382 A NATURALIST OX THE " CHALLENGER." 



and light that they make very little show in their flight, and no 

 noise ; and I saw a youth shoot at least a dozen of them, at a 

 large Nutmeg Pigeon, without the bird's doing more than move 

 its head, and start a little as they flew by almost touching it. 



These Nutmeg Pigeons {Carpopliaga concinna) are very large 

 heavy birds. Some of those shot weighed 2 lbs. I shot two at 

 one shot as they sat on a branch on a high tree right over 

 my head. They fell one on each side of me with a very 

 heavy thud, and I believe would have stunned me had they 

 not luckily just missed my head. I had never considered this 

 danger before. 



Mr. Darwin in his Journal* refers to Epeira clavipes, as said 

 by Sloane to make webs so strong as to catch birds. At Little 

 Ke Island Yon Willemoes Suhm actually found a strong and 

 healthy " Glossy Starling " (Calornis metallica) caught fast in a 

 yellow spider's web, and he took the bird out alive and brought 

 it on board the ship to be preserved. 



The Banda Group, September 2 9th to October 2nd, 18*74. 



Prom the Ke Islands the ship proceeded to the Banda Group, 

 famed for its nutmegs. On the voyage, which consumed three 

 days, a small island named Bird Island was passed, from which 

 at one spot smoke was issuing from amongst rocks covered with 

 a white incrustation. The smoke was evidently a volcanic 

 fumerole. 



Banda Island was reached on September 29th. The ship 

 anchored in a harbour, shut in by three surrounding islands. 

 On one of these was the town, the old fort built by the Portu- 

 guese, and the residences of the Dutch Officials. Another 

 island is the small active volcano of the group called Gunong 

 Api (mountain fire) ; the Malay equivalent of the word volcano. 

 On the third island (Great Banda) are the principal nutmeg 

 plantations. I accompanied a party which ascended the vol- 

 cano, which is 1,910 feet in altitude only. It appears to be 

 very seldom climbed, either by Dutch residents or natives. 

 The mountain is a steep simple cone. The ascent was made on 

 the east side. The cone is covered with bushes up to within about 

 700 or 800 feet of the summit, and with the help of these climb- 



* " Journal of Researches," p. 36. 



