the  IJland  of  Sumatra.  1 7 1 
part  of  this  ifland : I have  never  feen  one  yet,  though  I 
have  frequently  heard  them  when  I have  llept  in  the 
woods,  and  often  feen  the  marks  of  their  feet.  They 
annually  deftroy  near  one  hundred  people  in  the  coun- 
try where  the  pepper  is  planted ; yet  the  people  are  fo 
infatuated  that  they  feldom  kill  them,  having  a notion 
that  they  are  animated  by  the  fouls  of  their  anceftors. 
Of  tiger-cats  we  have  two  or  three  forts;  elephants, 
rhinoceros,  elks,  one  or  two  other  kind  of  deer,  buf- 
faloes, two  or  three  forts  of  muftelae,  porcupines,  and 
the  fmall  hog-deer,  almoft  compleat  the  catalogue  of 
our  mammalia. 
Birds  I have  feen  very  few  indeed,  and  very  few  fpe- 
cies  of  infedts.  Ants,  of  twenty  or  thirty  kinds,  abound 
here  fo  much  as  to  make  it  almoft  impoflible  to  preferve 
birds  or  infedls.  I have  frequently  attempted  it,  but  in 
vain. 
I have  met  with  one  inftance,  and  one  only,  of  a ftra- 
tum  of  foffil  fhells.  I had  iome  notion  that  it  was  an 
obfervation  (of  condamine’s  I think)  that  no  fuch  thing 
was  to  be  found  between  the  tropics. 
The  ifland  of  Enganho,  though  fituated  only  about 
ninety  miles  to  the  Southward  of  Malbro’,  was  fo  little 
known,  on  account  of  the  terrible  rocks  and  breakers 
which  entirely  furround  it,  that  it  was  even  doubtful 
Vol.  LXVIII.  Z whether 
