190 Journal of the F.M.S. Museums. {Vou. XI, 
A list of the Collecting Stations is given, with a short 
description of their surroundings, and their situation is 
to be gathered from the accompanying maps. The names 
of the places are spelt as they appear on the Dutch 
Topographic Map, but the Dutch latter ce: has been altered 
to u, in accordance with international custom. 
The native names were often very difficult to ascertain 
as natives are seldom able to recognize a bird after it has 
been skinned. Besides, the inhabitants of the Padang High- 
lands who speak the Minangkabau dialect of the Malay 
language are very poor ornithologists ; usually only those 
birds, which they eat, or which cause great damage to 
their crops, or which are kept in cages, are known by name. 
In this respect they stand very far behind the inhabitants 
of Java, who, as a rule, are able to name most of the native 
birds. 
Just as in other countries the birds have often different 
names in the various districts and sometimes the same 
name applies to different species in different places. The 
dialect spoken in the Ophir Districts is a slight variant of 
that of Minangkabau proper. 
The contents of the stomach have been examined and 
recorded by me in only a limited number of cases, as I was 
mostly overwhelmed with work when I was in the jungle. 
Nearly all the birds have been shot by myself, the skins 
being prepared by my native taxidermists. During my trip 
in Bencoolen and Palembang I had the assistance of two 
native taxidermists and hunters from Kuala Lumpur, for 
which I herewith acknowledge my thanks to Mr. H. C. 
Robinson. 
My collection comprises proportionately a greater 
number of groundbirds than is usually found in other 
collections., This is due to the fact that I made an extensive 
use of snares, laid in the usual native way in openings 
left in long low hedges, which were made by my men in 
the jungle. These hedges sometimes had a total length of 
some miles and contained hundreds of snares. For this 
work I usually had with me a number of natives from 
Korinchi, who were experts in snare setting. 
The time of the day at which birds are most lively is 
from 5.30 to 6 a.m. and from 4.30 to 5.30 p-m. ; during 
these hours they move about in the forest in search of 
food, and their song may be heard. 
Most birds do not travel through the forest singly, in 
pairs or in small flocks, composed of birds of the same 
kind, but they mostly go in larger flocks, made up of a 
great variety of species. Such a mixed flock may consist 
of birds feeding on insects together with other kinds living 
on fruits only. 
