ch. x.] Introduction to Sulu Society. 199 



day's public amusement taking place as it did so soon 

 after my arrival was a most fortunate thing for me, since 

 I thus obtained an introduction to the Sultan and most 

 of his people, and wherever I wandered in the island 

 afterwards I was always well received, which was lucky, 

 since the Sulus are not noted for their civility to strangers. 

 Even the small cotters who cultivate their little farms 

 and fruit groves up on the hills had heard of me, and 

 were very hospitable when, as happened soon afterwards, 

 I found my way up amongst them. The Sulu hills are 

 especially beautiful. 



Nearly every day, morning and evening, we used to 

 go down to the little Meimbong river near the Orang 

 Kaj'u's house to bathe ; and in the evening especially 

 the tops of the highest hills were lovely, glowing with 

 warmth in the golden light ; now clear, now hazy, the 

 last tremulous kisses of the lingering sun. I used to 

 walk a mile or two up the left bank of the winding river 

 nearly every evening before I had my bath, and I nearly 

 always took my gun, as the birds here were tolerably 

 plentiful, and in some cases very beautiful or interest- 

 ing. There are at least a dozen kinds of pigeons and 

 doves ; and three of the species I shot, I had never seen 

 before. Paroquets are common, and fly shrieking over- 

 head morning and evening. I shot four kinds in all, two 

 large green ones, a white one, and a small green one 

 having a blue head, and a pair of long-shafted, racquet- 

 shaped feathers in its tail. 



One of the most conspicuous of the birds here is the 

 gold and black oriole before mentioned, and a blackbird 

 having a grey back and immense flesh-coloured orbits is 

 not uncommon on trees beside the river. Two species 

 of kingfisher were seen; one the common blue kind, 

 with a white ring around its neck, and a discordant, 



