the malay archipelago-1-第11章

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trunks　laid　end　to　end。　Along　these　the　barefooted　natives　walk　and　carry　heavy　burdens　with　the　greatest　ease；　but　to　a　booted　European　it　is　very　slippery　work；　and　when　one's　attention　is　constantly　attracted　by　the　various　objects　of　interest　around；　a　few　tumbles　into　the　bog　are　almost　inevitable。　During　my　first　walk　along　this　road　I　saw　few　insects　or　birds；　but　noticed　some　very　handsome　orchids　in　flower；　of　the　genus　Coelogyne；　a　group　which　I　afterwards　found　to　be　very　abundant；　and　characteristic　of　the　district。　On　the　slope　of　the　hill　near　its　foot　a　patch　of　forest　had　been　cleared　away；　and　several　rule　houses　erected；　in　which　were　residing　Mr。　Coulson　the　engineer；　and　a　number　of　Chinese　workmen。　I　was　at　first　kindly　accommodated　in　Mr。　Coulson's　house；　but　finding　the　spot　very　suitable　for　me　and　offering　great　facilities　for　collecting；　I　had　a　small　house　of　two　rooms　and　a　verandah　built　for　myself。　Here　I　remained　nearly　nine　months；　and　made　an　immense　collection　of　insects；　to　which　class　of　animals　I　devoted　my　chief　attention；　owing　to　the　circumstances　being　especially　favourable。

In　the　tropics　a　large　proportion　of　the　insects　of　all　orders；　and　especially　of　the　large　and　favourite　group　of　beetles；　are　more　or　less　dependent　on　vegetation；　and　particularly　on　timber；　bark；　and　leaves　in　various　stages　of　decay。　In　the　untouched　virgin　forest；　the　insects　which　frequent　such　situations　are　scattered　over　an　immense　extent　of　country；　at　spots　where　trees　have　fallen　through　decay　and　old　age；　or　have　succumbed　to　the　fury　of　the　tempest；　and　twenty　square　miles　of　country　may　not　contain　so　many　fallen　and　decayed　trees　as　are　to　be　found　in　any　small　clearing。　The　quantity　and　the　variety　of　beetles　and　of　many　other　insects　that　can　be　collected　at　a　given　time　in　any　tropical　locality；　will　depend；　first　upon　the　immediate　vicinity　of　a　great　extent　of　virgin　forest；　and　secondly　upon　the　quantity　of　trees　that　for　some　months　past　have　been；　and　which　are　still　being　cut　down；　and　left　to　dry　and　decay　upon　the　ground。

Now；　during　my　whole　twelve　years'　collecting　in　the　western　and　eastern　tropics；　I　never　enjoyed　such　advantages　in　this　respect　as　at　the　Simunjon　coalworks。　For　several　months　from　twenty　to　fifty　Chinamen　and　Dyaks　were　employed　almost　exclusively　in　clearing　a　large　space　in　the　forest；　and　in　making　a　wide　opening　for　a　railroad　to　the　Sadong　River；　two　miles　distant。　Besides　this；　sawpits　were　established　at　various　points　in　the　jungle；　and　large　trees　were　felled　to　be　cut　up　into　beams　and　planks。　For　hundreds　of　miles　in　every　direction　a　magnificent　forest　extended　over　plain　and　mountain；　rock　and　morass；　and　I　arrived　at　the　spot　just　as　the　rains　began　to　diminish　and　the　daily　sunshine　to　increase；　a　time　which　I　have　always　found　the　most　favourable　season　for　collecting。　The　number　of　openings；　sunny　places；　and　pathways　were　also　an　attraction　to　wasps　and　butterflies；　and　by　paying　a　cent　each　for　all　insects　that　were　brought　me；　I　obtained　from　the　Dyaks　and　the　Chinamen　many　fine　locusts　and　Phasmidae；　as　well　as　numbers　of　handsome　beetles。

When　I　arrived　at　the　mines；　on　the　14th　of　March；　I　had　collected　in　the　four　preceding　months；　320　different　kinds　of　beetles。　In　less　than　a　fortnight　I　had　doubled　this　number；　an　average　of　about　24　new　species　every　day。　On　one　day　I　collected　76　different　kinds；　of　which　34　were　new　to　me。　By　the　end　of　April　I　had　more　than　a　thousand　species；　and　they　then　went　on　increasing　at　a　slower　rate；　so　that　I　obtained　altogether　in　Borneo　about　two　thousand　distinct　kinds；　of　which　all　but　about　a　hundred　were　collected　at　this　place；　and　on　scarcely　more　than　a　square　mile　of　ground。　The　most　numerous　and　most　interesting　groups　of　beetles　were　the　Longicorns　and　Rhynchophora；　both　pre…　eminently　wood…feeders。　The　former；　characterised　by　their　graceful　forms　and　long　antenna；　were　especially　numerous；　amounting　to　nearly　three　hundred　species；　nine…tenths　of　which　were　entirely　new；　and　many　of　them　remarkable　for　their　large　size；　strange　forms；　and　beautiful　colouring。　The　latter　correspond　to　our　weevils　and　allied　groups；　and　in　the　tropics　are　exceedingly　numerous　and　varied；　often　swarming　upon　dead　timber；　so　that　I　sometimes　obtained　fifty　or　sixty　different　kinds　in　a　day。　My　Bornean　collections　of　this　group　exceeded　five　hundred　species。

My　collection　of　butterflies　was　not　large；　but　I　obtained　some　rare　and　very　handsome　insects；　the　most　remarkable　being　the　Ornithoptera　Brookeana；　one　of　the　most　elegant　species　known。　This　beautiful　creature　has　very　long　and　pointed　wings；　almost　resembling　a　sphinx　moth　in　shape。　It　is　deep　velvety　black；　with　a　curved　band　of　spots　of　a　brilliant　metallic…green　colour　extending　across　the　wings　from　tip　to　tip；　each　spot　being　shaped　exactly　like　a　small　triangular　feather；　and　having　very　much　the　effect　of　a　row　of　the　wing　coverts　of　the　Mexican　trogon；　laid　upon　black　velvet。　The　only　other　marks　are　a　broad　neck…collar　of　vivid　crimson；　and　a　few　delicate　white　touches　on　the　outer　margins　of　the　hind　wings。　This　species；　which　was　then　quite　new　and　which　I　named　after　Sir　James　Brooke；　was　very　rare。　It　was　seen　occasionally　flying　swiftly　in　the　clearings；　and　now　and　then　settling　for　an　instant　at　puddles　and　muddy　places；　so　that　I　only　succeeded　in　capturing　two　or　three　specimens。　In　some　other　parts　of　the　country　I　was　assured　it　was　abundant；　and　a　good　many　specimens　have　been　sent　to　England；　but　as　yet　all　have　been　males；　and　we　are　quite　unable　to　conjecture　what　the　female　may　be　like；　owing　to　the　extreme　isolation　of　the　species；　and　its　want　of　close　affinity　to　any　other　known　insect。

One　of　the　most　curious　and　interesting　reptiles　which　I　met　with　in　Borneo　was　a　large　tree…frog；　which　was　brought　me　by　one　of　the　Chinese　workmen。　He　assured　me　that　he　had　seen　it　come　down　in　a　slanting　direction　from　a　high　tree；　as　if　it　flew。　On　examining　it；　I　found　the　toes　very　long　and　fully　webbed　to　their　very　extremity；　so　that　when　expanded　they　offered　a　surface　much　larger　than　the　body。　The　forelegs　were　also　bordered　by　a　membrane；　and　the　body　was　capable　of　considerable　inflation。　The　back　and　limbs　were　of　a　very　deep　shining　green　colour；　the　undersurface　and　the　inner　toes　yellow；　while　the　webs　were　black；　rayed　with　yellow。　The　body　was　about　four　inches　long；　while　the　webs　of　each　hind　foot；　when　fully　expanded；　covered　a　surface　of　four　square　inches；　and　the　webs　of　all　the　feet　together　about　twelve　square　inches。　As　the　extremities　of　the　toes　have　dilated　discs　for　adhesion；　showing　the　creature　to　be　a　true　tree　frog；　it　is　difficult　to　imagine　that　this　immense　membrane　of　the　toes　can　be　for　the　purpose　of　swimming　only；　and　the　account　of　the　Chinaman；　that　it　flew　down　from　the　tree；　becomes　more　credible。　This　is；　I　believe；　the　first　instance　known　of　a　〃flying　frog；〃　and　it　is　very　interesting　to　Darwinians　as　showing　that　the　variability　of　the　toes　which　have　been　already　modified　for　purposes　of　swimming　and　adhesive　climbing；　have　been　taken　advantage　of　to　enable　an　allied　species　to　pass　through　the　air　like　the　flying　lizard。　It　would　appear　to　be　a　new　species　of　the　genus　Rhacophorus；　which　consists　of　several　frogs　of　a　much　smaller　size　than　this；　and　having　the　webs　of　the　toes　less　developed。

During　my　stay　in　Borneo　I　had　no　hunter　to　shoot　for　me　regularly；　and；　being　myself　fully　occupied　with　insects；　I　did　not　succeed　in　obtaining　a　very　good　collection　of　the　birds　or　Mammalia；　many　of　which；　however；　are　well　known；　being　identical　with　species　found　in　Malacca。　Among　the　Mammalia　were　five　squirrels；and　two　tigercatsthe　Gymnurus　Rafesii；　which　looks　like　a　cross　between　a　pig　and　a　polecat；　and　the　Cynogale　Bennettia　rare；　otter…like　animal；　with　very　broad　muzzle　clothed　with　long　bristles。

One　of　my　chief　objects　in　coming　to　stay　at　Simunjon　was　to　see　the　Orangutan　（or　great　man…like　ape　of　Borneo）　in　his　native　haunts；　to　study　his　habits；　and　obtain　good　specimens　of　the　different　varieties　and　species　of　both　sexes；　and　of　the　adult　and　young　animals。　In　all　these　ob