PALAWAX. 
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forest giants, from which they occasionally fall and rise again, leaving lengthy festoons 
hanging in mid-air; they climb up the trunks and stretch across the ground—all for daylight. 
Their growth is apparently very rapid, these jungle-ropes being often mere water-pipes : the 
natives, when thirsty, will cut off a length of three feet or so, and by holding it end down 
over their mouth, a sufficient quantity of pure water will gush out to satisfy their thirst. 
The curious way in which the rattan (a climbing palm) has adapted itself to climbing 
habits, and the way in which it attains its object, have been fully described by me in my 
Malacca journal. These forest-ropes vary in size from the thickness of a man’s thigh to 
that of fine string, are always pliant, and near the ground leafless and branchless ; often 
rough-barked, and occasionally armed with spikes or hooks. 
The bases of the trees themselves are often remarkable, some species throwing up for 
thirty feet a buttress, above which the trunk commences in the usual manner. The object 
of this buttress is doubtless to give stability to the tree and counterbalance the enormous 
crown. One such tree I remember in Palawan, which was known by the name of the 
“ devil’s tree ” by the Sulus, had the most marvellously developed base I have ever seen. 
The wooden partitions close to the trunk were eight or nine feet high, and ran out from the 
tree to a distance of fifteen yards; the spaces between these partitions were large enough to 
form a comfortable dwelling for several men. The floor of the forest is sometimes sparsely 
covered with a sickly, almost leafless, undergrowth ; several species of palms, however, 
often flourish. But the fall of a forest giant leaves an open space which is soon covered 
by a luxuriant vegetable growth. The ground for the most part is bare, and carpeted with 
dead leaves and fallen fruits and their often brightly coloured cases. The boughs of the 
high trees are covered with a parasitic growth of orchids and ferns, some of the latter being 
enormous ; but it is rarely that any blossoms are noticed. Mammals are very seldom seen, 
except monkeys and squirrels ; birds are individually scarce, though, when compared with 
Europe, specifically numerous ; butterflies, with the exception of two or three species, are 
seldom seen, except when an open sunny spot be found. 
25th.—The Kadyans captured a beautiful wild cat in their snares ; and we obtained a 
specimen of Cittocincla nigra, a species peculiar to this island. 
26th, 27th.—The messenger sent by the old lady has returned to-day from the 
mountain Dusuns, with the news that they do not wish us to come inland, and will not 
carry our baggage. 
27th to 30th.—Have collected many interesting birds, amongst them a handsome 
Philippine Pitta (P. erythrogastra) : this species has a bright scarlet breast; the back pale 
green mixed with slate-blue, which colour extends over the upper part of the breast; the 
head is brown. 
July 1st to 4th.—The Kadyans have snared to-day a small Peacock-Pheasant, one of 
the birds I especially wanted to meet with. The breast of this Pheasant is black; its back 
bright metallic blue ; the lower part and tail brown, mottled with dark brown ; the entire 
tail beautifully studded with green and blue peacock eyes : this Pheasant ( Polyplectron 
napoleonis) is truly a magnificent species ; the legs, as is usual in this genus, are armed 
each with a pair of powerful spurs; the female is brown, with dull peacock eyes on its 
tail: this species we caught in snares; we never saw it running about in the forest. Our 
T 
