Chap. XV.] CASSOWARIES. 32I 



A species of Fig, a wide-spreading tree with large leaves, 

 seemed to me remarkable, because the fruit was borne only 

 on the pendent aerial roots. A tree of another species of fig 

 amused me, because its pendent roots had wound spirally 

 around the parent stem of the tree itself, and had nearly 

 choked it. It seemed just that a fig, so accustomed to chok 

 ing other trees, should thus once in a while choke itself; but 

 no doubt the tree suffered little, the roots taking fully the 

 place of the strangled trunk. 



The Rattans are a serious obstacle in excursions in the 

 forests. The tendrils of these trailing and climbing palms are 

 beset with rows of recurved hooks, which as they are drawn 

 across one's flesh, in a dash made to get a shot at a bird, cut 

 into it as readily as knives, but with a more unpleasant wound. 



An immense tree, with a tall stem free from branches, until 

 at a great height it spread out into a wide and evenly shaped 

 crown, was full of the nests of the Metallic Starling {Calornis 

 metaUica), a very beautiful small starling with dark plumage, 

 which displays a brilliant purple metallic glance all over its 

 surface. There must have been three or four hundred nests 

 in the tree ; every available branch was full of them. The 

 birds were busy flying to and fro, and were quite safe, for the 

 tree was so high that they were out of shot of my gun at least, 

 which was not a choke bore. 



On one of my excursions in the forest I met with a flock 

 of brilliant plumaged Parrots. They were apparently feeding 

 in company with a flock of White Cockatoos. I managed to 

 stalk one of the parrots, and shot it. The cockatoos set up 

 the most angry harsh screaming, and evidently made common 

 cause with the parrots. They sat and screamed at me on a 

 tree close by, as angrily as if one of their own flock had been 

 shot, and flew over my head high up out of reach of the gun, 

 looking down at the dead bird and still screaming. 



Once, as I was making my way through thick undergrowth 

 in a swampy place, my guide touched my arm and pointed, 

 and said, " Casuari." I was too late to see the big bird, but I 

 saw the tracks of its feet in the mud ; and now, for the first 

 time, realized the fact that the Cassowary, a large Struthious 

 bird, can inhabit a dense forest. I had always coupled 

 Struthious birds in my mind with open downs or plains, or at 

 all events with brushwood and occasional trees. Nor had I 

 before understood that " Cassowary " was the Malay name of 

 the bird. 



I searched for Land Planarians without success. There can, 

 however, be no doubt that they exist in Aru, since they occur 

 in Australia, Ternate, and the Philippines. 



21 



