432 A NATURALIST ON THE "CHALLENGER." 



the same curious habit of association with a Eodent as the 

 American Ground Owl. If so, the fact is very remarkable.* 



Meangis Islands, February lOtli, lS^S. — The ship left Hong 

 Kong on January 6th, 1875, and after visiting various ports in 

 the Philippine Group as already noted, lay on February 10th 

 between the Meangis and Tulur or Talaur Islands, south of the 

 Philippines. The ship was nearest to the Island of Kakarutan, 

 of the Meangis Group. The large hilly island of the Talaur 

 Group, Karekelang, was seen in the distance, covered with 

 forest, but with numerous patches of cultivation. 



A canoe, sharp at both ends and without outriggers, of the 

 Ke Island build, manned by 22 men and boys, came off to the 

 ship. The men wore turbans, like the Lutaos of Zamboanga, 

 and were many of them apparently of the same race, but 

 appeared to be a mongrel lot, and were very dirty-looking. 

 They did not, as far as we could ascertain, understand either 

 Malay, Spanish, or Dutch, but asked for tobacco. They brought 

 mats and very pretty blue and red Lories alive for sale. The 

 birds were secured to sticks by means of rings made of cocoa- 

 nut shell as at Amboina. The men did not chant or use drums 

 as they paddled. They had the Dutch flag flying. 



Drift Wood from the Ambernoli River, New Guinea, February 

 22nd, 1815. — On February 22nd, at noon, the ship was about 

 70 miles north-east of Point D'Urville, New Guinea, where the 

 great Ambernoh Eiver, the largest river in New Guinea, runs 

 into the sea.j This river probably rises in the Charles Lewis 

 Mountains, on the opposite side of New Guinea ; these moun- 

 tains reach up to the great altitude of 16,700 feet. So large is 

 this river, that even at this great distance from its mouth, we 

 found the sea blocked with the Drift Wood brought down by it. 



We passed through long lines of Drift Wood disposed in curves 

 at right angles to the direction in which lay the river's mouth. 



* An account of Chinese Zoology is given in the " Preussischer 

 Expedition nach Ostasien" Zoologie, Bd. I. s. 169, "Ueber die Thierkunde 

 der Chinesen und unsere Kenntniss Chinesischer Thiere." 



t The mouth of the river which is lined with Casuarina-trees, was 

 passed by Rosenberg on his way to Humboldt Bay in 1862. " Nat. Tydsch. 

 voor Neder. Indie." Deel. XXIV. p. 334. Batavia, 1862. 



