CH. V FAUNA OF TALI8SE 81 



CHAPTEE V 



FAUNA OF TALISSE 



Mammals — Babirusa and sapiutan both absent — Tie baboon — The cnscus 

 — Bats — Parrots — Eagles — Kingfishers — Eurystomns — Swifts — Crows 

 — Shrikes — Starlings — Nectar-birds — Pigeons — Maleos — Sandpipers — 

 Egrets — Eeptiles — Amphibia — Insects — Spiders — Centipedes — Phos- 

 phorescent millipede. 



Hatixg described the details of my daily life in Talisse, I 

 must now devote a chapter to a consideration of the fauna 

 of the island. 



As might be expected, there are not many terrestrial 

 mammals. Xeither the babirusa pig nor the sapiutan 

 is found wild there, although fairly common near Cape 

 CofSn, on the opposite shore of the mainland. As these 

 two animals are among the most characteristic of the 

 Celebean mammals, I cannot pass them by without some 

 notice. 



The babirusa {Sus babirusa) is a hog which, while closely 

 resembhng in colour the ordinary wild pigs, is characterised 

 by possessing a very curious modification of the tusks. 

 The tusks of the lower jaw are very long and sharp, while 

 those of the upper jaw are curved upwards and backwards 

 over the snout as far as the level of the eyes. It has 

 always been a puzzle to naturalists to account for this 

 curious modification of the tusks of babirusa. We had a 

 full-grown male specimen ia captivity at Talisse, and I 

 watched it carefully for some months, in hope of being able 

 to solve the difficulty ; but I must confess that I was unable 



G 



