ZOOLOGICAL NOTES ON COLLECTING IN BORNEO. 429 



While we were waiting there, a little deputation of six 

 Land Dayaks arrived on their way from Sarawak to Dutch 

 Borneo. They had been to Kuching to inquire about moving 

 under the Sarawak flag, as they found the taxes imposed on 

 them by the Dutch were too heavy to bear. The whole tribe, 

 fifteen thousand people, wanted to move in, or rather pay tax to 

 the Sarawak Government instead of the Dutch. But as they 

 proposed to stay in Dutch territory, it was explained to them 

 that in Kuching such an arrangement would not exactly work. 



The men of this village relieved the Temong Dayaks of their 

 burdens and took us up the hill-side, following a wonderful path 

 of never-ending stairs cut in the rock or earth up one spur and 

 down the other side, across a stream, then up again and so for 

 some two hours to the village of Simunti picturesquely situated 

 on the watershed of the Sarawak and Sadong rivers, branches 

 of each rising on either side of the ridge occupied by this village. 

 We were once again on the route followed by Wallace, who had 

 kept to the Sadong river from Temah (Borotoi in his day) as far 

 as Bugu (Budw). From there he walked to Senankan, Menyerry 

 and Sodos, all villages apparently built on the road across Mt. 

 Sepedang, but no longer in existence ; their places have been 

 taken by small villages moved to different places. Thus Bugu 

 at the foot of the hill on the Sadong river, Budu some way up 

 the hill, and then Simunti further on ; all call themselves 

 Dayaks of Sodos, originating from Sennah in the Sarawak 

 district, as opposed to the Dayaks of the Sadong district who 

 come from the village of Taup. Both sections, however, 

 belong to the one tribe which we know now as Land-Dayaks. 



We slept the night at Simunti and next day continued our 

 land journey across to the head-waters of the Sarawak river. 

 The path led through some wonderful scenery, up and down 

 steep spurs and along narrow razor-backed ridges, which fell 

 away abruptly some hundreds of feet on each side of the narrow 

 track ; no country for paddi farming and we enjoyed the 

 welcome shade of fine tall trees in consequence. An occasional 

 butterfly woke up as we passed, but otherwise hardly a sign of 

 life to be seen in this great fastness of Nature. And yet that 

 huge tangle of vegetation above and below us hummed with 

 strange noises indicative of teeming life. Perhaps the in- 



