SIR THOMAS STAMFORD RAFFLES. 8? 
has excited more interest than the celebrated upas, 
or poison tree, of which as many wonderful stories 
have been told as of the centaur, the Lemean hydra, 
or any other of the classic fictions of antiquity. 
These extravagant fables have often been refuted 
by naturalists ; and it is only among the ignorant, or 
the dupes of the poet and the popular orator, that 
the romances on the subject of the upas find be- 
lievers. A fatal poison is, no doubt, prepared 
from the sap, mixed with various other substances ; 
but without this process it is said to be harm- 
less. 
Of the useful or domestic animals, Java may be 
said to be deficient ; neither the elephant nor the 
camel is a native; the former is rarely imported, 
and the latter is unknown. Neither the ass nor 
the mule is found ; but there is a fine breed of 
small horses, strong, fleet, and well made. A still 
finer breed is imported from Bima, on the neigh- 
bouring island of Sumbaiva, ivhich, by competent 
judges, has been said to resemble the barb in every 
respect, except size. They seldom exceed thirteen 
hands, and in general are below this standard. 
The bull and cow are general, and the breed has 
been greatly improved by the species introduced 
from continental Indio. The most essential animal 
is the buffalo, from its being generally employed in 
agriculture. Goats are numerous, but sheep scarce ; 
and both are of a small size. 
The aggregate number of mammalia in Java, has 
