ZOOLOGICAL NOTES ON COLLECTING IN BORNEO. 417 



hut, as is a big Dung-Beetle, Copris molossus, who buzzes in 

 every evening. Ants of course everywhere, including B.'s boots, 

 where a nest was found one morning! Occasionally a pretty 

 red-winged Phasmid flies feebly from one tree to another, a 

 helpless looking object on the wing, with legs outspread, though, 

 of course, wonderfully protected as soon as it comes to rest. 

 One dark brown species was seen on the bark of a tree, fore 

 legs and long antennae stretched out in one line in front of 

 the head continuing the straight line of the body, middle legs 

 out on each side, hind legs pressed close to the side of the body, 

 and hardly distinguishable therefrom ; the whole insect pressed 

 close to the bark (thus making no shadow), exactly like a piece 

 of stick that one may often see caught up on the trunk of a tree. 



The actual felling round our camp awoke several strange 

 insects ; one huge Phasmid, nearly a foot long, had to be trussed 

 like a fowl while the large killing-bottle was searched for and 

 unpacked. Three freshly emerged Gryllacrids were found in 

 the herbage on the ground. 



To our disappointment this clearing grew less productive as 

 time went on, and we were driven to the greater exertion of 

 collecting higher up the hill. From our camp a rough jungle 

 path led up to an undulating plateau 1000 ft. higher ; above 

 this a scramble of some 600 ft. more brought us to the summit, 

 another large triangular plateau, broad towards the north, 

 narrowing to a point at the southern end. My aneroid gave 

 this as 2220 ft. above the sea-level. 



Immense trees of hard wood of different kinds shot their 

 way up through a thick growth of young trees, rotans, &c. Many 

 of them were held in firm embrace by those curious parasites 

 which, taking root high up in the tree, send down great roots 

 which eventually strangle the supporting tree altogether. So 

 great is their growth that in some cases the original tree is 

 killed and rots away altogether, the great roots of the parasite 

 fuse together and form a solid trunk, entirely replacing the 

 original tree in girth and height. They produce a fruit which 

 is very attractive to many birds, and a patient wait beneath one 

 in fruit is often productive of some good species ; Hornbills are 

 particularly fond of them. 



The path upwards, like any jungle track, is full of interest to 

 Zool. 4th ser. vol. XVIII., November, 1914. 2 k 



