60 CRUISE IN THE SOUTHERN CHINA SEA 



From several small streams within the jungle good water 

 may be obtained ; they are, however, too weak to force a passage 

 to the sea and must be looked for above the beach. 



At Pengiki we spent two days but found the island, although 

 of fair size — three miles long and nearly two wide — very scantily 

 furnished with animal life. Pigeons both Nicobar and bicolor, 

 were fairly numerous as were the glossy starling and blue-and- 

 white kingfisher, but no other birds were seen with the exception 

 of an eagle and a single grey wagtail. A python and viper were 

 obtained and a glimpse was caught of a small animal in a tree 

 that may have been a musang. Macaque monkeys (cynomolgus?) 

 were, however, common and a new species of squirrel (Scinrus 

 ?)iimiculus), a dwarf form of S. prevostii, was obtained. 



The jungle was of fair height but possessed scarcely any 

 undergrowth and all day long in the cool green light, swarms of 

 bats (Hipposideros barbensis, sp. nov.) flitted about circling in and 

 out amongst the trees. 



When we left — in darkness at three o'clock one morning — 

 the anchor proved to be jammed fast in the coral. It was only 

 by setting full sail, after all other means were exhausted, that 

 we were enabled to break it free. 



The Tambelans. 



The Tambelan group, about sixty miles to the northward, 

 was the next place of call. With a wind abeam and a squall to 

 help we arrived in twelve hours and anchored between two 

 small islands, Selendang and Gilla. Exploring the former in 

 the afternoon we got two or three birds. It possesses a curious 

 cone-shaped bill about 700 feet high; Gilla is much lower. The 

 scenery in the little strait between the two was very lovely — 

 jungle and coco palms, granite boulders and yellow sand, bright 

 blue sea and waves of white surf at the far end of the 

 passage, 



Early next morning (Aug. 4th) we boated over to Great 

 Tambelan and met many canoes going off to the outlying islands. 

 The sea was running very high a few hours later and the sail 

 back again was somewhat exciting. 



The Tambelan group consists of the three principal islands 

 of Tambelan, Bunoa and Wai, with a number of smaller islands 



Jour. Straits Brancj, 



