in sculpture, tire caterpillar, attractive in its way, and
chiefly remarkable for its leaf-eating powers; then the
long sleep in a silken hammock, and finally a sunny
awakening into life and beauty as a daintily painted
butterfly. There must he something in the climate or
vegetation of the Sulu islands especially favourable to
insect life, and nowhere else did I see butterflies so plentiful
as here, not only in the forest and by the river, but
around the houses of Meimbong itself.
The site of the market being littered with fragments of
fruit and other debris, was especially attractive to them ;
on being disturbed they fluttered away in crowds, only to
return almost immediately to feast on the wasted sweets,
and to open and close their gorgeous wings in the sunshine.
We were fortunate in obtaining plenty of fresh fish
while lying in harbour here, and there were many kinds,
some being strikingly beautiful in colour. Herrings
and mackerel—or fish which so closely resemble them in
size, colour, and flavour, that we did not distinguish the
difference, were often brought on board. A singular
white “ ink fish,” having large dark eyes and long tentacles,
is eaten both by natives and Chinese. A large
fish of a vermilion colour, in shape like a large carp, is
plentiful and nice eating, as also is a similarly shaped
species of an ashy grey colour, its sides delicately banded
with blue and yellow. In the river are freshwater
fish a couple of pounds or more in weight, and good
angling is obtainable. Captain McNeil caught a nice
basketful or two with rod and line by whipping down
stream in the true Devonshire style. One of the fish he
captured would weigh nearly two pounds, and had a sharp
spined dorsal fin like an English perch. Mr. Cowie
maintains that he has seen real spotted trout taken out
of this water; but I think some other kind must be
meant, although the water is quite pure enough for that
gentlemanly little fish.
From what I have written it will be seen that although
Sulu cannot now afford elephant or tiger hunting like
Malacca, India, or Ceylon, there is plenty of sport obtainable
here nevertheless; indeed there are few countries
eastward where better hunting, shooting, and rod-fishing
can be obtained. Sulu as seen from a distance on board
a ship out at sea, appears to be nearly all under cultivation
; but on riding into the interior a good deal of
uncultivated land and jungle is seen. The jungle portion
has mostly been under cultivation in former years, and is
now lying fallow previous to its vegetation being again
cleared off by fire ready for the rude plough-culture here
adopted. As approached from the westward the island
is really very picturesque, two or three of its peaks
rising from two to three thousand feet above sea level;
these are separated from the coast by gentle undulating
hills or flattish plains. One or two of the high hills are
quite denuded of the old forest, and cultivation extends
to their summits. The two highest peaks, however, are
still clothed with the forest primeval, and it was these
two that I so much wished to explore. The highest is
Bu’at Timantangis, or “ Hill of Tears.”
I was curious to know why such a poetic title had been
applied to the highest of the Sulu peaks, and so I made
inquiries. In all cases the natives agreed as to the
“ reason why,” which is this. When the Sulu boats sail
away towards the horizon on their trading excursions,
this peak is the last bit of their native land which is
visible; it is the “ white cliffs of old England ” to them ;
and the wanderers being accustomed to remember their
peaceful sunlit homes and their friends, drop a tear as