2122 Zoology of the 



their well-shaped bodies and slender legs present every variety of colour, bright crim- 

 son and speckled blue predominating. The walking-leaf insect is very common : it 

 generally hangs on a leaf of the guava tree during the day-time, but as night ap- 

 proaches it flutters swiftly about, its wings in motion resembling leaves. The various 

 species of grubs are exceedingly curious : they are tinted with many colours, — red, 

 yellow, yellowish pink, marbled crimson, black, carmine, light brown and sienna : 

 they generally infest plantations and gardens. Grasshoppers larger than sparrows 

 abound in the forests of Borneo : they are of a light green colour and very inactive, 

 jumping about lazily in the underwood. Beetles are common : one species is of 

 remarkable utility : it employs itself constantly in removing any filth which may 

 happen to accumulate on the ground, and, spreading it abroad, materially assists 

 the ripening of the soil. The manner in which they conduct this operation is 

 curious in the extreme : the insect first rolls up a conveniently sized ball of dirt, in 

 which it deposits its eggs, and then buries it in the ground. Sometimes scores of these 

 black-coated gardeners are to be seen in the groves frequented by deer and pigs, bu- 

 sily at work. 



The glow-worm of Borneo is indeed a magnificent insect. Each segment of its 

 body is illuminated with three lines of tiny lamps, which present a most brilliant ap- 

 pearance to the eye of the traveller who may be proceeding through the woods after 

 nightfall. It may be seen among the dead damp wood and rotten leaves, glowing 

 with a bright light, and when placed around the finger it has been compared for beauty 

 to a magnificent diamond ring. 



Mosquitoes, the plague of the sojourner in the tropics, are of course to be met with 

 in Borneo. They swarm in the forests, in the jungles, plains, and on the hills, and 

 prove a constant source of annoyance. After a night bivouac, whether under the 

 shelter of a house or in the open air, the face of the traveller presents an appearance 

 similar to that presented by one suffering from the small-pox. 



Fire-flies illuminate the banks of the rivers. Soon after sunset the foliage of ihe 

 podada tree, whose elegant and graceful form well becomes the ornament, is covered 

 with a perfect blaze of these beautiful little insects. Mr. Brooke particularly mentions 

 the scenery on both banks of the Samaharan, which he says he has seen lit up by a 

 trembling glow of brilliancy night after night, presenting a scene of fairy loveliness. 



But, though we have yet only galloped through the Zoology of Borneo, and se- 

 lected an occasional specimen here and there, if we delay any longer we shall leave 

 ourselves no space wherein to touch on the animals living on any of the other islands of 

 the Indian Archipelago : indeed we have already so far passed our limits, that we must 

 only glance at a few of the living creatures which yet remain to be mentioned. 



Tigers abound in many of the islands, among which Sumatra is most infested. In 

 that country the inhabitants are so pestered and held in continual fear by these fero- 

 cious animals, that no man ventures abroad at night without a torch, of which the 

 tiger is much afraid. These torches are made after a peculiar fashion. A piece of 

 bamboo is hollowed and filled with dammar, an extremely inflammable substance 

 which there abounds. The villages in this island appear after nightfall under an ex- 

 traordinary aspect. Huge fires are burned at regular intervals around them, so great is 

 the dread entertained of the tigers, who have sometimes been known to depopulate a 

 whole village; yet a prejudice exists against destroying them, which not even the 

 offer of reward can remove : indeed a Sumatran will rarely undertake a tiger hunt, 

 unless lie has been deprived of some dear friend by the jaws of that creature. Then 



