218 EAMBLES OF A NATUEALIST. [Ch. XIII. 



Never having seen a fowl of this colour hefore, I stopped to 

 look at it, with some suspicion, prepared however to secure 

 it if it really was anything unusual. A Chinaman passing 

 at the time characteristically assumed ownership of the hird, 

 and wished to seU it to me, though I do not beHeve it be- 

 longed to him any more than it did to me. Looking more 

 closely at it, however, I perceived it was a white chicken 

 which had been dipped in anUine dye, and no better nor 

 worse than its neighbours. At Singapore I observed white 

 rabbits dyed with the same pink colour. 



The only opportunity I had of searching for marine ani- 

 mals on the Sarawak coast was on a small island called Pulo 

 Marundum, south of Santubon, where I landed on October 

 7th, and spent some little time at low water. The island is 

 a long, low coral reef, covered with mangroves, among which 

 flew little sun-birds (Cinnyridse). Small pools and little 

 shallow lagoons contained numerous fish, which the Malays 

 easily caught with their hands ; but the perforated rocks 

 were aU fixed, and there were very few loose stones which I 

 could take up and examine. A few interesting animals, 

 however, rewarded my search. Among them were those 

 remarkable specimens of Doris exanthemata to which I have 

 already alluded, as equalling in size the largest known 

 individuals of the Nudibranchiate family. Two dehcate 

 Planarise, most difficult .to dislodge from the rough coral, 

 occurred here only. One of these was most dehcately 

 pencilled aU over with little circlets of light brown colour ; 

 the other, a large rich velvety brown species, seems to ap- 

 proach the P. zeylonica of Kelaart. Sponges, and botrylli- 

 form Tunicates, lilie clusters of little coloured stars, 

 abounded. Red, tuberculated crabs, of the genus Calappa, 

 ran about, readily taking refuge in the honeycombs of the 



