VOYAGE FROM INDIA TO SIAM AND MALACCA. Ill 



house lizard. They live on ants, which frequently creep up the 

 coco-trees after the honey of their blossoms. Most of these ants 

 were of the kind which have a heart-shaped head, which is at the 

 same time flat round and shiny. The back has two pairs of pric- 

 kles which stand erect, the front pair being the highest. There 

 is yet a third pair of prickles growing in the middle of the body, 

 which are the smallest. The whole body is black as far as the 

 root of their back body, the feet are brown. The animal is of 

 medium size, but may be reckoned among the ants. 



The lizards changed their colour like chameleons and some 

 gther kinds of lizards. As I was dressed in black, they turned 

 black in my hand, and blue in the hand of my servant, whose 

 clothes were blue, some, which had been wrapped in a red pocket 

 handkerchief, turned red. The colour, as far as one could see, 

 came on gradually, but I want to see whether, with the help of 

 the microscope, I can make any further discoveries. 



17. — After divine service I went to some gardens and looked 

 at the Areca tree idolised here. It had only some very young 

 fruits and some which were quite ripe. The former had no real 

 style, but the stigma was divided into three three-cornered 

 parts, which were egg-shaped, woody, black-brown and easily 

 recognised. The ripe fruit is a little larger than the common 

 nut and those who eat it will find a particularly agreeable taste 

 in it. I split one, and could not find any remarkable difference 

 from other Areca nuts, only it seemed to be speckled with a 

 faint red. 



There were no male blossoms at present, but the two large 

 spadices were almost on the point of bursting. In shape and 

 size they resembled the common Areca spadices. The stems are 

 also alike only the leaves are quite pointed. I was told that 

 many of these Areca trees grow in the island Pullu Binding. 



In the evening I prepared for journey up stream. Mr. Clas 

 de Vent had invited me to go by boat to one of his country 

 houses lying some miles inland. 



18. — Before four o'clock this morning I was rsady for my 

 journey, and we started shortly after. The weather was not 

 favourable on account of the continual rain. The stream more- 

 over made so many bends, and rendered our progress very slow ; 

 first the stream was very broad, but then it grew narrow on 

 account of the waterplants growing in it; at times it was so 



