Ch. XV.] BIED-OATCHING WITH 8UMPITAN. 257 



Brush your foot over the luxuriant little plant as you pass 

 by, and the whole bush seems to disappear, and you look 

 back for it almost in vain ; the leaves have all closed up, 

 and the stems become depressed, and ndthing is left but a 

 few withered sticks upon the grass. Try to pluck a spray, 

 and it fades between your fingers ; so that it is very difficult 

 to gather and examine it in an expanded condition. But if 

 you will carefully take between the finger and thumb the 

 pulvinus, or swelled base of the leaf stalk where the little 

 thorns are situated, without touching any other part, and 

 pinch it hard before attempting to break off the spray, the 

 pinnse will remain expanded ; relax your firm hold, however, 

 and they will immediately begin to close up. 



TheKlings here have a mode of obtaining small birds which 

 might prove useful to the practical ornithologist. I have 

 more than once seen one of them beneath a Banyan, armed 

 with a straight tube, or sumpitan, about six feet long, and a 

 piece of soft clay, from which, having broken off a morsel, he 

 roUed it into a little ball between his hands ; then, placing it 

 in the tube, and taking aim at a small bird singing in the 

 branches above, he noiselessly blew the pellet, and down fell 

 the bird to the ground. At first, I presume, it was only 

 stunned, or it might be killed ; but a companion always 

 picked the bird up and proceeded immediately to cut its 

 throat and place it in his pouch, — ^not because it was neces- 

 sary, but because it is agaiast their rehgious priuciples to 

 eat animals which have died a bloodless death. A little 

 practice one would imagine would enable a performer to 

 play upon this instrument, not wantonly we would hope, but 

 for the purpose of procuring small birds when they are 

 required for preservation without injuring the plumage. 



Singapore enjoys the reputation of being a very healthy 



