506 New Guinea. 



third species (Elaphomia alcicornis, the elk-horned deer-fly) is 

 a little smaller than the two already described, but resembling 

 in color Elaphomia wallacei. The horns are very remarkable, 

 being suddehly dilated into a flat plate, strongly toothed round 

 the outer margin, and strikingly resembling the horns of the 

 elk, after which it has been named. They are of a yellowish 

 color, margined with brown, and tipped with black on the three 

 upper teeth. The fourth species (Elaphomia brevicornis, the 

 short-horned deer-fly) differs considerably from the rest. It 

 is stouter in form, of a nearly black color, with a yellow ring 

 at the base of the abdomen ; the wings have dusky stripes, 

 and the head is compressed and dilated laterally, with very 

 small flat horns, which are black, with a pale centre, and look 

 exactly like the rudiment of the horns of the two preceding 

 species. None of the females have any trace of the horns, 

 and Mr. Saunders places in the same genus a species which has 

 no horns in either sex (Elaphomia polita). It is of a shining 

 black color, and resembles Elaphomia cervicomis in form, size, 

 and general appearance. The figures given on p. 505 represent 

 these insects of their natural size and in characteristic atti- 

 tudes. 



The natives seldom brought me any thing. They are poor 

 creatures, and rarely shoot a bird, pig, or kangaroo, or even 

 the sluggish opossum-like Cuscus. The tree-kangaroos are 

 found here, but must be very scarce, as my hunters, although 

 out daily in the forest, never once saw them. Cockatoos, lo- 

 ries, and parroquets were really the only common birds. Even 

 pigeons were scarce, and in little variety, although we occa- 

 sionally got the fine crown pigeon, which was always welcome 

 as an addition to our scantily furnished larder. 



Just before the steamer arrived I had wounded my ankle 

 by clambering among the trunks and branches of fallen trees 

 (which formed my best hunting-grounds for insects), and, as 

 usual with foot wounds in this climate, it turned into an obsti- 

 tate ulcer, keeping me in the house for several days. When 

 it healed up it was followed by an internal inflammation of 

 the foot, which by the doctor's advice I poulticed incessantly 

 for four or five days, bringing out a severe inflamed swelling 

 on the tendon above the heel. This had to be leeched, and 

 lanced, and doctored with ointments and poultices for sevei'al 



