EXPEDITION INTO INTERIOR OF SUMATRA. A7 
Amongst these animals, there are many new species, 
especially amongst the insects of which many species had 
never previously been observed in Sumatra. Looking at this 
large number of animals collected in a comparatively short 
space of time, one might be ledintothe mistake of supposing 
that the formation of sucha collection would be an easy matter. 
Without counting the difficulty of pr a aring and packing up 
most of the specimens, the very hunting for them was attended 
with many obstacles, ‘and involved great loss of time. The 
richness of the tropical fauna has passed into a proverb, 
not without reason, but like most treasures, it must be 
sought after out of the beaten track, and it 1s only little by 
little that the paths leading to the hidden treasures of 
nature are to be discovered. 
In giving the preceding resumé, I have accomplished 
the task alloted to me, but permit me now to introduce you 
in imagination, for a few moments at iene to the countries 
visited by my companions and myself at the time that we tra- 
versed these uncultivated regious, deeply impressed with their 
unique beauty. Iwill choose those pages of our journal which 
describe our ascent of the peak of Korin itji, or Indrapura, the 
highest mountain in Sumatra, and one of the highest 
voleanoes in the Indian Archipelago. We were in the 
country of the “ twelve kotas,” a district bounded on the 
8. W. by the above-named mountain, and as before ourselves 
no Huropean, and still less any native, had ever attempted 
the ascent, the preparations fer our depar ture occupied some 
space of time. Our firstidea was to take with us native 
carriers, called owls, but as it-was too risky to set out 
with our necessary baggage without knowing anything about 
the nature of the ground, or even if it were possible to reach 
the summit, we took the precaution of sending some 
explorers on ahead as an advance-guard. The superstitious 
nature of these people, however, so excited their imagination 
that they returned to us with all sorts of exts avagant stories 
of the inaccessible rocks they had seen, and the fearful 
monsters they had met. A second attempt on their part 
was more successful, and although uncertain as to being 
able to reach the highest point, we set out on the 5th. 
December, 1877, full of ardour and determination. Pesides 
