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90 A NATURALIST ON THE "CHALLENGER. 



Numerous dealers brought trays of the shells for which 

 Amboina is famous to the ship, but the prices asked are so high, 

 that it would probably pay to bring some of the shells back 

 again from Europe to Amboina for sale to passing visitors. 

 Cassowaries' eggs were also offered for sale, and large quantities 

 of Deers'-horns {Rasa molaccensis). 



The Deer are very abundant in Amboina. I accompanied a 

 party which went in pursuit of them. We had a letter to a 

 native head-man in one of the villages on the shores of the inlet 

 in which the harbour lies. The head-man treated us hospit- 

 ably, and collected about a dozen beaters. The Deer were 

 lying down concealed on a plain of some extent close to the shore, 

 covered with tall grass in some places up to our middles, and 

 skirted by bushes. 



We saw a Stag and two Hinds make off out of range, as 

 we made our way along the edge of the tall grass. The men 

 beat the bushes at the edges of the grass, and at last drove a 

 Hind out of one clump to the guns, and it was shot. The 

 numerous tracks in the grass showed that plenty of deer must 

 come there to feed. 



Ternate Island, October 14th to 11th, 18*4. — The island of 

 •Ternate is an active volcanic cone rising direct out of the sea to 

 a height, according to " Challenger " observations, of 5,600 feet. 

 My small aneroid indicated the height as somewhat less, but 

 was no doubt in error. The island, which belongs to the Dutch, 

 lies almost exactly on the equator. Separated from it by a nar- 

 row strait is the somewhat similar cone of Tidore. The lower 

 slopes are planted with nutmegs, cloves, pepper, cocoa trees, 

 and a profusion of fruits. 



The mountain is unquiet, and there were said to occur on an 

 average three or four earthquakes every week ; I had great 

 hopes that I should have an opportunity of feeling one, but was 

 disappointed. The Dutch keep up a Government staff at the 

 island, very much to the benefit and happiness of the people, 

 but I believe at a considerable financial loss. 



The Governor or Resident of the island at the time of the 

 visit of the " Challenger," was an accomplished naturalist, S. C. 

 J. W. van Musschenbroek ; he received the Expedition with the 



