20 
Other groups of uesta ai'e established in what ap^Mjar to be recesses or coucavities 
in the roof and in some cases the nests are in total darkness. 
But wherever the nests are placed they have one feature in common for al^ 
are nornTally hiaecessihle. Some can be reached by long baujboo poles : to obtain 
others perilous climbing is necessary. The majority can only be obtained after a 
high and dangerous climb and looking up from the ground to the heights of the 
caverns it sometimes seems incredible that men can perform the work. 
The climbing apparatus is extremely well made, the main ropes consisting of 
plaited rattan. The plant consists mainly of rattan ladders and climbing galleries. 
The methods of the climbers vary. Sometimes they descend into the inky 
darkness of the cave tlirough a hole in tlie roof. At other times the long ladders 
arc used to clind) the walls of the cave up to a certain point, after which the 
climbing galleries are hauled up and fixed in position. The nests are placed in 
baskets by the collectors and after the descent, threaded on a thin rattan and 
bundled up. More detailed accounts of the actual flind>ing have appeared else- 
where. When necessary the workers use torches for travelling and long thin 
candles for the actual collecting. It is an obvious fact that many nests are not 
collected because they are inaccessible. This inaccessibility depends on two factors, 
firstly bad lighting, and secondly the position of the nests which defies even the 
boldest of the climberB. 
LlGHTmG. 
The climbers admit that the thin candles used by them are not strong enough 
to illuminate even the areas they work regularly/ that they area nuisance to 
manipulate and are constantly being extinguished by draughts, Furthermore and 
most important of all they adunt that large sections of the roof cannot be examined 
because of a lack of lighting appliances. Fantastical though it mfiy sound it 
seems that the possibility of lighting the caves should be .seriously considered. A 
low-power electric light on a very long flex at once suggests itself and the expense 
would only amount to a few hundred dollars. If an electrical engineer approved 
the feasibility of the scheme the experiment should be tried for a season or two 
in one of the smaller caves of the Kinabatangan. 
Climbing. 
To attempt to assist or interfere in any way with the skilled work of climljing 
seems a questionable measure but it is possible that an engineer could give 
assistance to the climbers and enable them to reach parts of the caves hitherto 
regarded as inaccessible. 
The provision of iron rings or staples, the walls of the cave being plugged at 
selected places for their insertion seems the most obvious method of rendering such 
assistance. That the climbers were not adverse to the suggestion of such aid was 
apparent at the time of my visit. 
It is therefore suggested that a trained engineer should visit the caves, firstly 
to consider the possibility of introducing a lighting system to replace or supplement 
the present candle method and secondly to consider the feasibility of assisting the 
climbers with methods and apparatus. The reply to any query concerning the 
value of such experiments is contained in the monetary returns of the Gomantong 
