SUMATRA. G89 
within, encompassing kernels which are covered with a juicy 
and perfectly white pulp, which is the part eaten, or, more 
property, sucked, for it dissolves in the mouth. Its qualities 
are as innocent as they are grateful, and the fruit may be 
eaten in any moderate quantity without danger of surfeit, or 
other injurious effects. The returns of its season appear to 
be irregular, and the periods short. The pine-apple, though 
not indigenous, grows here in great plenty with ordinary 
culture. Oranges of many sorts are in the highest perfection. 
The shadock of the West Indies is here very fine, and dis¬ 
tinguished into the white and red sorts. Limes and lemons 
are in abundance, as is also the bread-fruit; the jack-fruit; 
the mango, a rich high flavoured fruit of the plumb kind ; 
the papaw, a large, substantial, and wholesome fruit, in ap¬ 
pearance not unlike a smooth sort of melon, but not very 
highly flavoured; the pomegranate, the tamarind, nuts and 
almonds of different sorts, besides various other fruits, of 
which the names are not known in Europe. Grape vines 
are cultivated with success by Europeans for their tables, but 
not by the people of the country. There is found in the 
woods a species of wild grape, besides various other wild 
fruits, some of which possess a fine flavour, but others are 
little superior to common berries, though they might be im¬ 
proved by culture. 
Of shrubs and flowers, there is an innumerable variety and 
a perpetual succession throughout the year. They diffuse a 
delightful fragrance all around, and many of them are medi¬ 
cinal, while from others dyes are extracted. The castor-oil 
plant grows wild in abundance, especially near the sea shore; 
and the elastic gum vine, or caoutchouc, is also found. 
From the indigo plant the dye is extracted, and generally 
used in a liquid state. Brazil wood is common in the Malay 
countries, as is also ubar, a red wood resembling log-wood in 
its properties. The upas, or poison tree, is found in the 
woods. 
Sumatra, from the shelter afforded by its vast woods, 
abounds in wild animals, some of them most ferocious and 
destructive. The tyger grows in this island to a prodigious 
size and strength. Marsden mentions that he saw the head 
of one which had been killed, and which measured across 
the forehead 18 inches. Such is their strength, that with a 
stroke of their fore-paw, they will break the leg of a horse 
or buffaloe, and the largest prey is without the least difficulty 
dragged by them into the woods. The number of inhabit¬ 
ants who are killed by these animals exceeds belief, whole 
villages being sometimes depopulated by them. Yet such is 
the superstitious prejudice of the natives, that it is with 
difficulty they are prevailed upon, by rewards from the East 
India Company, to use any methods for their extirpation. 
The traps, however, which they make for this purpose are 
ingeniously contrived. Sometimes they are in the nature of 
strong cages, with falling doors, into which the beast is 
enticed by a goat or dog inclosed as a bait; sometimes they 
manage that a large timber shall fall in a grove, across his 
back; he is noosed about the loins with strong rattans, or 
he is led to ascend a plank, nearly balanced, which, turning 
when he is past the centre, lets him fall upon sharp stakes 
prepared below. Instances have occurred of a tiger being 
caught by one of the former modes, which had many 
marks in his body of the partial success of this last expedient. 
The escapes, at times, made from them by the natives are 
surprising. In addition to the other methods of destroying 
them, besides shooting them, the natives sometimes place 
water in their way, impregnated with arsenic, by drinking 
of which the animal perishes. They subsist chiefly, it is 
supposed, on the monkeys and other animals with which 
the woods abound. Elephants are common. They traverse 
the country in large troops, and prove highly destructive 
to the plantations of the inhabitants. The hippopotamus 
haunts most of the rivers. The rhinoceros, both the single 
and double horned species, is a native of the woods; also 
the bear, which is small and black, and climbs the cocoa-nut 
trees in order to devour the tender part or cabbage. There 
are many species of the deer kind, and the varieties of the 
monkey tribes are innumerable; here are also sloths, squir- 
Vol. XXIII. No. I GOO. 
rels, teleggos or stinkards, civet cats, tiger cats, porcupines, 
hedgehogs, pangolins, bats of all kinds, alligators, guanos, 
cameleons, flying lizards, tortoises, and, turtle. The house 
lizards are in length from four inches down to one, and are 
the largest reptiles that can walk in an inverted position; 
one of these, large enough to devour a cochroach, runs 
along the ceiling of a room, and in that situation seizes its 
prey. The tail of these reptiles, when broken off, renews 
itself. 
Among the domestic animals is the buffaloe, which sup¬ 
plies milk, butter, and beef. It is not to be found in a wild 
state, being too much exposed to the attacks of the tyger. 
The cow, called Sapi and Jawi, is obviously a stranger to 
the country, and does not appear to be yet naturalized. The 
breed of horses is small, well made, and hardy, and are 
brought down by the country people nearly in a wild state. 
In the Batta country they are eaten, which is a custom also 
in Celebes. The sheep are a small breed, probably im¬ 
ported from Bengal; the other animals are the goat and 
hog, both domestic and wild; the otter, the cat, the rat, and 
the dog. Of the latter, those brought from Europe dege¬ 
nerate, in the course of time, to curs, with erect ears. 
With animals of the frog kind the swamps everywhere 
teem; and their noise upon the approach of rain is tre¬ 
mendous. They furnish prey to the snakes, which are found 
here of all sizes and in great variety of species; the larger 
proportion harmless, but of some, and those generally small 
and dark coloured, the bite is mortal. The boa constrictor 
is found in marshy places, and sometimes grows to the length 
of 30 feet, and of proportionate bulk and strength. Among 
the poisonous serpents is the viper. 
On the coast is found great variety of shell-fish. The 
cray-fish is as large as the lobster, but wants its biting claws. 
The small fresh water cray-fish, the prawns and shrimps are 
in great perfection. The crab is not equally fine, but ex¬ 
hibits many extraordinary varieties. There is also the kima, 
or gigantic cockle. The oysters are by no means so good 
as those of Europe. The smaller kind are generally found 
adhering to the roots of the mangrove, in the wash of the 
tide. Among the fish are the dugong, a large sea animal of 
the mammalia order, with two strong pectoral fins serving 
for the purposes of feet; the grampus whale; violiers, so 
called from the peculiarity of its dorsal fin resembling a sail; 
sharks, skates, the murcena, gymnotus, rock cod, pomfret, 
mullet, the flying fish, and many others. 
Birds are in great variety, and consist chiefly of the Su¬ 
matran pheasant, a bird of uncommon magnificence and 
beauty; of peacocks, eagles, vultures, kites, and crows, 
jackdaws, king’s fishers, the rhinoceros bird, chiefly remark¬ 
able for what is termed the horn, which, in the most com¬ 
mon species, extends half way down the upper mandible 
of its large beak, and then turns up; the stork, the common 
fowl domestic and wild, the snipe, coot, plover, pigeons, 
quails, starlings, swallows, minas, parrots and parroquets, 
geese, ducks, teal, &c. The bird of paradise is not found 
here, and the cassowary is brought from Java. The loory 
is brought from the islands still further east. 
The whole island swarms with insects, amongst which are 
cockroaches, crickets, bees, flies of all sorts, mosquitoes, 
scorpions, centipedes, and water and land leeches. The fire 
fly is larger than the common fly, and emits light as if by 
respiration, which is so great, that words on paper may be 
distinguished by holding one in the hand. Ants exist in 
immense numbers and varieties, which differ in taste from 
each other when put into the mouth. Some are hot and 
acrid, some bitter, and some sour. The large red ant bites 
severely, and usually leaves its head, as the bee its sting, in 
the wound. The Chinese dainty, named indiscriminately 
biche de mer, swallow, tripan or sea slug, (holothurion) is 
collected from the rocks, and dried in the sun for the China 
market. 
Of the productions which are regarded as articles of com¬ 
merce, the most abundant is pepper, of which large quan¬ 
tities used formerly to be exported by the East India Com¬ 
pany. But this trade is now reduced to one solitary cargo 
8 N of 
