352 BATCHiAisr. 



either to return to land, or to migrate safely to the conti- 

 nent. Bad flying was worse than not flying at all. So, while 

 in such islands as New Zealand and Mauritius, far from all 

 land, it was safer for a ground-feeding bird not to fly at all, 

 and the short-winged individuals continually surviving, pre- 

 pared the way for a wingless group of birds ; in a vast Ar- 

 chipelago thickly strewn with islands and islets it was advan- 

 tageous to be able occasionally to migrate, and thus the long 

 and strong-winged varieties maintained their existence long- 

 est, and ultimately supplanted all others, and spread the race 

 over the whole Archipelago. 



Besides this pigeon, the only new bird I obtained during 

 the trip was a rare goat-sucker (Batrachostomus crinifrons), 

 the only species of the genus yet found in the Moluccas. 

 Among my insects the best were the rare Pieris aruna, of 

 a rich chrome-yellow color, with a black border and remai'ka- 

 ble white antennas — perhaps the very finest butterfly of the 

 genus ; and a large black wasp-like insect, with immense jaws 

 like a stag-beetle, which has been named Megachile pluto by 

 Mr. F. Smith. I collected about a hundred species of beetles 

 quite new to me, but mostly very minute, and also many rare 

 and handsome ones which I had already found in Batchian. 

 On the whole, I was tolerably satisfied with my seventeen 

 days' excursion, which was a very agreeable one, and enabled 

 me to see a good deal of the island. I had hired a roomy 

 boat, and brought with me a small table and my rattan chair. 

 These wei'e great comforts, as, wherever there was a roof, I 

 could immediately install myself, and work and eat at ease. 

 When I could not find accommodation on shore I slept in the 

 boat, which was always drawn up on the beach if we staid 

 for a few days at one spot. 



On my return to Batchian I packed up my collections, and 

 prepared for my return to Ternate. When I first came I had 

 sent back my boat by the pilot, with two or three other men 

 who had been glad of the opportunity. I now took advantage 

 of a Government boat which had just arrived with rice for 

 the troops, and obtained permission to return in her, and ac- 

 cordingly started on the 13th of April, having resided only a 

 week short of six months on the island of Batchian. The 

 boat was one of the kind called " kora-kora," quite open, very 



