474 Mr. A. R. Wallace on the Natural History 



collection, the natives bringing me several very fine Coleoptera. 

 A considerable proportion appear to be quite new ; those known 

 being a mixture of New Guinea and Molucca species. It would 

 occupy too much space to enter into any details on this exten- 

 sive class ; I shall therefore give only the results of my six days* 

 work, as follows : — 



Coleoptera 70 species. 



Lepidoptera 50 „ 



Diptera 19 „ 



Hymenoptera 24 „ 



Hemiptera and others ... 31 „ 



194 species of insects. 



It was here I first made acquaintance with the Papuan race in 

 their native country, and it was with the greatest interest I 

 studied their physical and moral peculiarities, and noted the very 

 striking differences that exist between them and the Malays, not 

 only in outward features, but in their character and habits. 



A day and a halPs sail brought us to the trading settlement of 

 Dobbo, situated on a sandy spit running out in a northerly direc- 

 tion from the island of Wamma, which here approaches to within 

 a mile of the great island of Aru. Having obtained the use of 

 one of the palm-thatched sheds here dignified with the name of 

 houses, arranged my boxes and table, and put up a drying-shelf 

 indoors and out, protected by water-insulation from the attacks 

 of ants, I was ready to commence my exploration of the un- 

 known fauna of Aru. I had brought with me two boys, whose 

 sole business was to shoot and skin birds, while I attended en- 

 tirely to insects, and to the observation and registry of the habits 

 of the birds and animals I met with in my walks in the forest. 

 The first fortnight was very un propitious, violent gusts of wind and 

 driving rain allowing us to do very little out of doors, and making 

 the drying of the little we obtained a matter of great difficulty. 

 It soon became apparent that in this small island there was a 

 very limited number of birds, and I determined to go as soon as 

 possible to the large island ; but that was not an easy matter, 

 and I now found that I should have brought from Macassar 

 three men accustomed to the islands, and who could take me 

 wherever I wanted to go. As it was, I had to get natives, and 

 there was, as usual, all sorts of delay, and then there was an 

 alarm of pirates, and unfortunately it was not a false alarm. A 

 fleet of the celebrated Ilanun pirates, from the island of Magui- 

 danao, had really arrived ; they attacked a small vessel not far 

 from Dobbo, which, escaping from them with one man wounded, 

 brought the news. Then came messengers from one of the 

 northern islands, telling how they had been attacked, and many 



