128 COLLECTING EXPEDITION TO BATANG PADANG. 
The next day, the 29th, I took a photograph of the camp 
and Sakais, and took the measures of the latter, and at about 
noon Mr. C. Wray and all the Sakais left. The former had 
gone up with the intention of trying to make the ascent of the 
real summit of Batu Puteh, but the running away of the Sakais 
and the bad weather rendered this impossible. 
MAHRASIT and the ‘‘boy”’ went on with the house, but as 
there were only small palm leaves to be had at that elevation, 
it was not easy to make a weather-tight house, and if it had not 
been for the waterproof sheets kindly lent by the Commis- 
sioner, Perak Sikhs, I do not know how we should have got 
on, as the preservation of botanical and other specimens would 
have been almost impossible. 
On the 3oth six Sakais came up with more things, and on 
the 1st July, JELLAH, HARISON and g Sakais arrived. From 
this day to the 7th I have nothing particular to record. During 
that time the remainder of the baggage arrived, and I had dry- 
ing stages put up for sunning plants, cut a track in a norther- 
ly direction across to another ridge, and collected birds, plants 
and insects. I had one of the Malay ground bird-traps set, 
first in one place, and then in another, but without any result. 
I had hopes that there might have been some representatives 
of the Indian hill pheasants, partridges and other ground birds 
on the Perak mountains, but if there are any we failed to catch 
them. The trap that I used consists of a small hedge made of 
branches and leaves with openings every few yards. On the 
ground aross the openings are placed light wicker-work frames, 
which being trodden on, release bent sticks, which are attached 
to nooses laid on the frames and which the bent sticks draw 
up, so as to catch the legs of any birds which may tread on 
the frames. I also had an English trap, the ‘‘ Rutland,” but it 
also caught nothing. 
I was fortunate enough, on the 6th, to shoot a fine example 
of the Black Eagle (Meopus malayensts)not far from camp. 
A pair of them were circling round the tops of some tall 
trees in the jungle, and I brought down the female. It measur- 
ed 5 feet 10 inches across the wings, and its plumage was far 
darker than that of the two specimens I obtained last year on 
the Larut hills, but it is evidently of the same species. In its 
