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Show 1884.] BIRDS'-NLST CAVES OF BORNEO. 533 For this purpose I spent two days in the caves of Gomanton, a high limestone cliff, situate twelve miles inland from the head of Sandakan Bay; and having been successful, I send herewith specimens of the bird, its nest, and eggs, and of the fungus said to be used in the construction of the nest. Before starting for the caves, I inquired what it was generally thought the nests were made from, and was told that it was probably a gum or resin from some of the forest-trees, and that the statement, so often repeated in popular works on natural history, that the birds gather a seaweed for the purpose, was extremely improbable-the caves producing the largest quantity of nests being generally situated a considerable distance inland: besides that round Sandakan Bay there is a marked absence of seaweed, which does not grow in any quantity at the various points which I touched at. On the 19th of March, at half-past 10 o'clock A.M., together with a gentleman in the employ of the British North-Borneo Company, I left the flourishing little town of Elopura, at the entrance of Sandakan Bay, for the Sapugaya River, which flows into this Bay about 8 miles below the town. Our party was composed of two Englishmen (W. and self), one Chinese cook, five Malays,eight Sulus, a Buludupi, and m y Japanese collector, eighteen in all, representing six different languages, the conversation between these different specimens of Homo sapiens being carried on in Malay. Our mode of conveyance was a steam-launch, having in tow a large boat to which we were to transfer ourselves when the river grew too shallow to proceed further in the launch. W e reached the mouth of the Sapugaya at noon. Flying about the Bay were a number of Frigate Birds and a few birds of prey. The river presented the usual features of all North-Bornean scenery : the land at the mouth and for several miles each side was covered with a Mangrove swamp ; further up the Nipas replace the Mangroves, until, where the river-banks rise above the reach of the tide, the true forest, extends clown to the water's edge. Curlews, Kingfishers, and Sandpipers flew along ahead of us. Making the launch fast to the landing-stage of a coffee and sugar plantation, we took to our rowing-boat, as beyond the plantation further navigation in the steam-launch is unsafe ; after rowing for some hours our sleeping-place for the night was reached. This was a very primitive affair, being a long narrow shed thatched with altaps made from the Nipa leaf, and raised some six feet from the ground on posts, the floor being composed of unbarked sticks ten feet long; over this we spread a large india-rubber (without which no one should travel), and made ourselves as comfortable as possible under the circumstances. I had brought my mosquito-net, but did from those which are given by ordinary mucin ; but these differences were not great enougb to weaken the conclusion that the nest is really composed of mucus secreted by the peculiar glands, superficially described by Sir Everard Home, as present in tbe bird which builds the nest. It would be very interesting to obtain these birds in living condition, so that one might study the mechanism of the secretion of such a relatively enormous mass of material as well as examine tbe constituents of tbe secretion taken quite fresh. |