Delli. 199 



sometimes in narrow gullies worn by the horses' feet, and 

 where it was necessary to tuck up our legs on our horses' 

 necks to avoid having them crushed. At some of these places 

 the baggage had to be unloaded, at others it Avas knocked off. 

 Sometimes the ascent or descent was so steep that it was easier 

 to walk than to cling to our ponies' backs ; and thus we went 

 up and down, over bare hiUs whose surface was covered with 

 small pebbles and scattered over with Eucalypti, reminding 

 me of what I had read of parts of the interior of Australia 

 rather than of the Malay Archipelago. 



The village consisted of three houses only, with low walls 

 raised a few feet on posts, and very high roofs thatched with 

 grass hanging down to within two or three feet of the ground. 

 A house which was unfinished and partly open at the back 

 was given for our use, and in it we rigged up a table, some 

 benches, and a screen, while an inner inclosed portion served 

 us for a sleeping apartment. We had a splendid view down 

 upon Delli and the sea beyond. The country round was un- 

 dulating and open, except in the hollows, where there were 

 some patches of forest, which Mr. Geach, who had been all 

 over the eastern part of Timor, assured me was the most 

 luxuriant he had yet seen in the island. I was in hopes of 

 finding some insects here, but was much disappointed, owing 

 perhaps to the dampness of the climate ; for it was not till the 

 sun was pi-etty high that the mist cleared away, and by noon 

 we were generally clouded up again, so that there was seldom 

 more than an hour or two of fitful sunshine. We searched in 

 every direction for birds and other game, but they were very 

 scarce. On our way I had shot the fine white-headed pigeon 

 (Ptilonopus cinctus), and the pretty little lorikeet (Trichoglos- 

 sus euteles). I got a few more of these at the blossoms of the 

 Eucalypti, and also the allied species, Trichoglossus iris, and a 

 few other small but interesting birds. The common jungle- 

 cock of India (GaUus bankiva) was found here, and furnished 

 us with some excellent meals, but we could get no deer. Po- 

 tatoes are grown higher up the mountains in abundance, and 

 are very good. We had a sheep killed every other day, and 

 ate our mutton with much appetite in the cool climate, which 

 rendered a fire always agreeable. ■ 



Although one-half the European residents in Delli are con- 



