216 EAMBLES OP A NATUEALIST. [Ch. XIII. 



he met with a new Rhizanth, allied to RafEesia, but smaller 

 than R. Arnoldi. He preserved and kept this plant for 

 some years, but did not I believe make it public, and ulti- 

 mately, but quite recently, hearing that an Italian botanist 

 was making coUections at Sarawak, he sent him the spe- 

 cimen. 



The gentleman alluded to, Signor Beccari, has been for 

 many months established upon the hill called Matang, near 

 the tovm of Kuching, which he makes his head-quarters 

 for botanical expeditions, conducted with great zeal and 

 diligence, and from which valuable results may be expected. 

 Another Italian naturalist, the Marquis Doria, has also 

 been residing some months at Sarawak, employing a staff 

 of assistants for collecting insects, birds, quadrupeds, and 

 land-shells, from all the country round. He had naturally 

 succeeded in amassing a considerable amount of material, 

 which will doubtless — as well as Beccari's collections — 

 form interesting matter for the publications of the Floren- 

 tine Academy. The Marquis Doria had quitted Sarawak 

 just before my brief visit. 



It has been remarked that large quadrupeds bear no pro- 

 portion to the luxuriance of vegetation of the tropics, and the 

 greatest herbivorous animals abound most where the soil 

 and cHmatal conditions do not encourage the greatest de- 

 velopment of vegetation. Thus it is in Borneo, where, 

 although the country is a vast forest under an equatorial sun, 

 large animals are rarely met with. For although it is said 

 that elephants are found in the north-west part, a general 

 and well-founded opinion prevails that they are not indigen- 

 ous to the island, but have been derived from animals 

 imported from India for purposes of luxury or display, 

 which have been allowed freedom to save their owners the 



