Mouxd-Making Birds. 1G5 



licorn beetles are slightly roasted on the embers and eaten 

 whenever met with. The superabundance of insect life is 

 therefore turned to some account by these islanders. 



Finding that birds were not very numerous, and hearing 

 much of Labuan Tring, at the southern extremity of the bay, 

 where there was said to be much uncultivated country and 

 plenty of birds, as well as deer and wild pigs, I determined to 

 go there with my two servants, Ali, the Malay lad from Borneo, 

 and Manuel, a Portuguese of Malacca accustomed to bird- 

 skinning. I hired a native boat with outriggers to take us, 

 with our small quantity of luggage, and a day's rowing and 

 tracking along the shore brought us to the place. 



I had a note of introduction to an Amboynese Malay, and 

 obtained the use of part of his house to live and work in. 

 His name was " Inchi Daud " (Mr. David), and he was very 

 civil ; but his accommodations were limited, and he could only 

 give me part of his reception-room. This was the front part 

 of a bamboo house (reached by a ladder of about six rounds 

 very wide apart), and having a beautiful view over the bay. 

 Howevei*, I soon made what arrangements were possible, and 

 then set to work. The country around was pretty, and novel 

 to me, consisting of abrupt volcanic hills inclosing flat valleys 

 or open plains. The hills were covered with a dense scrubby 

 bush of bamboos and prickly trees and shrubs, the plains were 

 adorned with hundreds of noble palm-trees, and in many places 

 with a luxuriant shrubby vegetation. Birds were plentiful and 

 very interesting, and I now saw for the first time many Aus- 

 tralian forms that are quite absent from the islands westward. 

 Small white cockatoos were abundant, and their loud screams, 

 conspicuous white color, and pretty yellow crests, rendered them 

 a very important feature in the landscape. This is the most 

 westerly point on the globe where any of the family are to be 

 found. Some small honeysuckers of the genus Ptilotis and 

 the strange mound-maker (Megapodius gouldii) are also here 

 first met with on the traveller's journey eastward. The last- 

 mentioned bird requires a fuller notice. 



The MegapodidsB are a small family of birds found only in 

 Australia and the surrounding islands, but extending as far as 

 the Philippines and North-west Borneo. They are allied to 

 the gallinaceous birds, but differ from these and fi'om all oth- 



