The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-02-20
BATS AND SWALLOWS.
Myriads Occupy a Cave Together in
North Borneo.


North Borneo.
Correspondence New York Times.
one should by no means fail 70 make
a trip To the Gomantun Caves while
staying ut the hospitable station of
the British North torneo Trading
company ut Sardakan The trip L"
the caves is of interest to the sports
man, for en- route you can get a shoe
now and then at wild pig, the meat
Of which is exceedingly savory: then,
too. you stir up an occasional alligator
and have a fine chance for a display
of marksmanship. Tracks of wild cat
tie show still larger game is To- be had.
while pigeons innumcrablc help the
lardcr out most agrceably. The great
things to be avoided are the leeches.
those pests of the land that make l
hunters life anything but a happy
one
a trip through the heavy jungle. af-
ter leaving our boats at the rivers
bank brought us at the end Of a brisk
walk to Semud Htar. the lower cave,
the principal tenants Of which are
swallows and bats, living in a style
very much like the little man and the
sign-when the woman is in the man
is out and vice versa In the case in
point the swallows octupy the cave at
night and the bats by day Rent is
collected from the swallows in the
shape Of edible birds nests, while the
bats are prepared to ray up arrears
in guano.
The csculent nests of these swallows
consist of Il marine fuCus-a species of
sea weed in other words--elaborated
by the bird The japanese are said to
have discovered a means of preparing
the seawecd by hand so as to exactly
initiate the consistency of the nest.
The nests are found throughout the is
lands In this section OF the archipe-
lego and are often sold in the markets.
They make an excellent soup without
any very decided taste beyond that o.
gelatine. The birds weave them with
much patience ana ingenuity in spite
of the continuous depredations made
upon them.
The exit of the imr,ense swarms Of
bats every evening from the Semud
Hitam is decidedly unique sight.
Looking from the entrance to the plac =
live. we had n fine chance to see this
migration and We're amply repaid for
whatever hard work we had been
through. We viewed the entrance to
the cave over a yawning gulf some 100
yards across and of a shape closely
resembling that of a horseshoe In
which space the bats go through their
wonderful circumrotatiors. About a
half hour or so before sunset the first
column of bats appea.ed and after
whirling around from left to right, In
dense chcese-shaped mass. the head
Of the column wheeled to the right.
almost over our heads, and went down
the valley followed by the rank and
file in a long coil winding over the
treetops i'm wonderfully close and reg
ular Crde..
-Four or five hawks appeared and
| dashed voraciorsly into the thick Cf
| the bats. In half a minute the second
| column issued, and after a prelimin-
airy revolution. followed the first, dis
| appearing in the distance like a wreath
of smoke. in forty minutes by the
watch. fOrty-seven distinct columns
! were counted. each about GOO feet lo"s
by ten feet thick. A rough estimate
Of 10000 bats to each column would
give a total Of not far from half mil
, lion bats. not one Of which went away
without preliminary gyration to
| stretch the wings. The last two lots
We're somewhat smaller than the 9th
, ers, and were, perhaps. fatigue parties
left behind to put things away so that
| they would not be swallowed. Snakes
of a yellowish hue appeared with the
| first of the bats. but as far as We
| could see did not have any luck IN
catching a bat.
The swallows appeared close upon
| the departure Of the last winged bat
! talon, and ali night long there was Il
ccaseless whirr of wings. The attend
J ants. by waving sticks, knocked down
| two swallows, whose diet had evident.
ly been ants of the winged species
! Next morning, shortly after dawn, thu
! half million bats returned and literal
| " rained into the horseshoe space in
! open order. with the same time Il
cross fire of swallows issuing from the
. cave.
| The men who collect the nests are 4
, short. thick-set race, and have proba
| bly, inherited the vocation. They lie
! on their backs on rattan ladders som.
| loo feet. more or less, overhead. calmly
smoking cigarettes, while detachinc
tine nests with long poles, and quietly
dropping them into baskets suspended
under the ladders. a couple of rat,
/ tans dangling from the ladders afford
a means of swinging to more distant
! places. where they held on in some
! mysterious manner while driving pegs
| of wood in some hole or Granny to Sc
cure the rattan to. Lives are offer
/ lost. but on this subject we couldn'i
get the collectors to say much.