Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalofstra25271894roya).pdf/55

 plant is a native of Singapore where there are no bears.

D. sp. has a scentless fruit with a conspicuous red aril on the seeds. There were no bears in the locality, so that it was probably dispersed by hornbills, which were abundant.

D. testudinarum, Becc., has the fruit at the base of tree. This is called Durian Karkura (Tortoise Durian) in Borneo by the natives, according to BECCARI, and is perhaps eaten by these animals.

Neesia synandra, Mast. This has a very hard woody capsule, bluish grey, not or hardly armed. Seed black, with a small yellow waxy aril. The fruit drops whole, and the seeds are protected till ripe by a quantity of pungent irritating yellow bristles lining the inner walls of the woody capsule. The aril and sometimes the whole seed is catcn by mice. (The seed falls out of the capsule when the capsule falls.)

Cœlostegia Griffithii, Mast., has a very large rather round capsule covered with thorns, and of a showy orange colour. The seeds are chesnut colour and conspicuous, with an orange waxy aril. They do not fall out of the fruit, but fall with it. I imagine that they are dispersed by the agency of birds but I found rats very partial to them.

Boschia Griffithii, Mast., a very small Durian with a conspicuous scarlet capsule, splitting on the tree, and exposing the black conspicuous seeds. The form and colouring of this remind one of the fruits of Sterculia lævis which is dispersed by birds. The fruits are borne on small twigs, and I have little doubt but that the seeds are scattered by birds. BECCARI gives Durian Tupai as one of the native names of the plant in Borneo, this would mean Squirrel Durian, but does not imply that squir- rels eat it, tupai being really equivalent to tikus (mouse) meaning of small size, as opposed to gajah (elephant) which means in speaking of fruit, &c. large. Thus Commersonia platyphylla anders [sic] is called in Singapore Durian Tupai because the fruit looks more or less like a very small Durian.

Insectivora.—Tupaia ferruginea and other allied species although belonging to the order Insectivora are chiefly frugivorous. They appear to eat the smaller fruits such as those of