of Cerain and Waigiou. 285 



these genei-a found in all the great island of Ceram), and the 

 Buceros ruficollis and Tropidorhynclius subcornutus. One may 

 search for days, and literally see nothing else but these, with the 

 Carpophaga i^erspicillata and C. luctuosa (?). Flycatchers, Edolii, 

 Thrushes, Kingfishers, Warblers, Finches, are so scarce as to 

 seem altogether absent. The few species that do occur are 

 only seen singly, and at rare intervals. 



On my return from Goram I spent ten days on the N.E. coast, 

 but found nothing. I afterwards met with a gentleman, in the 

 employ of the Dutch government, who is an amateur in orni- 

 thology, and has resided in Ceram more than a year, visiting the 

 interior and the N. coast, with one or two hunters always engaged; 

 but he seems to have met with scarcely anything more than 

 myself. Pitfa seems altogether absent ; of Psittaci there is but 

 one not found also in Amboyna, the Platycercus amboinensis ; of 

 Ptilonopodes, the two Amboyna species only, P. viridis and P. 

 superbus. Leaving out Psittaci, I have only found 24 Passeres in 

 Ceram, after a more extensive and laborious exploration than I 

 have given to any other island. 



The poverty in species and individuals of land birds exceeds 

 anything I have hitherto met with, and seems very unaccount- 

 able. I think it must be partly due to the very little cultivation 

 in the island, the population subsisting almost wholly upon 

 sago. 



Where there are and have long been extensive clearings of 

 the forest, a different kind of vegetation is found, moi'e fruit- 

 bearing trees and shrubs occur together, and insects are more 

 plentiful. In such localities, if virgin forest is close at hand, 

 birds are almost always more abundant. I believe, however, 

 that though my collection of the birds of Ceram is no doubt 

 very incomplete, the poverty it displays is real, and will not be 

 materially affected by future discoveries; and its cause is, I 

 think, to be traced to the general character and origin of the 

 whole Moluccan fauna (contrary to what has generally been 

 supposed, a remarkably poor one), and to the peculiar geogra- 

 phical and geological antecedents of the island of Ceram. At 

 some future time I hope more fully to enter into this subject. 



My intention was to have continued my voyage as far as Ke, 



