My life : a record of events and opinions - Wallace-online.org

THE MALAY ARCHIPELAGO 199place it is generally very good, but such are dreadfullyscarce. In Java I had to go forty miles in theeastern part and sixty miles in the western to reacha bit of forest, and then I got scarcely anything.Here I had to come a hundred miles inland, byPalembang, and though in the very centre of EasternSumatra, the forest is only in patches, and it is theheight of the rains, so I get nothing. A longicorn isa rarity, and I suppose I shall not have as manyspecies in two months as I have obtained in three orfour days in a really good locality. I am getting,however, some sweet little blue butterflies {Lyccenidcs)^which is the only thing that keeps up my spirits."An extract from my letter to Silk will be of moreinterest to most of my readers :" I am here in one ofthe places unknown to the Royal Geographical Society,situated in the very centre of East Sumatra, aboutone hundred miles from the sea in three directions.It is the height of the wet season, and the rain poursdown strong and steady, generally allnight and halfthe day. Bad times for me, but I walk out regularlythree or four hours every day, picking up what I can,and generally getting some little new or rare orbeautiful thing to reward me. This is the land of thetwo-horned rhinoceros, the elephant, the tiger, and thebut they all make themselves very scarce, andtapir ;beyond their tracks and their dung, and once hearinga rhinoceros bark not far off, I am not aware of theirexistence. This, too, is the very land of monkeys ;they swarm about the villages and plantations, longtailedand short-tailed, and with no tail at all, white,black, and grey ;they are eternally racing aboutthe tree-tops, and gambolling in the most amusingmanner. The way they jump is amazing. They throwthemselves recklessly through the air, apparently sure,