392 A NATURALIST ON THE ''CHALLENGER.' 



There are several Mahommedan dealers in bird-skins in the 

 town of Ternate. A Papuan Bird of Paradise (Paradisea 

 Papuana), well skinned, cost about eight shillings, and I gave 

 fourteen shillings for a well-skinned Eed Bird of Paradise 

 (P. rubra). Skins of various Paradise Birds, prepared flat, and 

 dried in the old native style, were common and cheap enough. 

 Amongst these skins were a large quantity of what I believe was 

 the very rare Black and Scarlet-coloured Parrot (D. pequetti). 

 These birds could hardly have been killed and thus prepared 

 for sale, as ornaments, like the batch they were amongst ; but 

 they were unfortunately of no good as natural-history specimens 

 in their mangled condition. 



As I wished to ascend the Peak of Ternate in search of 

 plants, the Eesident provided four Malay guides for the purpose. 

 I started with Lieutenant Balfour. We passed a night at the 

 house of one of the Government officials, who kindly offered us 

 hospitality, at an altitude of about 1,000 feet. Leaving the house 

 at 4.30 A.M. on the following morning, we commenced the climb 

 through a field of sugar-cane. The path led nearly straight up 

 the cone all the way, and was excessively steep, and the ground 

 was very slippery from a heavy fall of rain the night before. 



It was pitch-dark for the first hour, and we slipped and fell 

 constantly. At an altitude of about 2,000 feet above sea level, the 

 last cleared and cultivated land, a rice-field, was passed. On the 

 border of the field grew several of the Saguir palms (Arenga 

 saccharifera), which are abundant in the gardens at sea level. 

 An intoxicating drink is made from the juice of this palm, and 

 like many other palms it yields sugar. 



Above the rice-fields, woods were entered at about daylight, 

 and these extend up to an altitude of about 4,150 feet. Jack- 

 fruit and a Wild Plantain were observed to grow up to a height 

 of about 2,600 feet. In the woods was a small hut, used by men 

 who come up to hunt the deer, which are abundant on the 

 mountains. On a tree close to the hut was cut the name of 

 Miklucho Maclay, the well-known explorer of New Guinea. 



Prom the verge of the woods, at 4,150 feet altitude, for about 

 750 feet further ascent, a dense growth of tall reeds was tra- 

 versed. At this height (4,800 feet above sea level), a ridge was 



