378 A NATURALIST ON THE "CHALLENGER." 



Mr. Abbott, engineer of the " Challenger," when we were together 

 in Wokan, hovered and hopped for some time about a mass of 

 creepers hanging from a large tree, apparently searching for 

 insects. As it hovered, it showed its bright scarlet back like a 



flash of fire. 



Usually, the bird sitting on the twigs and seen from below 



shows none of its beauty. 



The birds seem very tame, but like the Kifle-bird, and the 

 Great Bird of Paradise, are usually in constant motion. One 

 full-plumage bird sat on a twig, about four feet from the ground, 

 and looked at me for a while at not more than three yards 

 distance, and then darted away, more out of natural impulse, I 

 imagine, than fear. 



I shot five of the birds in one day. One of them had the 

 wonderful spiral green tail feathers, only just growing out. The 

 bright lapis-lazuli blue colour of the bird's legs and feet when 

 fresh, greatly enhances its beauty. Luckily the skin of the 

 Paradise Birds is tough, and I found the King-bird easy to skin. 

 The short red feathers encroach on the base of the bill, on its 

 upper surface in an unusual manner, the tip of the bill only 

 being free, and this gives the head a curious appearance. 



The coral rock of Wokan Island is exposed in section, on the 

 shore not far from Dobbo, in a cliff about 11 feet in height. 

 The strata are inclined towards the sea at an angle of about 20°. 

 Inland, the surface is marked by a series of ridges of small 

 elevation, and from the presence of numerous bivalve shells, 

 seems to have been raised above sea level. 



There is a fresh-water stream not far from Wanumbai, which 

 flows over the coral rock, overhung by dense vegetation. In the 

 bed of the stream, a constant deposit of carbonate of lime is 

 taking place, and the bed is partitioned into a series of pools, 

 separated by ridges and projections of stalactite-like substance, 

 which lines also the pools themselves. Similar deposits in 

 tropical streams have been observed elsewhere, as in Eoaring 

 River, Jamaica.* 



It was elicited by Captain Tizard, from the Malays at Dobbo, 



* Sir H. T. de la Beche, F.B.S. " The Geological Observer," p. 13, 

 2nd Ed. London, Longman, 1853. 



