MALACCA. 
13 
of Eastern towns, that it has been found necessary to devote several days in the course of 
the year to their destruction. 
On the 26th of January I left before daybreak with a bullock-cart for Bantam Malacca, 
intending afterwards to visit Mount Ophir. When we had proceeded about two miles, a 
huge tree that had fallen right across the road barred all further progress. As there w r as 
only one Malay chipping at it, who informed us that it would take at least two days to 
reopen the road, we returned by the same route in two days to Malacca. In a few days we 
started for Merlimau ; from this station a fine view of Mount Ophir is obtained. This 
mountain is the “ Gunong Ladang ” of the Malays, and forms the chief topic of several 
songs, which I heard sung years afterwards by my bird-collectors in Borneo. The accom¬ 
panying illustration is a sketch of this mountain from a tapioca-plantation. In the distance 
is the virgin forest, the charred remains of many forest giants which are too large or too 
tough are left standing; the only part planted is the dark patch in the middle distance on 
the left-hand side. 
Merlimau is the best locality I have as yet visited for collecting-purposes, there being 
a good deal of virgin forest about; besides it is only a short walk from the sea-coast, which 
affords plenty of interest. In the forest one day I disturbed two small Bats that had taken 
up their quarters in an old disused ants’ nest; the nest was fixed to a creeper and hung 
down like a bell, forming a snug dwelling for the Bats. I also met with two curious 
animals, one known as the Elying-fox (Pteromys melanotis ): it is covered with rich rusty- 
browm fur and has a long tail; on both sides of the body, from the thumb to the feet, is a 
thin membrane of skin, which, when this animal wishes to reach another tree, by stretching 
open its four legs it expands, forming a parachute. In this manner it sails through the 
air to the base of some distant tree, which it ascends with the activity of a monkey. The 
other animal is known as the Flying Lemur (Galeopitliecus volans); it is a beautiful creature, 
with the softest of marbled-patterned fur. In habits it is similar to the last species, but is 
almost tailless, with shorter limbs and not nearly so active. The pattern of the fur is 
highly protective, making the animal assimilate well with the tree-trunks to which it 
clings. 
The forests here seem to be overrun with wild pigs, and several times I came across 
large herds ; the Chinese catch them in pitfalls. On the coconut-palms round about the 
station Flying Lizards (Draco'l sp.) were numerous. These interesting little reptiles have 
the ribs greatly lengthened and connected by a tough membrane, which acts as a parachute 
(see illustration, page 56, fig. 1). As soon as the Malay boys saw I was desirous of catching 
them, they began to climb the palm-stems after the lizards, which would attain the greatest 
height possible before sailing off to the foot of another palm. In three or four flights 
they generally landed on the ground and were easily captured. In this manner we caught 
several specimens of both sexes; the male is adorned with a curious yellow pouch under the 
chin, which he can inflate and thrust forward at will. When hunting these lizards, a female 
settled close to a male, which began at once to inflate his pouch as if pleased. I kept 
several of these little reptiles alive for a few days, but they refused all food and were very 
vicious to one another; they also possess the power of changing colour from green to blue, 
or almost dark black. 
