NEW GUINEA. 435 



in Norfolk Island, and the genus .Dasi/ptihis of New Guinea 

 is allied to Nestor. 



" Talok Lintju " or Humboldt Bay, February 23rd and 24th, 



1815.— We sighted the New Guinea Coast as a dark purple line 

 along the horizon, with its upper margin hidden in banks of 

 mist, at about mid-day. On February 23rd, as we approached 

 nearer, in the afternoon, the misty clouds lifted somewhat, and 

 the sharp peak, the highest point of the Cyclops Mountains, 

 6,200 feet in height, lying just to the north of our destination, 

 Humboldt Bay, showed out isolated and clear above the bank of 

 cloud which concealed all the lower parts of the range. 



The opening into Humboldt Bay, between Cape Caillie on 

 the north-west, and Cape Boupland on the south-east, both 

 precipitous and rocky, became gradually well defined. The 

 coast appeared far nearer to us than it was, and its distance 

 was judged at six miles when it in reality was at least 25 

 miles. 



Between 5 and 6 o'clock, the mist lifted almost entirely 

 from the Cyclops Mountains, and they were seen to consist of a 

 series of irregular peaks and sinuous sharp ridges culminating 

 in the one simple terminal peak, which had been seen before 

 above the clouds. The mountain is thickly wooded to the very 

 apex, as could plainly be seen with a telescope. The lines of 

 trees which showed out against the sky along the outline of 

 the mountain and its ridges showed few or no Palms. 



The whole coast outside the Bay is steep and rocky, without 

 any sandy beaches, and is thickly wooded with a dark clothing 

 of vegetation with lighter green patches here and there, formed 

 by the cultivated inclosures of the natives, or spaces which have 

 at some time been under cultivation by them. 



It was dark when we entered the Bay, steaming slowly to an 

 anchorage. A light flashed from the Cape Caille shore, glim- 

 mered and flashed again, then another flashed, then another, and 

 soon a dozen or more lights close together were flashing and 

 moving to and fro. These signal fires were answered from the 

 south side of the Bay, and from another spot higher up on the 

 same side, and we heard the peculiar holloa of warning, " hoa, 

 hoa," coming over the water from many voices, and sounding 



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