Journal of the Federated Malay States museums - Sabrizain.org

igi6.] Ri'Ihnson: Vertebrates of Pulau Panjang. fii
obtaining for us tin in cessar) permits from the local Dutch
authorities. We are also indebted to the Resident of Rhiow,
who instructed Ins local officers to afford us all the assistance
in then power.
GEOGRAPHICAL.
Pulau Panjang or Mapor, as it is more generally known
by its inhabitants is an island of roughly triangular shape
with a greatest length and breadth of about three and a
half to four miles, situated in Lat. 104 .50' E. and Long.
1 \. about 10 miles from the east coast of Bintang, the
straits separating it from that island carrying about twelve
fathoms, though a hank with only 6 to 8 fathoms running
from the S.E. of Mapor very nearly joins it to the larger
island.
I.\« ept on the north and N.E. corner it is surrounded by
a fringing reef of coral of varying breadth, with many
outlying "mushrooms." and must therefore he approached
with the greatest caution by those not in possession of local
knowledge. A b iv on the N.E. corner however, afforded good
anchorage in about six fathoms mud and is free from dangers,
though the swell that frequently sets in from the East even
in the S.W. monsoon m ikes il inconvenient tor small vessels.
The surface of the island i- undulating and even rugged
on the eastern side, tin: maximum elevation being about
1
ii [40 t. On this side there is -till a good deal of old jungle
though much of the bettei timber has been felled by Chinese
f.>r exportation to Singapore. In the remaining parts of
tin- island most of the available land has in times past been
cleared for the planting of gambier and on those plantations
being abandoned has relapsed into thickets of Stiaits Rhododendron
an 1 resam Melastoma and Gleichcnia) very difficult
to penetrate. In parts, however, the original forest, which
consisted largely of a valuable timber tree {tembusu) [Fngraea
fragrans) is taking hold again, the tree mentioned springing
up again readily from sti ioIs.
On the we, tern shore there are. in places, considerable
flat areas, largely overgrown with lalang, and it is here, where
they art sheltered from the violence of the N.E. monsoon,
that the villages of the native inhabitants are found. These
people are Orang L ant or Jakun, who under different tribal
names are widely spread through the southern portion of
the Malayan Peninsula and throughout the Rhio-Lingga
Archipelago and portions of the adjacent low lying parts of
Sumatra. They are of Proto-Malayan stock, at one time
-poke a somewhat peculiar dialect and have only, in comparatively
recent times, become onv< its to Islam, thpugh they
are now loathe to confess that they are othei than Malays
proper. In Mapor. where there are probably not more than
a hundred individuals at the outside, the) '.una precarious
livelihood by fishing during the S.W. monsoon and by