The history of Sumatra : $b Containing an account of the government, laws, customs and manners of the native inhabitantsMarsden, William
History
The history of Sumatra : $b Containing an account of the government, laws, customs and manners of the native inhabitants
Marsden, William
Natural history -- Indonesia -- Sumatra; Sumatra (Indonesia)
Of the bat kind there is an extraordinary variety: the churi-churi is the
smallest species, called vulgarly burong tikus, or the mouse-bird; next
to these is the kalalawar; then the kalambit; and the kaluwang (noctilio)
is of considerable size; of these I have observed very large flights
occasionally passing at a great height in the air, as if migrating from
one country to another, and Captain Forrest notices their crossing the
Straits of Sunda from Java Head to Mount Pugong; they are also seen
hanging by hundreds upon trees. The flying-foxes and flying-squirrels
(Lemur volans), which by means of a membrane extending from what may be
termed the forelegs to those behind, are enabled to take short flights,
are also not uncommon.
ALLIGATORS AND OTHER LIZARDS.
Alligators, buaya (Crocodilus biporcatus of Cuvier), abound in most of
the rivers, grow to a large Size, and do much mischief.
The guana, or iguana, biawak (Lacerta iguana) is another animal of the
lizard kind, about three or four feet in length, harmless, excepting to
the poultry and young domestic cattle, and sometimes itself eaten as
food. The bingkarong is next in size, has hard, dark scales on the back,
and is often found under heaps of decayed timber; its bite venomous.
The koke, goke, or toke, as it is variously called, is a lizard, about
ten or twelve inches long, frequenting old buildings, and making a very
singular noise. Between this and the small house-lizard (chichak) are
many gradations in size, chiefly of the grass-lizard kind, which is
smooth and glossy. The former are in length from about four inches down
to an inch or less, and are the largest reptiles that can walk in an
inverted situation: one of these, of size sufficient to devour a
cockroach, runs on the ceiling of a room, and in that situation seizes
its prey with the utmost facility. This they seem to be enabled to do
from the rugose structure of their feet, with which they adhere strongly
to the smoothest surface. Sometimes however, on springing too eagerly at
a fly, they lose their hold, and drop to the floor, on which occasions a
circumstance occurs not undeserving of notice. The tail being frequently
separated from the body by the shock (as it may be at any of the
vertebrae by the slightest force, without loss of blood or evident pain
to the animal, and sometimes, as it would seem, from the effect of fear
alone) within a little time, like the mutilated claw of a lobster, begins
to renew itself. They are produced from eggs about the size of the
wren's, of which the female carries two at a time, one in the lower, and
one in the upper part of the abdomen, on opposite sides; they are always
cold to the touch, and yet the transparency of their bodies gives an
opportunity of observing that their fluids have as brisk a circulation as
those of warm-blooded animals: in none have I seen the peristaltic motion
so obvious as in these. It may not be useless to mention that these
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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