other, which would be further evidence of a general elevation of 

 the hill at a period not very remote. 



Whilst descending the river on my way back I found a specimen 

 of the lovely Dendrobium superbum, with large lilac-rose flowers, 

 growing on the trunk of a tree. It is, I think, one of the most 

 beautiful orchids in Borneo, and is found also in the Philippines. 

 At Bau I stayed awhile to have a look at the gold washings, 

 which are worked by a considerable number of Chinamen. At this 

 place, and not in the above described cave, as has been asserted, 

 fossil teeth of rhinoceros have been found. 



I passed the night at Busso, and the next day went on to Blida, 

 where, crossing the river, I shot a small crocodile, the only one 

 amongst the many I fired at which I was able to secure! In the 

 Sarawak river the common species of crocodile (Crocodilus 

 biporcatus) is abundant, even in the vicinity of Kuching ; and 

 there have been instances of persons carried off by these voracious 

 reptiles, even from the bazaar quay. A premium of one rupee 

 was given per foot (in length) for every crocodile caught. 



That evening I remained at Blida, where I was able to secure 

 several species of birds which abounded on that portion of the 

 banks of the Sarawak river. A beautiful pink and green bee-eater 

 {Nyctiornis amicta) was particularly abundant. I also got some 

 plovers, which made an agreeable addition to my ordinary meals 

 of curry and rice. On March 6th I again ascended the Pininjau, 

 partly for the sake of its splendid view, and partly to get specimens of 

 the small swift which is so abundant there, and which Doria had 

 asked me to collect for him, for at that time our knowledge of the 



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