•152 The Aru Islands. 



Again taking the nut in its claws, it inserts the very lono- and 

 sharp point of the bill and picks out the kernel, which is seized 

 hold of, morsel by morsel, by the extensive tongue. Thus 

 every detail of form and structure in the extraordinary bill of 

 this bird seems to have its use, and Ave may easily conceive 

 that the black cockatoos have maintained themselves in com- 

 petition with their more active and more numerous white al- 

 lies, by their power of existing on a kind of food which no 

 other bird is able to extract from its stony shell. The species 

 is the Microglossum aterrimum of naturalists. 



During the two weeks which I spent in this little settle- 

 ment, I had good opportunities of observing the natives at 

 their own home, and living in their usual manner. There is 

 a great monotony and uniformity in every-day savage life, and 

 it seemed to me a more miserable existence than when it had 

 the charm of novelty. To begin with the most important 

 fact in the existence of uncivilized peoples — their food — the 

 Aru men have no regular supply, no staff of life, such as 

 bread, rice, mandiocca, maize, or sago, which are the daily 

 food of a large proportion of mankind. They have, however, 

 many sorts of vegetables, plantains, yams, sweet potatoes, and 

 raw sago ; and they chew up vast quantities of sugar-cane, as 

 well as betel-nuts, gambir, and tobacco. Those who live on 

 the coast have plenty of fish ; but Avlien inland, as we are here, 

 they only go to the sea occasionally, and then bring home 

 cockles and other shell-fish by the boat-load. Now and then 

 they get wild pig or kangaroo, but too rarely to form any 

 thing like a regular part of their diet, which is essentially veg- 

 etable ; and what is of more importance, as affecting their 

 healt]i, green, watery vegetables, imperfectly cooked, and even 

 these in varying and often insufiicient quantities. To this 

 diet may be attributed the prevalence of skin diseases, and . 

 ulcers on the legs and joints. The scurfy skin disease so 

 common among savages has a close connection with the poor- 

 ness and irregularity of their living. The Malays, who are 

 never without their daily rice, are generally free from it ; the 

 Hill Dyaks of Borneo, who grow rice and live well, are clean 

 skinned, while the less industrious and less cleanly tribes, who 

 live for a portion of the year on fruits and vegetables only, 

 are very subject to this malady. It seems clear that in this. 



