70 A NATURALIST'S WANDERINGS 



instantly intensely lata, and, throwing oif all her clothing, 

 she made off like a chased deer along the mountain road, 

 repeating the word for caterpillar as she ran, until compelled 

 by exhaustion to stop, when the spasm gradually left her. My 

 own " boy," who would unconcernedly seize all sorts of snakes 

 in his hands, became one day lata also, on suddenly touching a 

 large caterpillar. My host's maid once, while alone at some 

 distance from the house, having come unexpectedly on a large 

 lizard — the Baiawak — was seized by a paroxysm; dropping 

 down on her hands and knees to imitate the reptile, she thus 

 followed it through mud, water and mire to the tree in which 

 it took refuge, where she was arrested and came to herself. 

 Another case which came under my knowledge was more 

 tragic in its results. This woman, startled by treading in a 

 field on one of the most venomous snakes in Java, became so 

 lata that she vibrated her finger in imitation of the tongue of 

 the reptile in front of its head, till the irritated snake struck 

 her ; and the poor creature died within an hour. 



During the attack the eyes have a slightly unnatural stare, 

 but there is never a total loss of consciousness, and throughout 

 the paroxysm the patient is wishful to get away from the 

 object affecting her, yet is without the strength of will to 

 escape or to cease acting in the way I have described. Lata 

 persons are constantly teased by their fellows, and are often 

 kept in an excited state for whole days. 



In the early mornings here, I was at first constantly awakened 

 by the loud plaintive wailiugs of a colony of Wau-waus, one of 

 the Gibbons (Hyalobates leuc i scus) iiom. the neighbouring forest, 

 as they came down to the stream to drink. On first hearing 

 their cried one can scarcely believe that they do not proceed 

 from a band of uproarious and shouting children. Their " Woo- 



oo-Tit Avofo-ut woo-oo-ut wut-wut-wut ^ wutwut- 



wut," always more wailing on a dull, heavy morning previous 

 to rain, was just such as one might expect from the sorrowful 

 countenance that is characteristic of this group of the Quad- 

 rumana. They have a wonderfully human look in their eyes ; 

 and it was with great distress that I witnessed the death of 

 the only one I ever shot. Falling on its back with a thud on 

 the ground, it raised itself on its elbows, passed its long taper 

 fingers over the wound, gave a woful look at them, and fell 



