ON THE DISPERSAL OF SEEDS BY MAMMALS. 1 5 



material or by hooks or recurved bristles by which they adhere 

 to the fur and are thus borne away. 



The following are the mammalia of the Malay Peninsula 

 which eat fruit, and probably all act to a certain extent, as 

 some do to a very large extent, as seed dispersers: — 



Quadrumana: — Hylobates (Wau-Wau), two species; Sem- 

 nopit/zeci/s (Lotong) , one or more; Macacus, two or three 

 species; Cheiroptera (bats); Pteropiis (Fruit-bats), two or 

 more species. Insectivora: — Ttipaia, several. Carnivora: — 

 Viverra (civetcats), several species; Arctictis (Binturong) 

 and probably Hemigale; the bear Helarctos ma lay an us ; 

 Rodentia Sciiirus (Squirrels), several; ^cmropienis (Flying 

 Squirrels), Mus (Mice and Rats), proably several. In addition 

 to these must be added the deer, the wild pig {Sus mdicus), the 

 elephant, and probably the wild ox {Bos gaums) and the buffalo 

 {Bubalus arnee), which disperse seeds of grasses and other 

 herbaceous plants both by swallowing seeds in the herbage 

 they eat, and by bearing, attached to their skins, the adhesive 

 fruits and seeds. 



Quadrumana. — The monkeys haunt the big jungles wander- 

 ing about in small flocks and avoiding the open country. 

 They live chiefly on fruit, and of these they generally attack 

 the juicy or succulent kinds, although they will occasionally 

 eat the chestnuts and other dry fruits. The commonest 

 species in Singapore is the Kra [Macacus cynomolgus) and this 

 is one of the most important of the seed-dispersing mammals. 

 The fruits I have chiefly seen it devouring are those of various 

 species of Eugenia, Baccaurea, Maitgifera, Wilhighbeia, 

 Dialium, Trichosanthes, Nepheliuni, Careya, StrycJinos, 

 El(£ocarpuSy Randia, Calophillum, Gardenia. And here I will 

 point out that the fruits eaten by mammals are usually plain 

 green in colour and inconspicuous, and frequently of considera- 

 ble size, whereas those which are intended for dispersal by 

 birds are often scarlet, orange or yellow, more rarely blue or 

 white and small. The reasons for this are, that the mammals 

 move comparatively slowly through the jungle searching the 

 fruit close at haqd, for it is impossible for them to see far into 

 the thick mass of foliage, whereas the birds moving more 



