68 CRUISE IN THE SOUTHERN CHINA SEA. 



particularly noticeable being wild nutmegs and mangosteens, the 

 last of which seemed to form the principal food of the squirrels. 

 To complete the tale of our acquisitions were the small fruit 

 bat (P. lepidns) previously taken in the Tambelans, some geckoes 

 and two or three tree-snails. 



Waiting until the tide turned in one favour we left in the 

 afternoon, bound for the Anambas, a hundred miles away. 

 Until sunset next evening the wind held light but then with a 

 series of squalls coming up from astern we made from six to 

 seven knots an hour, the breeze constantly shifting a point and 

 back and compelling us to make continual gybes. Late at night 

 we entered the channel between Pulos Peling and Riabu and 

 dropped anchor close to the former. 



The Anambas Islands. 



On the morning of the 17th it was evident that we were 

 fortunate to have anchored when we did ; for dead ahead, just 

 a hundred yards away, an abrupt bit of coral reef on which the 

 schooner could have piled up very awkwardly, lay five or six 

 feet beneath the surface. 



Pulo Peling, which we worked for a day, is only a small 

 island without inhabitants where clearings were just being com- 

 menced ; we saw no mammals except many monkeys, but got a 

 little blue brown flycatcher ( Cyornis tickelli) with reddish breast 

 for the first time on the cruise. 



Riabu, which we next prospected, is much larger, being 

 high and about six miles in length. It possesses a very good 

 bay affording excellent harbourage in the S. W. monsoon as it 

 is only open between N. and W. As we rowed along the shore 

 we shot a large " baiawak " f roii the boat and then landing found 

 the country very rocky and densely covered with forest. Our 

 best catch was a squirrel— the only one seen — a pale and rather 

 small form of Sciurus notatus. It has been named anambensis and 

 occurs on most of the islands of the Anambas group but the 

 Riabu specimen differs from the others in having the audital 

 bullee markedly smaller. 



At daylight on the 19th there was scarcely a breath of wind 

 and after getting up anchor we nearly drifted on to the reef 



Jour Straits Branch 



