Journal of the Federated Malay States museums - Sabrizain.org

132 Journal of the F.M.S. Museums. [Vol. VII,
were scarce and Gesneraceae, for which we came specially
to look, were not conspicuous or interesting and were almost
entirely out of flower.
Pulau Terutau. Pulau Terutau lies north of Langkawi,
from which it is separated by a channel about five miles
in breadth. I have little to add to the brief account of the
island given by Air. Kloss and myself in the Ibis for 1910,
pp. 666 et seq.
During our stay on the present visit, which lasted from
17—29th December we circumnavigated the island and
landed at several spots on the western shore which is very
bold and exposed though there are three large shallow bays
with fine beaches. The island is even more sparsely inhabited
than it was in 1907 and 1908, but a good deal of timber cutting
takes place at intervals. The collections of birds were neither
large nor of any great importance but we obtained a number
of mammals which were special desiderata of the Museum,
including the rare Petaurista terutaws, hitherto known only from
the type, and a new species of Arctogalidia.
Koh Libong or Pulau Telibux. Situated between
Lat. 12'
7 and 7
18'. N. and Long 99 31' and 99 27', this
island is roughly an equilateral triangle in shape with sides
of about six miles. One face is high and rocky with a sandy
shore, the maximum height being put in the charts at about
1,450 feet, though this estimate is probably excessive. The
high land, which is on the western face, is comparatively
narrow and the rest of the island is low and flat, there
being a good deal of mangrove in places while further inland
there are sandy flats and grassy plains overgrown with gelam
(Melaleuca), several species of tall grass (though lalang is quite
absent) and a variety of prickly shrubs. The high land
is covered with jungle though in places where this has been
cleared for hill rice and the like, the landscape has assumed
a park-like aspect, very pleasing to the eye after the monotony
of the jungle of the southern islands, though by no means
so pleasant to traverse. The jungle is open and the undergrowth
consists largely of a species of palm, with fan shaped
leaves, growing to about fifteen feet in height. Epiphytes
generally were scarce and orchids, in contrast to the islets
off Terutau and Langkawi, are by no means numerous. In
fact the botany generally was of no great interest-, doubtless
due to the fact that there had been but little rain for some time
prior to our visit and few plants were consequently in flower,
the most attractive being a small Begonia with rose-pink
flowers which grew on damp rocks on the shore, barely
above tide marks.
The flat portion of the island being unsuitable for collecting
upon and water being there scarce and indifferent in
quality, we anchored in a small bight off the N.W. corner
of the island where there was a small stream of excellent
water and a fine, sandy beach backed by good jungle. We