CH. in ON BOARD H.M.S. ' FLYISG FISH' 49 



or Stream Cape, the northernmost extremity of the island 

 Talisse. 



Starting at five o'clock on the morning of August 28, we 

 reached the extreme point of the island before sis o'clock. 

 The rugged rocks stand straight up out of the sea, and are 

 capped by a low forest of screw piaes and other trees, in which 

 numbers of black baboons were disporting themselves. Al- 

 though the water is noi particularly deep, there is no reef off 

 Tanjong Ai-os, and this may be accounted for, I believe, by 

 the very strong tide which rushes past and gives the name to 

 the point. It must not be imderstood, however, that beca,use 

 there is no reef there are no corals, for, in the beautifully 

 clear water I could easily distinguish clumps of sareophytum, 

 brain corals, astrseas, and others resting, at intervals, on the 

 white sandy bottom. All that I wish to imply is that the 

 strong tides prevent the corals from growing in such luxury 

 and abundance as to form a reef. The same may be said 

 of the coast from this point to the Kinabohutan Straits, 

 where the upright basaltic chffs and the great caves and 

 grottoes tell the story of the scouring action of the tides 

 and waves. 



Immediately to the east of Tanjong Aros there is a 

 little bay, at the side of which are two splendid caves. 

 The one to the north must be about fourteen feet in height, 

 and its walls are whitewashed with the excreta of the bats 

 and birds inhabiting it. The other one is much lower, and 

 we had some difficulty in getting into it in the dingy. 

 It was inhabited by countless swifts of two species of 

 those which build the edible nests {Collocallia esculenta 

 and fusca). These delicate little creatures, terribly 

 agitated by our visit, flitted about in a perfect cloud 

 around our heads. The walls of the cave were simply 

 lined with their nests ; and if I had been so disposed I 

 could have gathered thousands of them in a very short 



