322 GiLOLO. 



new to me. It was a variety of the Charmosyna placentis, 

 one of tlie smallest and most elegant of the brush-tongued lo- 

 ries. My hunters soon shot me several other fine birds, and I 

 myself found a specimen of the rare and beautiful day-flying 

 moth (Cocytia d'Urvillei). 



The village of Djilolo was formerly the chief residence of 

 the Sultans of Ternate till about eighty years ago, when at the 

 lequest of the Dutch they removed to their present abode. 

 The plfice was then no doubt much more populous, as is indi- 

 cated by the wide extent of cleared land in the neighborhood, 

 now covered with coarse high grass, very disagreeable to walk 

 through, and utterly barren to the naturalist. A few days' 

 exploring showed me that only some small patches of forest 

 remained for miles round, and the result was a scarcity of in- 

 sects and a very limited variety of birds, which obliged me to 

 change my locality. There was another village, called Sahoe, 

 to which there was a road of about twelve miles overland, and 

 this had been recommended to me as a good place for birds, 

 and as possessing a large population both of Mohammedans and 

 Alfuros, which latter race I much wished to see. I set off 

 one morning to examine this place myself, expecting to pass 

 through some extent of forest on my way. In this, however, 

 I Avas much disappointed, as the whole road lies through grass 

 and scrubby thickets, and it was only after reaching the vil- 

 lage of Sahoe that some high forest land was perceived stretch- 

 ing toward the mountains to the north of it. About half-way 

 we had to pass a deep river on a bamboo raft, which almost 

 sunk beneath us. This stream was said to rise a long way off 

 to the northward. 



Although Sahoe did not at all appear what I expected, I 

 determined to give it a trial, and a few days afterward ob- 

 tained a boat to carry ray things by sea while I walked over- 

 land. A large house on the beach belonging to the Sultan 

 was given me. It stood alone, and was quite open on every 

 side, so that little privacy could be had, but as I only intended 

 to stay a short time I made it do. A very few days dispelled 

 all hopes I might have entertained of laaaking good collections 

 in this place. Nothing was to be found in every direction 

 but interminable tracts of reedy grass eight or ten feet high, 

 traversed by narrow paths, often almost impassable. Here 



