32 NOVITATES ZOOLOGICAE XXI. 1914. 



no help from him. However, as the distance had been overstated so fre(|ne[it,ly, 

 we had Inuch and continued the walk. Now the road descended rapidly to the 

 Isal lliver, and in cousequence was better. The ford, though wide, was not deep, 

 and, for a wonder, the road only crossed once. The long tramp in the mnd had 

 been very tiring, so I was not sorry to find that an hour and a half brought us 

 to Kaloa. Here the news had arrived, and the village was cleared, and two arches 

 of palm leaves had been erected. 



" Kaloa was not a large village, but seems to be the meeting-place between 

 the trader of the coast and the mountain peoj)le. From Kaloa, Dammar can be 

 taken down the river in the bamboo rafts used in Ceram and Boeroe. The Surveyor 

 had not arrived by daylight, so a supply of food was left behind, and we set out 

 on what was expected to be our longest distance. The road was very muddy for 

 the first five miles or so, bnt improved later, running along the crest of a low 

 ridge near the river. Helped by the good road, we did the twenty-seven kilometres 

 by about 3 in the afternoon, arriving on the coast at Pasahari one day from 

 AVahai. Every one now was in good training : coolies had light loads, and so we 

 made good time on this last day, arriving at Wahai jnst before eve. 



" All the Central Ceram north of the range seems to be a great muddy forest, 

 fairly flat, and almost without inhabitants." 



Die Kiirze der auf dieser Expedition zur Verfiiguug stehenden Zeit hinderte 

 Stalker daran, von Mauusela aus in die hoheren Lagen des nahe gelegenen Central- 

 Gebirges emporzudringen, uud so musste er sich darauf beschrankeu, in der Region 

 zwischen TtHi und 1000 m zn sammeln ; doch gelang es ihm bereits hier, iiber- 

 raschende ornithologische Entdeckungen zu machen {Coliimha maila stalkeri, 

 Flri/Uoscojjus yiidiancttii ci'rameiisis, Oreosterops stalker/, ZoHterops stalkeri). 



Wenige Tage nach dor Uiu-kkehr von jeneni anstreugeudeu Marsch durch 

 Mittel-Seran brach Stalker, wiederum im Gesellschaft des Commaudauten der 

 Garnison Wahai, zu einem Besuch eiuiger an der Bucht von Sawai gelegener 

 Ortschaften auf uud fiihrte auf dieser Keise die Erstbesteignng des Hatn Saka 

 aus, eines gewaltigen Bergklotzes, der, dicht hinter Seleman aufrageud, sich zu 

 1450 m Hohe erhebt. Anschaulich weiss er die Beschwerden dieses Unternehmeiis 

 zu schildern : 



" Two days later we left for the Dammar forest, at the back of the peak of 

 Seleman. The road was very steep, and by 10 I reached the camping-place on a 

 shoulder of the mountain, about 3,000 feet. From here the peak rose almost bare 

 stone, and to our view was too precipitous. However, after lunch we went to 

 reconnoitre. Getting out of the forest on to the scree was most difficult ; here the 

 rotten trees and branches were buried in wet clammy moss, the whole bound up 

 in many climbers. We scrambled, fell, and crawled through in time, however, and 

 went up the scree to the face. This, however, was too loose for us, and we had 

 to go back, as the passage to right and left was barred. I was disappointed, and 

 could see that the natives laughed to themselves. The C'ommaudaut gave it up, 

 but I went on ; and as no natives would come, I had to go alone. I found that there 

 were really two peaks, with a deep cleft between, and that in this the forest rose 

 much iiiglier up the mountain side. I followed up this advantage, and in about 

 an Imur scramlded through still deeper moss on to the bare scree. Here the stones 

 were not so loose or so steep, and another half-hour found the summit. Here 



