ining brown. Along the spine, from the
head to the middle of the back, little membranes stand up like the teeth
of a saw. As others of the genus of lacerta they feed on flies and
grasshoppers, which the large size of their mouths and peculiar structure
of their bony tongues are well adapted for catching.

(PLATE 14a. n.2. THE KUBIN, Draco volans.
Sinensis delt. A. Cardon sc.
Published by W. Marsden, 1810.)

The flying lizard, kubin, or chachak terbang (Draco volans), is about
eight inches in its extreme length, and the membranes which constitute
the wings are about two or three inches in extent. These do not connect
with the fore and hind legs, as in the bat tribe, but are supported by an
elongation of the alternate ribs, as pointed out by my friend Mr. Everard
Home. They have flapped ears, and a singular kind of pouch or alphorges,
under the jaws. In other respects they much resemble the chameleon in
appearance. They do not take distant flights, but merely from tree to
tree, or from one bough to another. The natives take them by springs
fastened to the stems.

FROGS. SNAKES.

With animals of the frog kind (kodok) the swamps everywhere teem; and
their noise upon the approach of rain is tremendous. They furnish prey to
the snakes, which are found here of all sizes and in great variety of
species; the larger proportion harmless, but of some, and those generally
small and dark-coloured, the bite is mortal. If the cobra capelo, or
hooded snake, be a native of the island, as some assert, it must be
extremely rare. The largest of the boa kind (ular sauh) that I had an
opportunity of observing was no more than twelve feet long. This was
killed in a hen-house where it was devouring the poultry. It is very
surprising, but not less true, that snakes will swallow animals of twice
or three times their own apparent circumference; having in their jaws or
throat a compressive force that gradually and by great efforts reduces
the prey to a convenient dimension. I have seen a small snake (ular sini)
with the hinder legs of a frog sticking out of its mouth, each of them
nearly equal to the smaller parts of its own body, which in the thickest
did not exceed a man's little finger. The stories told of their
swallowing deer, and even buffaloes, in Ceylon and Java, almost choke
belief, but I cannot take upon me to pronounce them false; for if a snake
of three inches diameter can gorge a fowl of six, one of thirty feet in
length and p