94 
Siaioangs were booming in the forest a cross the road from the 
gibbons, and we walked part way up the road to see if we could 
get a glimpse of them. They* too, came close to get a look at 
us* Although they were in the tops of trees, they were on the 
lower side of the mountain, and the tree tops were beneath where 
we stood. We could see several of the big black fellows very 
plainly, and they swung from branch to branch, and made the 
mountains ring with their terrific voices. 
Later we sew a big troop of Entellus monkeys in the same 
locality. A big wild boar dashed across the road and vanished 
into the forest. We saw several birds that we had not seen 
before, including two kinds of drongoes and a remarkable long- 
tailed jay. Much of the vegetation was new to us - lovely little 
wayside flowers, ~ and of course thick jungle on both sides 
of the road all day long. In fact it was too thick and there 
were few places where we could get into it at all to collect. 
The pass, where the road begins to lead down again, is 
very high (Mr. DeJong says 10,000 feet but I don ? t think it is 
that much). Takengon, which is 4,000 is so far below that the 
country around it seems to be a low plain. From the pass one 
gets a magnificent view looking out over range after range of 
mountains. 
We had lunch near a little stream. Although it was 
mid-day the air was crisp and cool. It is grand to collect in 
the tropics if one gets high enough, and to find rare tropical 
fauna without shedding a drop of perspiration. 
On our return we went down to have a close look at the 
lake, and particularly at the swimming club, which I had thought 
of patronising. However, the shores of the lake are rather 
marshy; the water was full of algae; and with all the native 
bathing going on so close to the lake the water was really not 
very inviting • | C A 1 
Nasi goreng for dinner - an excellent one. We took a 
short walk after dinner. The moon was full and the night was 
luminous. The air was like wm that of an autumn evening at 
home - crisp and almost cold. Two blankets were welcome when 
we went to bed, and we slept like logs for about ten hours. 
June 23 - 
r 
We left Takengon in the morning, and spent all the forenoon 
driving slowly down the mountain, stopping to collect wherever the 
country looked inviting. We had lunch by the side of the road, and 
Bill found some more big horned flies, and I found a species of 
Ponerine raiding a Pheidole nest. About two o f clock, when we had 
covered not more than forty kms. rain began, and it poured all 
the rest of the way. We stopped at Blang Rakal, making another 
effort to meet the old Datoek, but today he was in Bireuen. We had 
hoped that when we got to the lowlands the weather would be clear, 
but the storm c-ntxnued until we reached Lho Semawe, about five 
o f clock. 
We stayed this time at another little hotel, the Pension 
Emma, and ordered a reistaf el. Across the road was a big grassy 
marsh, and the buffalo were coming slowly home, silhouetted against 
