Mammals taken on the Batu Lawi expedition
J.C. Moulton’s “Mammals taken on the Batu Lawi expedition” (1912) is a short taxonomic appendix to the larger multi-author account of the 1911 expedition to Mount Batu Lawi in the Limbang district of Sarawak, listing the mammal specimens collected during the party’s 40-day journey through the upper Limbang, Madihit, and Baram river systems. The article forms part of a broader publication in the Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (Vol. 63) that also includes the full expedition narrative and a linguistic appendix.
Summary
This brief article catalogues the mammal specimens obtained during Moulton’s 1911 expedition to the headwaters of the Limbang River, an area of extreme remoteness in the Sarawak highlands where, as Moulton notes, “no white men and but few natives had ever ventured before” (p. 12). The expedition, which departed Kuching on 2 May 1911 and returned on 17 July, traversed a circuit from the Limbang station up the Limbang and Madihit rivers, overland across the Turan-Derian range to the base of Batu Lawi itself, and back down via the Seridan, Mago, Tutau, and Baram rivers to Claudetown (pp. 5, 55–56).
The mammal collections, while small in absolute numbers owing to the hurried and arduous character of the journey, were “surprisingly rich in new and rare species,” reflecting the poorly known fauna of this isolated highland region (p. 56). The narrative records the capture of a large male Macacus nemestrinus (pig-tailed macaque) and a fine Rhithrosciurus macrotis (bushy-tailed squirrel) at Penribut’s house at 2,100 ft. on 21 May (p. 31), and the capture of a Manis javanica (Javanese pangolin) by the dogs of the same house on 20 May (p. 30). Fresh rhinoceros traces were found on the slopes of Batu Lawi on 29 May, and a .303 rifle had been brought specifically to deal with the animal, though no shot was fired (pp. 40, 44). Tiger-cat tracks were observed near the summit on 30 May (p. 40). The overall dearth of animal life at altitude—attributed to the dense humidity and the particularly wet 24 hours spent on the mountain—was noted as remarkable (p. 40).
The article’s significance lies in documenting faunal records from an elevation range (approximately 1,300 to 5,660 ft.) and a geographic zone that had been virtually unexplored by naturalists prior to this expedition, with the nearest previous European visit to the region having been Sir Spenser St. John’s 1858 journey, which fell short of Batu Lawi itself (pp. 1–4).
Key Findings
- The expedition reached an altitude of 5,660 ft. on the southern end of Batu Lawi (29 May 1911), with the mountain’s base at approximately 3,500 ft. and its summit rising a further ~2,700 ft. above that base (pp. 40, 42).
- A Macacus nemestrinus (large male) and Rhithrosciurus macrotis (bushy-tailed squirrel) were collected at Penribut’s house, altitude 2,100 ft., on 21 May (p. 31).
- A Manis javanica (scaly ant-eater) was captured by dogs at the same locality on 20 May (p. 30).
- Fresh rhinoceros traces were found on the eastern slopes of Batu Lawi on 29 May; a .303 rifle was carried specifically for the purpose of hunting the animal but was not used (pp. 40, 44).
- Tiger-cat tracks were observed at approximately 5,660 ft. on 30 May (p. 40).
- The 40-day journey comprised 31 days of actual travelling; the party slept two consecutive nights in the same place on only five occasions, severely limiting collecting opportunities (p. 56).
Conclusion
Moulton’s mammal list, though brief, provides some of the earliest recorded faunal data from the highland zone between the Limbang and Baram river systems, an area of considerable biogeographic interest given its elevation, isolation, and the presence of species (rhinoceros, tiger-cat) at altitudes and localities previously undocumented. The article underscores how even a short, logistically constrained expedition could yield taxonomically significant results from one of Borneo’s last unexploited interior regions.
Context
- The mammal list is one component of a larger multi-author publication (Moulton, Ridley, Copeland, Smith, Griffini, and Laidlaw) in JSBRAS Vol. 63 (1912), which also includes the full expedition narrative and a comparative vocabulary of Tabun, Murut, and Kalabit (Appendix IX, pp. 100–104).
- The expedition was undertaken under the auspices of the Sarawak Government and the Sarawak Museum; Moulton’s account draws heavily on Sir Spenser St. John’s 1858 narrative and map for geographic comparison, and the study contributes to the growing body of natural-historical literature on the Baram-Limbang highlands initiated by R.S. Douglas’s 1908 journey (pp. 2–3, 56).