The Malay archipelago : the land of the orang-utan ... - Wallace Online
The Malay archipelago : the land of the orang-utan ... - Wallace Online The Malay archipelago : the land of the orang-utan ... - Wallace Online
28 THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. [chap.are scattered over an immense extent of country, at spots wheretrees have fallen through decay and old age, or have succumbedto tlie fury of the tempest ; and tw^enty square miles of countrymay not contain so many fallen and decayed trees as are to befound in any small clearing. The quantity and the variety ofbeetles and of many other insects that can be collected at a giventime in any tropical locality, will depend, first upon the immediatevicinity of a gi'eat extent of "virgin forest, and secondlyupon the quantity of trees that for some months past have been,and wliich are still being cut down, and left to dry and decayui^on the ground. Now, during my whole twelve years' collectingin the western and eastern tropics, I never enjoyed suchadvantages in this respect as at the 8imunjon coal-works. Forseveral months from twenty to fifty Chinamen and Dyaks wereemployed almost exclusively in clearing a large sjjace in thefoi'est, and in making a wide opening for a railroad to theSadong River, two miles distant. Besides this, sawpits wereestablished at various points in the jungle, and large ti'ees werefelled to be cut up into beams and planks. For hundreds ofmiles in every direction a magnificent forest extended overplain and mountain, rock and morass, and I arrived at the spotjust as the rains began to diminish and the daily sunshine to increase; a time which I have always found the most favourableseason for collecting.The number of openings and sunny placesand of pathways, were also an attraction to wasps and butterflies; and by paying a cent each for all insects that were broughtme, I obtained from the Dyaks and the Chinamen many tinelocusts and Phasmidfe, as well as numbers of handsome beetles.When I arrived at the mines, on the 14tli of March, I hadcollected in the four preceding months, 320 different kinds ofbeetles. In less than a fortnight I had doubled this number, anaverage of about twenty-four new species every day. On oneday I collected seventy-six different kinds, of which thirty-fourwere new to me. By the end of April I had more than a thousandspecies, and they tlien went on increasing at a slower rate ; sothat I obtained altogether in Borneo about two thousand distinctkinds, of which all but about a hundred were collected atthis place, and on scarcely more than a square mile of ground.The most numerous and most interesting groups of beetles werethe Longicorns and Rhynchophora, both pre-eminently woodfeeders.The former, characterized by their gi^aceful forms andlong antenna?, were especially numerous, amounting to nearlythree hundred species, nine-tenths of which were entirely new,and many of them remarkable for their large size, strange foi'ms,and beautiful colouring. The latter correspond to our weevilsand allied groups, and in the tropics are exceedingly numerousand varied, often swarming upon dead timber, so that I sometimesobtained fifty or sixty different kinds in a day. My Borneancollections of this group exceeded fiA'e hundred species.My collection of butterflies was not large ; but I obtained
REMARKABLE BEETLES FOUND AT SIMUNJON, BORNEO.
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28 THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO. [chap.are scattered over an immense extent <strong>of</strong> country, at spots wheretrees have fallen through decay and old age, or have succumbedto tlie fury <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> tempest ; and tw^enty square miles <strong>of</strong> countrymay not contain so many fallen and decayed trees as are to befound in any small clearing. <strong>The</strong> quantity and <strong>the</strong> variety <strong>of</strong>beetles and <strong>of</strong> many o<strong>the</strong>r insects that can be collected at a giventime in any tropical locality, will depend, first upon <strong>the</strong> immediatevicinity <strong>of</strong> a gi'eat extent <strong>of</strong> "virgin forest, and secondlyupon <strong>the</strong> quantity <strong>of</strong> trees that for some months past have been,and wliich are still being cut down, and left to dry and decayui^on <strong>the</strong> ground. Now, during my whole twelve years' collectingin <strong>the</strong> western and eastern tropics, I never enjoyed suchadvantages in this respect as at <strong>the</strong> 8imunjon coal-works. Forseveral months from twenty to fifty Chinamen and Dyaks wereemployed almost exclusively in clearing a large sjjace in <strong>the</strong>foi'est, and in making a wide opening for a railroad to <strong>the</strong>Sadong River, two miles distant. Besides this, sawpits wereestablished at various points in <strong>the</strong> jungle, and large ti'ees werefelled to be cut up into beams and planks. For hundreds <strong>of</strong>miles in every direction a magnificent forest extended overplain and mountain, rock and morass, and I arrived at <strong>the</strong> spotjust as <strong>the</strong> rains began to diminish and <strong>the</strong> daily sunshine to increase; a time which I have always found <strong>the</strong> most favourableseason for collecting.<strong>The</strong> number <strong>of</strong> openings and sunny placesand <strong>of</strong> pathways, were also an attraction to wasps and butterflies; and by paying a cent each for all insects that were broughtme, I obtained from <strong>the</strong> Dyaks and <strong>the</strong> Chinamen many tinelocusts and Phasmidfe, as well as numbers <strong>of</strong> handsome beetles.When I arrived at <strong>the</strong> mines, on <strong>the</strong> 14tli <strong>of</strong> March, I hadcollected in <strong>the</strong> four preceding months, 320 different kinds <strong>of</strong>beetles. In less than a fortnight I had doubled this number, anaverage <strong>of</strong> about twenty-four new species every day. On oneday I collected seventy-six different kinds, <strong>of</strong> which thirty-fourwere new to me. By <strong>the</strong> end <strong>of</strong> April I had more than a thousandspecies, and <strong>the</strong>y tlien went on increasing at a slower rate ; sothat I obtained altoge<strong>the</strong>r in Borneo about two thousand distinctkinds, <strong>of</strong> which all but about a hundred were collected atthis place, and on scarcely more than a square mile <strong>of</strong> ground.<strong>The</strong> most numerous and most interesting groups <strong>of</strong> beetles were<strong>the</strong> Longicorns and Rhynchophora, both pre-eminently woodfeeders.<strong>The</strong> former, characterized by <strong>the</strong>ir gi^aceful forms andlong antenna?, were especially numerous, amounting to nearlythree hundred species, nine-tenths <strong>of</strong> which were entirely new,and many <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m remarkable for <strong>the</strong>ir large size, strange foi'ms,and beautiful colouring. <strong>The</strong> latter correspond to our weevilsand allied groups, and in <strong>the</strong> tropics are exceedingly numerousand varied, <strong>of</strong>ten swarming upon dead timber, so that I sometimesobtained fifty or sixty different kinds in a day. My Borneancollections <strong>of</strong> this group exceeded fiA'e hundred species.My collection <strong>of</strong> butterflies was not large ; but I obtained