60 BORNEO. [ c h a p . iv .
green colour, the under surface and the inner toes yellow,
while the webs were black, rayed with yellow. The body
was about four inches long, while the webs of each hind
foot, when fully expanded, covered a surface of four square
FLYING FROG.
inches, and the webs of all the feet together about twelve
square inches. As the extremities of the toes have dilated
discs for adhesion, showing the creature to be a true tree-
c h a p . iv.] CURIOUS MAMMALIA. 61
frog, it is difficult to imagine that this immense membrane of
the toes can be for the purpose of swimming only, and the
account of the Chinaman, that it flew down from the tree,
becomes more credible. This is, I believe, the first instance
known of a “ flying frog,” and it is very interesting to
Darwinians as showing, that the variability of the toes
which have been already modified for purposes of swimming
and adhesive climbing, have been taken advantage of
to enable an allied species to pass through the air like the
flying lizard. It would appear to be a new species of the
genus Khacophorus, which consists^ of several frogs of a
much smaller size than this, and having the webs of the
toes less developed,
During my stay in Borneo I had no hunter to shoot for
me regularly, and, being myself fully occupied with insects,
I did not succeed in obtaining a very good collection of the
birds or Mammalia, many of which, however, are well known,
being identical with species found in Malacca.. Among
the Mammalia were five squirrels, two tiger-cats, the Gym-
nurus Bafflesii, which looks like a cross between a pig and
a polecat, and the Cynogale Bennetti—a rare, otter-like
animal, with very broad muzzle clothed with long bristles.
One of my chief objects in coming to stay at Simunjon
was to see the Orang-utan (or great man-like ape of Borneo)
in his native haunts, to study his habits, and obtain good
specimens of the different varieties and species of both