35S 



It was liere 1 first made acquaintance witli the Pa- 

 puan race in tlieir native country, and it was witli 

 the greatest interest I studied their physical and mo- 

 ïal peculiarities , and noted the very striking difFeren- 

 ces that exist between them and the Malays, not only 

 in ontward features , but in their character and habits. 



A day and a half 's sail brought us to the trading 

 settlement of Dobbo, situated on a sandy spit running 

 out in a northerly direction form the island of Wam- 

 ma, which here approaches to within a mile of the 

 great island of Aru. Having obtained the use of one 

 of the palm-thatched sheds here dignified with the 

 name of houses, arranged my boxes and table, and 

 put up a drying-shelf iudoors and out, protected by 

 water-insulation from the attacks of ants, 1 was ready 

 to commence my exploration of the unknovvn fauna 

 of Aru. I had brought with me two boys, whose 

 sole business was to slioot and skin birds, while I at- 

 tended entirely to insects, and to the observation and 

 registry of the habits of the birds and animals I met 

 with in my walks in the forest. The first fortnight 

 was very unpropitious , violent gusts of wind and dri- 

 ving rain allowing us to do very little out of doors, 

 and making the drying of the little we obtained a mat- 

 ter of great difficulty. It soon became apparent that 

 in this small island there was a very limited number 

 of birds, and I determined to go as soon as possible 

 to the large island; but that was not an easy matter, 

 and I now found that I should have brought from 

 J\lacassar three men accustomed te the islands , and who 

 rould take me wherever 1 wanted to go. As it was, 

 1 had to get- natives, and there was, as usual, al 



