The Orang Kaya Upit and his party listened to this story with great interest, and evidently envied Japer the glorious chance he had had. I changed the conversation, and then they told stories of the wrongs they suffered at the hands of the people of the capital. To-night they were full of stories. Old Japer is a store-house of information; he is so well acquainted with the countries between Sarawak and Brunei. He has a thorough faith in ghosts and spirits, and tells of many an adventure with them; of the Antus who caused the death of the wax-hunters, by pushing them off the meñgiris or tapang-tree. When the unfortunate men, from inefficient preparations, as their companions not keeping up a great fire under the trees to stupefy the bees, are so stung as to let go their hold, the natural explanation is never taken; they fly to their superstitions. Japer’s nephew saw one of these tapang ghosts, and managed to keep his eye upon him and prevent him pushing him off; he came down without accident, but without any wax. I suggested that he invented the ghost to excuse his timidity, which Japer thought probable. To-day we passed one of these lofty trees, bearing above twenty bees’-nests, among them four old ones white with wax. As the country is full of tapangs, in which alone do the bees build their nests, the stories of the great amount of wax formerly procured in this district may be true. Why do the honey-bees generally build on one particular tree? Its being the finest in the forest is no good reason; perhaps there is something enticing in the bark. I say “generally,” because, though I have never seen their nests on other trees, yet I have often come across them in the crevices of rocks. If travelling has its pleasures, it has also its disagreeables: mosquitoes near the sea, leeches by thousands in the jungle, and swarms of sand-flies on the banks of the rivers. The fire being nearly out, there is no smoke to drive these last nuisances away, and they compel me to close my journal for the night, and retire under the shelter of a Scotch plaid. I have so often mentioned the omen-birds, that I will describe the one which is most considered by the Seribas Dayaks: body, a bright red; wings, black, chequered with white; head, black at top, with a beak and throat light blue; the tail long, a mixture of black, white, and brown; about the size of a blackbird; the beak is slightly hooked. It is a scarce bird, and is called by the natives Burong Papaw. The bird is before me while describing it. I dare say a naturalist would notice more peculiarities.