34 ACCOUNT OF A TRIP UP THE PAHANG, AND OTHER RIVERS. 



for sale. In this difficulty Mr. HUGH CLIFFORD came to our 

 assistance and placed at our disposal a large native built boat. 

 His head boatman, after some little difficulty, succeeded in 

 getting together a gang of 25 coolies, amongst whom were 

 two Dyak lads, one of whom turned out a most useful hand in 

 the jungle, and set them to work to caulk and clean the boats 

 which had not been in use for some time, and consequently 

 required overhauling. 



All this delayed us in Pekan till the 28th, but the time was 

 not altogether wasted, as we did some collecting in the imme- 

 diate neighbourhood. 



On the North side of river, which is here over half-a-mile 

 wide, are extensive sandy" plains interspersed with patches of 

 heavy jungle. On the sandy portions, the trees are all much 

 stunted and grow in small clumps or coppices, giving quite 

 a distinctive appearance to the landscape. 



Portions of these sandy tracts were riddled with the burrows 

 of the bee-eaters {Merops pJiilippimis), at the extremity of 

 which they lay their eggs. These burrows are excavated in 

 the hard ground and slope downwards for the first foot or so, 

 then run more or less horizontally. Among other birds noticed 

 were the Brahmany Kite {Haliastiir Indus), which appears 

 to be the common kite of the southern portion of Malaya, 

 the ''Burra Burra " {TracJiycoimis ocJirocepJialus), one of the 

 best songsters amongst Malayan birds ; most of the common 

 Kingfishers (the Raja Udang of the Malays), and some rarer 

 ones [Halcyo7i coroma^ida and Alcedo ineni7igti7ig) , a few 

 woodpeckers and several swifts. Butterflies were not plenti- 

 ful, the most noteworthy being perhaps the beautiful PartJienes 

 gambrisius. 



Of mammals, the only ones noticed were the common 

 mangrove monkey, Kra of the Malays {Macaciis cynoniolgiis), 

 and several of the common squirrels {Schirus 7iotaUis d^xid, 

 Scuirtis temiis). Of reptiles, the large Monitor {Hydrosau- 

 rus salvator) and the beautiful many-coloured sand lizard. 



On the 28th, everything being at last ready and being 

 provided with letters from Mr. CLIFFORD to the Sultan asking 

 him to render us any assistance in his power in the way of 



