CRUISE IN THE SOUTHERN CHINA SEA. 55 



Learning from the people of the village that flocks of fruit- 

 bats visited their fruit-trees nightly, we, one evening when there 

 was a little moonlight, went up the plantation for the purpose 

 of obtaining specimens. 



Accompanied by half the boys of the Kampong, we took 

 up places beneath a huge rambutan tree — the gathering point 

 of great numbers of bats — but for a time made very poor 

 practice at the dark bodies flitting between the branches in the 

 dim light. Swarms of mosquitoes did not help to improve 

 matters. At length however I hit on a plan that gave better 

 results ; choosing a large bunch of fruit that was freqently 

 visited, I rested my gun against a convenient tree-trunk and 

 took careful aim at it. Holding the barrels steadily in position 

 all I had now to do was to stand up and watch the target : when- 

 ever a bat settled on that particular bunch I pressed the trigger 

 and the shot was invariably followed by a thud on the ground 

 or crashing and squawking among the branches as a wounded 

 animal dropped slowly downwards. In a couple of hours the 

 boys had picked up a dozen specimens of Pteropas vampyrus 

 with which we returned to the boat, leaving sundry others to 

 be recovered on the morrow. 



On the way back a bullet was kept in readiness for wild- 

 pig. None were seen, however, though nightly rootings along 

 the road showed their presence in the neighbourhood. 



The following day was given over to the preparation of 

 skins and skeletons from the specimens obtained. 



The 24th of July, our last day in the island, was spent in 

 visiting Linga Kampong to bid farewell to the Sultan and to 

 buy supplies for the voyage ahead. 



The town is distant about an hour and a half from the sea and 

 is reached by a road constructed by the Dutch Assistant-Resi- 

 dent. Although roughly made it is passable for the Sultan's 

 gharry and for the few local rickshaws which, old and dilapi- 

 dated, generally traverse it at a walking pace. 



For the first two miles it runs though a swamp planted 

 with sago palms, then coming out on hard clay ground is 

 bordered with scrub and lallang until near the town it passes 

 through plantations of various fruit-trees, sugar-cane and 

 bananas. 



R. A. Soc, No. 41, 1908. 



