484 Mr. A. R. Wallace on the Natural History of the Aru Islands. 



collected more than half the birds inhabiting Aru, while I do 

 not imagine I have obtained one fifth part of the Insects. The 

 following is a brief summary of my collections in this class : — 



Coleoptera 572 species. 



Lepidoptera 229 „ 



Hymenoptera 214 „ 



Diptera 185 „ 



Hemiptera and Homoptera .... 130 „ 

 Orthoptera and Neuroptera, &c. . . 34 „ 



Making a total of 1364 species. 



Lest the conchologists should think I have quite neglected 

 their interests, I may mention, that 1 have collected all the land- 

 shells I could find or procure from the natives. 1 have only 

 obtained, however, 25 species. Almost all are Helices (20 spe- 

 cies), some pretty and some of curious forms, but 1 am not suf- 

 ficiently acquainted with shells to say how much novelty they 

 present. It is remarkable that I have not found a single jBw//mM5, 

 which in Celebes was the most abundant group ; the few Cyclo- 

 stomata are also small and obscure. Reptiles are scarce. I did 

 not see a snake six times in as many months. There are, how- 

 ever, on the shores many sea-snakes, whose bite is very deadly. 

 The natives spear and eat them. Lizards are rather plentiful in 

 species and individuals ; they are almost all plant-dwellers, 

 and run on the leaves and twigs with great agihty. The coasts 

 swarm with fish in immense variety, and mollusca innumerable. 

 A shell- collector would obtain a fine harvest, but I have been too 

 fully occupied myself to attend to any of these last- mentioned 

 groups ; having often found the greatest difficulty in properly 

 drying and securing my bird and insect collections in the rude 

 houses, boats, and sheds I have been compelled to occupy. Damp, 

 mites, ants, rats and dogs, are all enemies which must be guarded 

 against with ever-watchful vigilance, and from all of them I have 

 sufi'ered more or less severely. Bird and animal skins require 

 daily exposure to air and sun for weeks before they are dry enough 

 to pack away. In this time they accumulate to such an extent, 

 that it is a constant puzzle and difficulty to find places to put them 

 in, so as to keep them free from ants, which establish colonies in- 

 side the skin, whence they sally out to gnaw the eyelids, the base 

 of the bill and the feet ; arsenic tliey laugh to scorn ; and there is 

 absolutely nothing that will keep them away but water-isolation, 

 which again requires space and constant care to keep perfect. 

 When to these are added insect specimens by thousands, requi- 

 ring still greater care, the mere labour of watching the collections 

 during the time they must remain exposed to the air, to sun- 



